While he was training for his 12th NFL season in hopes of landing a job for training camp, Everson Griffen bided his time near Lake Minnetonka, "just a dad at heart."
Between workouts, he would coach his 8-year-old son's football team, take boat trips with his family and drive his kids to different activities. "Just my normal routine," he said. "Taking naps here and there, working out and enjoying life."
Last week, the call he had wanted from the Vikings finally came, about a workout at the team's practice facility on Wednesday. That led to a long conversation between the four-time Pro Bowl selection and the team's decisionmakers, and on Monday, he got his opportunity to return to the team he said "feels like home.