Report: Vikings Sign Desmond Bishop To One Year Deal
The former Packers linebacker has reportedly agreed to a one year deal with Minnesota.
By PackerAaron
Boom.
Demond Bishop agrees to one-year deal with vikings, per source with knowledge of situation.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) June 24, 2013
Tom Pelissero reports that Bishop will be competing at both middle and weakside linebacker.
Needless to say, if Bishop proves healthy and plays well for the Packers' bitter rivals, the second guessing of Ted's decision to let Bishop go will be off the charts awesome.
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Comments (81)
June 24, 2013 at 03:04 pm
Break a leg!!
June 24, 2013 at 03:08 pm
Good luck covering Finley buddy.
June 24, 2013 at 03:13 pm
Wow what a surprise........
June 24, 2013 at 03:17 pm
Desmond Who? Is he the guy that plays for the team with the WR who used to play for the Packers?
I'm excited to see what Dezman Moses can do this year...
June 24, 2013 at 03:32 pm
"DON'T BRAG ABOUT TAKING MY SIDE PIECE!!! DON'T BRAG ABOUT TAKING MY SIDE PIECE THOUGH!!! THAT'S MY SIDE PIECE!!! YOU DON'T GET LAID!!!" - Ted Thompson
June 24, 2013 at 03:53 pm
hope it works out for him !
June 24, 2013 at 04:03 pm
Minnesota - the Packers Western farm team.
June 24, 2013 at 04:42 pm
You mean retirement community, right?
June 24, 2013 at 05:26 pm
The Robert Ferguson All-Star Team.
June 24, 2013 at 04:09 pm
I look forward to watching him chasing Finley into the end zone.
June 24, 2013 at 04:22 pm
Training camp is still over a month away but yet GB has decided that Bishop is not in their plans. What was the risk waiting to decide until final cutdown in early September?
If Bishop is indeed healthy & can help the Vikes, Thompson is going to look like the mediocre GM he's starting to look like in many eyes. A team with only Rodgers & Matthews as impact players can't afford to let players like Bishop slide over to the competition. I'm dismayed that Thompson appears to be in a rebuilding mode in 2013. Who rebuilds off an 11-5 season ???
June 24, 2013 at 04:36 pm
" A team with only Rodgers & Matthews as impact players..."
So what you're saying is that Bishop is an impact player, but Cobb, Finley, Nelson, James Jones, Casey Hayward and Sam Shields are not then?
Come on, man.
June 24, 2013 at 04:41 pm
All are good players who have NEVER seen the Pro-Bowl.... Eventually, Cobb & maybe Hayward will but the rest are just good, not great by any means....
June 24, 2013 at 04:48 pm
Pro Bowl is worthless. Did you know that James Jones caught 14 TDs last year? 2nd only to Arian Foster (17). Would you say that's pro bowl worthy (hint: yes).
And come on, Jeff Saturday made the pro bowl last year. That should tell you all you need to know.
Jordy Nelson has 1200 yards in 2011 and over 700 yards last year in 12 games. He averaged over 15 yards per catch.
I think Sam Shields will be one of the best man corners in the league after this year. Maybe he's not great yet, but he's certainly Pro Bowl worthy (whatever that means) and he's proven to be an impact player. He had a rough 2011 year but otherwise has been a very good CB
Finley is still a toss up, but that guy CAN be an impact player if he chooses to be.
June 24, 2013 at 04:53 pm
Oh shit. You're right - Saturday is another pro bowl player the Packers have to replace this season.
June 24, 2013 at 09:38 pm
"Jeff Saturday made the pro bowl last year. "
And TT let him go, WTF!
June 24, 2013 at 05:05 pm
The Pro-Bowl is certainly not the only means of evaluating a team... But, be real, the more Pro-Bowl players a team has, the better the team..... I mean, add Woodson & Collins in their prime as Pro-Bowlers & GB would be much better than they are today.... Thompson hasn't replaced the best of the 2010 SB Champs... Either someone will have to step up in 2013 or it could be a long year....This is the NFL.
June 24, 2013 at 05:09 pm
"But, be real, the more Pro-Bowl players a team has, the better the team..."
The 2012 Chiefs would beg to differ.
June 24, 2013 at 05:18 pm
I knew someone would mention the Chiefs. KC is an anamoly. Just be honest. You know that & so does everyone else. In fact, KC may thrive this season because of their Pro-Bowlers.... Bottom-Line... The more Pro-Bowlers, the better.
June 24, 2013 at 05:30 pm
"Bottom-Line… The more Pro-Bowlers, the better."
