Another ancient Viking joins forces with his cousins ​​in Atlanta

Maybe Kirk Cousins ​​has a little gravitational pull.

Another former Viking is taking his talents to Georgia, according to Aaron Wilson. Corner Harrison Hand, originally drafted by Minnesota in the 5th round of the 2020 NFL Draft, is now a Falcon: “#Falcons sign Harrison Hand cut Anthony Sao. »

Former Viking Corner is now a Falcon

Dustin Baker wrote about the news at Viking Territory. Consider the list of former Vikings who now call Atlanta home:

• Daylen Baldwin (WR)
• Kirk Cousins (QB)
• Taylor Heinicke (QB)
• Kyle Hinton (OG)
• Mike Hughes (CB)
• Storm Norton (OT)

Adding Mr. Hand to the mix brings the total to seven players, a pretty hearty assist.

Vikings fans with a good memory will tell you that Hand did some good things while playing for the Vikings. Most notably, he made a few plays during the Christmas debacle against the Saints in 2020. Hand snagged an interception in that game to go along with 3 tackles and 2 passes defended.

Hand was with the Vikings from 2020-21, but the transition to the Kevin O’Connell era in 2022 forced him to look for work elsewhere. Originally, that meant being picked up by the New York Giants. They would release him though, giving him a chance in the Windy City.

The 2022 season involved returning to work in Chicago. He played in four games and started one, collecting 12 tackles alongside one pass defended and one forced fumble. He played 111 defensive snaps this season.

Hand is still only 25 years old. He played in 27 career games in the NFL. His contract in Atlanta is worth just over $1 million.

Minnesota’s situation involves quite a bit of uncertainty and youth. Byron Murphy Jr. is the CB1 and Kevin O’Connell is hoping he can slide into the slot a little more. Veteran Shaq Griffin was added, so we hope he does well while lining up on the outside.

Meanwhile, younger options like Mekhi Blackmon, Khyree Jackson, Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans (among others) will be fighting for some of the remaining snaps.

The Vikings’ homecoming party — better known as the regular season game against the Atlanta Falcons — will take place in Week 14. Kirk Cousins ​​will grab the headlines, but there could be a ton former Vikings involved in the game. .

In reality, both teams could be competing for the same NFC Wild Card spot, so this has the potential to be a fascinating game for many reasons.

Editor’s note: Information from Professional football reference And Over the hood helped with this piece.

K. Joudry is editor-in-chief of Viking Territory And PurplePTSD. He has covered the Vikings full-time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as co-host of Notes from the Northa humble Vikings podcast.