Minnesota Vikings tight end John Carlson (89) against the Chicago Bears at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. The Vikings defeated the Bears 23-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Vikings No. 2 tight end John Carlson caught 32 passes for 344 yards and a touchdown last season, receiving time as a starter due to an injury to young standout Kyle Rudolph. Carlson has never made good on the promise he showed early in his career with the Seattle Seahawks and will make $3.9 million next season, but he’s still a reliable No. 2 TE in this league and can make an impact in the red zone. There are times when Carlson shows flashes of brilliance, but the Vikings are just hoping he can be a quality backup to Rudolph, who is a centerpiece item in the team’s offense.
There had been some speculation regarding Carlson’s future in the NFL, as he’s always had major issues with concussions and suffered a significant concussion in Week 14 that caused him to miss the rest of the season. He was reportedly seriously considering retiring, but that talk has subsided, as the Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s Master Tesfatsion reports that Carlson has decided not to retiree and will continue his NFL career.
It’s great news overall, and we can only hope that Carlson can avoid further concussions and can have some solid success in 2014. He went as far as to say that the retirement talk wasn’t legit in the first place, “But the way it was kind of taken by other people was, ‘Oh he’s done. He’s got a concussion.’ This is football. Guys get concussions; a lot of guys cover concussions up, and they hide them. I haven’t done that because I don’t want to do that. I value my health, and I also value my career in this opportunity. Once you shut it down, you really can’t go back. The end is the end.”
Well said, and I hope he can take full advantage of the opportunities he’s given on the football field going forward.