Except when not.
June 24, 2013 at 05:34 pm
@Evan
You & Stroh, so much alike, maybe the same ???
June 24, 2013 at 05:36 pm
My lips are sealed...
June 24, 2013 at 07:16 pm
Some of the best teams in NFL history were loaded at one time with no Pro Bowlers for players.
June 25, 2013 at 07:05 am
Are you really serious. The Pro Bowl has become a joke. It's such a joke most players don't even accept the invite. It's such a joke there's actually talk to eliminate the game altogether. To be a All-Pro is a honor. To be a Pro Bowler means they may have asked 10 guys playing the same position and been turned down, before calling the 11th a "All Pro".
June 24, 2013 at 05:11 pm
Whats the risk of bringing Bishop back? We've covered this ad nauseum for the past week. The risk is Bishop re-injuring the leg and having to pay his entire 3.5M salary while he sits on IR for yet another season. That 3.5M could be much better spent on getting any number of players signed to long term contracts. The chances of Bishop re-injuring that leg are very high, and more likely to happen than not.
Bishop was a good player, not a great one and he'll never be the same again. In fact theres a good chance he's played his last down of NFL football. I doubt the ruptured hamstring (or a related injury) makes it thru training camp. Its a shame, but its life in the NFL!
Move on...
June 24, 2013 at 05:20 pm
You haven't a clue. Don't pretend that you do.
A poem just for you.
June 24, 2013 at 06:57 pm
No good response so you have to make something up to try to downplay my argument. I would say that tells everyone what they need to know.
June 24, 2013 at 09:40 pm
Sounded spot on to me.
June 24, 2013 at 05:54 pm
DERP! DERP! BISHOP! DERP!
June 24, 2013 at 06:06 pm
Sorry to piggy back but I'm one who is not a Ted fan. I do take into consideration one big problem, only Ted has: No owner with deep pockets to back fill contracts.
Ted has a responsibility to the fan owners to pay as you go. He cannot get the team if future financial difficulty requiring a sale. So he must count pennies, not millions.
Thus, his getting rid of higher picks and getting more late round picks isn't the genius people credit him for, his business. These guys costs less.
June 24, 2013 at 11:38 pm
Soooo completely misguided.
No wonder you're not a TT fan.
June 25, 2013 at 10:25 am
"He cannot get the team if future financial difficulty requiring a sale." If by future financial difficulty you mean salary cap jail, then yes, you're right. But not because he has to worry about a future sale of the franchise but because it's poor management, full stop. And if TT were just counting pennies, why doesn't GB always have the most room under the salary cap?
June 24, 2013 at 08:02 pm
Because if he gets hurt we are on the hook for his entire contract. Too risky.
June 24, 2013 at 10:07 pm
This dude's a joke. He thinks we can keep every single player all of the time. Hey Jake, the 1980's are long gone man.
June 25, 2013 at 08:34 am
Why would they pay a player $3.5 million per year (or whatever it was) who's market value we now know is only $1.5-2 million on only a 1 year deal? Don't you think that kind of validates their decision to cut him?
Now, perhaps they could have matched the Vikings offer or outbid them slightly, but I think we've seen what the appraised value of Desmond Bishop is coming off that injury, and it's far less than the Packers would have paid him.
If the Packers were foolish to cut him at 3.5 million, what does that say about the other 30 teams that could have had him for much less?
June 25, 2013 at 08:52 am
This is a great point. Well done, Jer.
June 25, 2013 at 08:55 am
outstanding point
June 25, 2013 at 10:30 am
"If the Packers were foolish to cut him at 3.5 million, what does that say about the other 30 teams that could have had him for much less?"
It says that they're all even cheaper than TT. But they all have better special teams coaches. And better #s 4 and 5 receivers, not to mention backup quarterbacks. What am I forgetting?
June 24, 2013 at 04:26 pm
Seriously though....anyone know the over/under on how many games Bishop plays this year?
June 24, 2013 at 06:58 pm
If you find out let me know, I'm almost sure I'll take the under.
June 24, 2013 at 04:35 pm
Its my opinion that GB used the "physically he's fine; its a numbers game" excuse to cut him so that he'd have maximum chance to latch on with another team. To wait until training camp reduces his chance for success. GB must really feel that he will not return to pre-injury form.
June 24, 2013 at 05:13 pm
I agree with that, along w/ the likelihood of re-injury it just wasn't worth bringing him back to GB.
June 24, 2013 at 06:53 pm
Hey, Dr. Stroh - do you think Bishop might re-injure himself in the near future?
I'm not sure I have a full grasp of your feeling on this issue.
