While the Minnesota Vikings have stayed relatively quiet through the early stages of NFL free agency, they did make a move on Tuesday to keep an important part of their special teams around for at least one more season.
The team has agreed to a deal with long snapper Andrew DePaola. It’s a one-year deal worth a fully guaranteed $1.725 million.
DePaola has been with the Vikings since 2020, when he signed with the practice squad and was eventually elevated to the main roster, appearing in seven games. He’s been the primary long snapper for the team since 2021, and has been either a First or Second-Team All-Pro in each of the last four seasons. He made the First Team in 2022 and 2024, and was named to the Second Team in 2023 as well as this past season.
The oldest member of the Vikings’ roster, DePaola will turn 39 this July. Keeping him in the fold means that the Vikings will only have to replace one member of their corps of specialists, as the team lost punter/holder Ryan Wright to the New Orleans Saints on the first day of free agency.
Keeping the long snapper around isn’t the sexiest signing or anything like that, but when you have a player who could certainly be regarded as the best in the league at what he does, as DePaola is, it’s definitely better to keep him around if he’s willing to come back. It’s a quiet move by Rob Brzezinski, but it’s a good one.
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