Minnesota Vikings move on from high-upside defender, but his story might not be over just yet
Jaylon Hutchings signed with the Minnesota Vikings after a successful stint in the CFL, but his NFL journey has hit a bump in the road.
Once the regular season is over, the Minnesota Vikings, along with the rest of the NFL, can sign players to futures contracts. Among those who can sign futures contract are players from the CFL.
Every year, multiple players from the professional league north of the border sign with NFL teams. There have been some success stories like Jeff Garcia, Cameron Wake, and Alex Singleton over the years, but the majority of them are depth players.
Earlier this offseason, the Vikings signed two players to futures contracts in defensive tackle Jaylon Hutchings and linebacker Jacob Roberts from the Calgary Stampeders.
Minnesota Vikings move on from Jaylon Hutchings
News broke on Tuesday that the Vikings have moved on from Hutchings, reported initially by NFL insider Aaron Wilson. It’s a frustrating one for the Vikings, as Hutchings had very similar qualities to Jalen Redmond. That profile works really well for what Brian Flores likes to do on defense.
While the profile was there for Hutchings, moving on from him right now feels odd. However, it was the day after the beginning of OTAs, meaning it was likely some form of injury. That was confirmed by SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson on Tuesday afternoon, and he kept the door open for Hutchings to return.
It’s frustrating to see him deal with an injury at all, especially with workouts set to begin. However, the fact that they will be re-evaluating things in a few weeks is a good sign. With a player like Hutchings who is on the back end of a 90-man roster, you can take chances like this. It is curious why they would release him instead of letting him rehab in the building, but he’s not a key player so it could just be procedural.
Even with the release, Hutchings is a player to monitor for the Vikings over the next few weeks.