I need to hear it from you one more time...
June 24, 2013 at 07:09 pm
Hey pot, say hello to my friend kettle.
June 24, 2013 at 08:55 pm
Brav. O.
June 24, 2013 at 11:45 pm
How about those 49ers?
June 25, 2013 at 08:57 am
seriously, cow, how can you possibly rip someone else for bemoaning the same point over and over? come on man
June 24, 2013 at 04:39 pm
Hey Desmond? Just don't hurt our quarterback, ok?
June 25, 2013 at 08:20 am
Yes. This is all that matters.
June 24, 2013 at 05:13 pm
It wont be a mistake if he has a good year, it will only be a mistake if he has multiple good years. Better a year early than a year late. Look at Cullen Jenkins, had a good year after he left then what? Not much since then.
June 24, 2013 at 05:30 pm
Except GB has yet to replace Jenkins.... Neal, Worthy, Daniels & Wilson are all "rotational DL" at this point. Now we get to see if Datone Jones is really any better. In other words, it could be that none are good enough to play 3 out of 3 downs.
June 24, 2013 at 05:44 pm
Agreed on the statement that none are good enough to play 3 downs. That is why Raji and Burnett (safety depth chart) have so much leverage in their pre free agency seasons, the team has little to fall back on. Jones is a key but that is a lot of pressure unless he is a Mathews type talent which is rare. Jones and Perry have to play at least as solid starters for this defense now that Bishop is gone to put fear in opposing offenses, where else could that come from ?
June 24, 2013 at 05:53 pm
I'd be thrilled if both D. Jones & Perry could play like 1st round draft picks this season... How good would it be if Matthews actually had a solid OLB opposite him every game??... I could see Matthews getting 20+ a season...
June 25, 2013 at 06:08 am
"Except GB has yet to replace Jenkins"
So, your argument is what? if GB had kept Cullen Jenkins he magically would have been productive for more than one year, and the Packers would somehow be better off now?
June 25, 2013 at 10:04 am
Never said anything about keeping Jenkins....
The word I used is "replace".... Just read the words as they are. It's all simple English.
June 24, 2013 at 09:43 pm
It will only be a mistake if Bishop has a better career from 2013 on than Brad Jones and Terrell Manning.
June 24, 2013 at 06:02 pm
I can't fault Bishop. He didn't cut himself. Still the news should be - can he play? Can he make the team? If the Pack let him go over a couple of million then they have more problems then I thought financially.
June 24, 2013 at 08:07 pm
You gotta laugh at the kid brother to the west of us, (queens) who try and sign every ex-Packer, free agent they can to try and compete!
It only proves what an elite organization the GREEN BAY PACKERS really are!
I like Bish., and I understand the liabilities of his injury. Wish him luck in only fourteen games a year!
Silly queens- NFL teams are build't by the draft, not free agents/released vets. etc!, we've seen your trophy case :)
June 24, 2013 at 08:31 pm
Seriously, why DO the Vikes get so many ex-Packers?
Longwell, Sharper, Favre, Jennings, and now Bishop.
How many ex-Vikes has GB picked up? Gilbert Brown?
Maybe if they get tired of AP...not sure if he'll ever "fully recover" from that knee...
June 24, 2013 at 08:54 pm
In ten yrs. they will pick up Lacy, ha.
June 24, 2013 at 10:00 pm
What would the financial and cap implications of cutting Bishop later have been?
June 24, 2013 at 11:10 pm
Good question but I think if he's hurt during camp they're on the hook for 3.5M, so they weren't willing to take that risk. I'd be interested to see how much guaranteed money he's getting from the Queens.
June 25, 2013 at 07:16 am
I think that's exactly the issue.
June 24, 2013 at 11:02 pm
Aren't weakside 4-3 LB's supposed to be light and fast? Bishop was never either of those when he was fully healthy.
June 25, 2013 at 01:08 am
Shows how desperate the queens are for LB. They take on a LB that is unlikely to finish the season and are going to try to play him out of position. All while switching the OLB from last year to ILB. One would think they'll figure out quickly that Bishop is an ILB and Henderson is an OLB. But then this is the viqueens we're talking about!
June 24, 2013 at 11:17 pm
Oh yeah- it was the guaranteed salary that forced their hand. I knew there was something
June 24, 2013 at 11:48 pm
The fact that the Vikings signed him actually makes me feel better. It worked out when they got rid of Favre in favor of Rodgers. I have all the confidence that Cobb will be a superstar in the absence of Jennings and Driver. If what I've read in regards to Bishop's injury is correct, he is highly likely to re-injure his hamstring and will probably never be the same. This is a ruptured hammy not a tear folks. Hopefully Manning or Lattimore can step up and help Jones and Hawk out at ILB.
