Re-signing Everson Griffen is a quintessential Vikings move

In the midst of a worrisome and divisive training camp, the Minnesota Vikings on Monday made a quintessential Minnesota Vikings move, one that could fairly be described as worrisome and could increase the divisiveness on a team that can't even agree on the efficacy of vaccines.

The Vikings signed former Vikings star Everson Griffen less than three weeks before the beginning of the regular season, a decision that is remindful of so much of team history because of the incoming personality, the personal history, the attempt to recapture past glory, and a willingness to try just about anything to win right now.

And yet, I like the decision. Griffen knows the defense; remains close with assistant head coach Andre Patterson and some of his old/new teammates; always gives maximum effort; and might have enough athletic explosiveness left to be able to help in bursts.

But there are risks to signing Griffen, and his return is as fraught with drama as just about everything else that has happened to the Vikings since the start of camp.

First of all, Griffen isn't afraid to speak his mind. Or scream it. When he played at a mostly empty U.S. Bank Stadium last year as a member of the Lions, you could hear Griffen holler constantly from the sideline. NFL teams tend to accept outspokenness from stars, but not from reserves and role players. Chris Kluwe might still be the Vikings punter had he not made himself a persistent spokesman for whatever entered his mind, even though his stances were admirable.

The Griffen signing is also remindful of past Vikings attempts to prove that former players can go home again.

They traded Chris Doleman in his prime over a contract dispute, then Denny Green brought him back in 1999 and Doleman had eight sacks in 14 games. This is the best-case hope for the Vikings: that Griffen can play a limited role but provide large dividends.

They traded Randy Moss in his prime and traded to bring him back in 2010. He caught 13 of 25 targets for 174 yards and two touchdowns in four games, then talked his way out of the organization by praising the Patriots after the Vikings lost to New England. This is the worst-case for the Vikings: that Griffen proves to be more problematic than productive.

Here's why that is a concern:

In January, Griffen tweeted about coach Mike Zimmer and quarterback Kirk Cousins: "Ask ZIMMER if he wanted Kirk?????" followed by "He will tell you the truth??? Who wanted Kirk Cousins???? Take your guess???"

Later, Griffen tweeted an apology and expressed his love for the Vikings.

His insinuation stands: Griffen seems to believe that General Manager Rick Spielman forced Cousins on Zimmer. Griffen also does not seem to be a fan of Cousins.

In other words, Griffen has a bright future as an NFL analyst.

It's possible that Griffen's true feelings about Cousins will never matter. Griffen and Cousins don't play in the NBA, where one ball hog can decide not to pass to another. They will never be on the field at the same time and don't have to work together in any way. When they are in a meeting room together, they will be listening to Zimmer along with 50-plus teammates.

But if this season doesn't go well, or Cousins performs poorly or costs the Vikings a game or a month or a season because he has refused to get vaccinated, Griffen's opinions will be remembered and resurrected.

Griffen's signing might also be a sign that the current Vikings brain trust has no interest in consulting Cousins on its roster decisions. When Tom Brady went to Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers signed his buddy Rob Gronkowski, who had announced his retirement, and repugnant receiver Antonio Brown, whom Bucs coach Bruce Arians had previously ruled out.

Great NFL quarterbacks possess influence, if not power. Cousins apparently possesses neither.

If the Vikings fail because of Cousins, there are probably a lot of people in the organization who wouldn't mind Griffen hitting resend on some old tweets.