It seems like many former Green Bay Packers players oftentimes find their way to other NFC North teams after their tenure with the team comes to an end. The most famous example of this, perhaps, is Brett Favre spending the last two seasons of his career with the Minnesota Vikings. More recently, Pro Bowl pass rusher Za’Darius Smith also signed with the Vikings after his time in Green Bay came to a dramatic end.
This past offseason also saw two notable former Packers sign with Minnesota: running back Aaron Jones and tight end Robert Tonyan. The former is the team’s starting running back and the latter, well, was just released.
Former Green Bay Packers Tight End Robert Tonyan Was Released by the Minnesota Vikings
Tonyan, who spent one season with the Chicago Bears when his time in Green Bay ended, signed with the Vikings as a free agent this past offseason (as mentioned previously). The signing was notable because Minnesota became the fourth NFC North team that Tonyan joined during his career.
He started his career on the Detroit Lions practice squad before spending five seasons in Green Bay. The Bears and Vikings, of course, are the other two teams in that particular division.
Tonyan’s time in Minnesota got off to a rough start as he battled back injuries during training camp. He did not make the team’s 53-man roster but was signed to their practice squad.
The Vikings elevated Tonyan from the practice squad in each of the past three weeks to their active roster. However, he did not receive a single target on offense. In fact, he has only played 11 snaps on offense all year.
Earlier today, NFL insider Aaron Wilson reported on X (formerly Twitter) that Tonyan had been released by Minnesota:
#Vikings promote Myles Gaskin, release Robert Tonyan
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 8, 2024
Myles Gaskin, for those unfamiliar, is a running back. Fans may recall that Jones, another former Packer, left Sunday’s game against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets in London, with a hip injury.
What Is Next for Former Green Bay Packers Tight End Robert Tonyan After His Release from the Minnesota Vikings?
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As mentioned, Tonyan has been elevated from Minnesota’s practice squad three times this season. This is significant due to the NFL rule that a player can only be elevated from a practice squad three times in a season. If the Vikings wanted to elevate Tonyan again, they would need to add him to their 53-man roster.
Keeping this in mind, there are three possibilities for Tonyan going forward. First, he can re-sign with Minnesota’s practice squad and spend the rest of the 2024 NFL season there. If this is the plan, the Vikings will likely re-sign him on Wednesday.
The second scenario is related to the first. The Vikings can re-sign Tonyan to their practice squad, but if they want to use him again on their active roster, they will have to sign him to the 53. If they wanted to do this, they probably would not have released him.
Third, Tonyan will sign with another team. This seems like the most likely scenario because, as mentioned above, Minnesota could have just returned him to the practice squad without releasing him on Tuesday. Since they chose not to, it is likely that is time in Minnesota has come to an end.
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