People hate on TT, but his primary job is to draft enough talent to be a perennial contender and manage a healthy salary cap. If we look the Packers run of success since Thompson arrived and look at our cap numbers I would say he does a pretty damn good job.
June 25, 2013 at 11:14 pm
Yep.
June 25, 2013 at 06:33 am
First of all, good luck to Desmond Bishop. You can't grudge a guy for signing a contract after he was released. I hope it turns out to be the best decision for him in the long run. Farve's last year in purple was sad to watch, unless you enjoy watching guys get killed while having reduced ability to defend themselves.
Second, if you believe Bishop is done within the next 15 months then just be happy that the Vikings have him eat a roster spot and cap space.
Ranking the Vikings' signings of ex-Packers over the last 25 years. Feel free to add names I missed. My ranking is subjective, entirely, and based on my perception or expectation of production and longevity.
1. Ryan Longwell
2. Brett Farve (close call v. Longwell, because Farve was critical to their playoff run, but Longwell had more good years in purple).
3. Darren Sharper
4. Greg Jennings (projected)
5. Desmond Bishop (projected)
6. Bryce Paup (10 games, 2.0 sacks)
7. Robert Ferguson (8 games, 3 recs)
8. Paul Coffman (TE from the 80s, nada on the stat line)
9. Javon Walker (I found an article saying Walker signed with the Vikings, I can't find that he ever made it to a game-day roster.)
June 25, 2013 at 06:57 am
I agree, good luck to Bishop. The Packers fan in me hopes he takes a roster spot but is just a shell of himself. I agree with your list too but I don't think Jennings will do much as a Viking. I mean it is Ponder throwing him the ball. Ponder is the QB that threw for under 100 yards on 3 occasions last year. UNDER 100 YARDS! Clearly Jennings had lost a step and began to become injury prone. Like the many receivers that have left the Packers for greener ($$$) pastures, they never seem to do much with new teams. While I think Jennings has a chance to make a difference, the Vikings aren't playing a 3-13 schedule this season like last. My guess is Jennings has about 60 catches for about 700 yards and 4TD's. Of coarse this is based on Jennings making it through a season and Ponder doesn't get him killed with one of his high passes that Jennings gets hammered going in the air for. As for Bishop the Hammy was tore from the bone. To suggest he'll be close to what he was in 2011 and make it through the season is a bit optimistic IMO.
June 25, 2013 at 08:48 am
Bishop is tough. My gut is he either plays most of a season and puts up better stats than Paup (tackles, not sacks), or he misses the team entirely. But yeah, you're right, my projection could be viewed as generous.
June 25, 2013 at 10:29 am
More selective stats from Stroh.
I don't like Ponder but... in game 16 2012 he went 16 for 28 for 234 yards & 3 TDs for a QBR of about 120... You know, the same game AP ran for 199 yards.... Against a GB defense that embarrassed themselves... Funny how GB's defense has improved the stat line for alot of QBs the last two seasons... Que all the "injury excuses".
June 25, 2013 at 10:33 am
I see your selective 3-game stats and raise you an even more selective 1-game stat.
June 25, 2013 at 10:35 am
Green Bay having a bad defense doesn't make Ponder a better QB. What's a better indicator of Ponder's talent, the one good game he had against GB or the rest of his season? That seems to me to be the more relevant question.
June 25, 2013 at 10:43 am
Facts are still facts.
Ponder had a great game versus GB.
He may very well have led Minn.
to a win in the playoff game also.
The Pack were "lucky" he couldn't play... The Packer's defense is weak & not even close to a SB winning level... 2013 is going to be rough on alot of you uninformed homers.... So be it. ... You'll learn how the NFL truly is, hopefully.
June 25, 2013 at 10:49 am
Why do you care whether the "homers" on this site learn how the NFL truly is?
June 25, 2013 at 11:28 am
He trolls because he cares.
June 25, 2013 at 11:22 pm
Being a "homer" is a problem? On this site? Really? C'mon man. You should be working for ESPN, not wasting your time here. This is supposed to be fun.
June 25, 2013 at 10:10 am
Michael Montgomery! STUD!
June 25, 2013 at 12:59 pm
I haven't heard the context of the quote, but I hope Dez wanting to play against Rodgers doesn't become stick it to 'em.
June 25, 2013 at 11:17 pm
Nah, they're pals. He just wants to keep overachieving.