Everson Griffen (born December 22, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). A graduate of Agua Fria High School, Griffen played college football for the USC Trojans.[1] He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft and played for them for 10 seasons before signing with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020. He was traded to the Detroit Lions later that year, then re-signed with the Vikings in August 2021.

Everson Griffen
refer to caption
Griffen with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020
No. 97, 98
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1987-12-22) December 22, 1987 (age 36)
Avondale, Arizona, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:273 lb (124 kg)
Career information
High school:Agua Fria (Avondale)
College:USC
NFL draft:2010 / round: 4 / pick: 100
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:403
Sacks:85.5
Forced fumbles:10
Fumble recoveries:6
Interceptions:2
Pass deflections:20
Defensive touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

edit

Griffen attended Agua Fria High School in Avondale, Arizona, the same high school as Vikings Hall of Famer Randall McDaniel. At Agua Fria, Griffen played as a defensive lineman and running back for the Owls high school football team.

As a junior, he rushed for 794 yards on 142 carries for eight touchdowns, and had 12 receptions for 168 yards and one 71-yard reception where he outraced everybody for a score.[1] On defense, he was double and triple-teamed but still managed 47 tackles, five sacks and three fumble recoveries.

As a senior, Griffen recorded 77 tackles, 16 sacks and a fumble recovery as a defensive end and ran for 1,251 yards on 159 carries (7.9 avg.) with 20 touchdowns and had 6 receptions with 2 touchdowns as a running back. His 2006 senior season honors included Super Prep Player of the Year, Scout.com Player of the Year, Parade All-American, EA Sports All-American first-team, Super Prep All-American, Prep Star All-American, Scout.com All-American, Lemming All-American, Super Prep Elite 50, Prep Star 100, Rivals.com 100, Super Prep All-Farwest, Prep Star All-West, Scout.com All-West, Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West first-team, Orange County Register Fab 15 first-team, Arizona Republic All Arizona, West Valley View First-team, Tacoma News-Tribune Western 100 and Gatorade Arizona Player of the Year.

Also a standout track & field athlete, Griffen was one of the state's top performers in the throwing events. At the 2007 4A I State Meet, he won both the shot put and discus events.[2] He recorded top throws of 17.67 meters (58 feet) in the shot put and 55.11 meters (180 feet, 8 inches) in the discus.[3] Following his junior season, he attended the 2005 Arizona summer camp, where he ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-4 and about 260 pounds,[1] which earned him the nickname "the Freak" and led to comparisons to All-Pro defensive end Jevon Kearse.[4] Griffen also earned first-team all-region honors in basketball.

Recruiting

edit

Following his high school career, Griffen was selected to play in the 2007 U.S. Army All-American Bowl along with fellow USC recruits Marc Tyler, Kristofer O'Dowd, Joe McKnight, and Chris Galippo. During the recruiting process, he took official visits to USC, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, UCLA, and Florida before committing to the Trojans on November 24, 2006.[5]

College career

edit

Freshman season (2007)

edit
 
Griffen after a 2008 preseason fall practice

Griffen had an impressive showing as a first-year true freshman backup defensive end in 2007, playing primarily in pass rushing situations. Overall, in 2007, while appearing in all 13 games (2 starts), he totaled 21 tackles, including 5.5 for losses of 30 yards (all were sacks), two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two pass deflections.[6] He became the first USC true freshman to start an opener on the defensive line in 21 seasons since Tim Ryan in 1986 against Illinois and the first true freshman to start on the defensive line since Shaun Cody did so in 2001 against Utah.[7]

In the Trojans' 24–3 victory over Oregon State on November 3, Griffen posted six tackles and a career-high 3.5 of USC's nine total sacks to earn Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week honors.[8] On November 22, he had six tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery that set up a USC touchdown at Arizona State.[9] For his season efforts in 2007, he was named to the Sporting News Freshman All-American first-team, Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-American first-team, Rivals.com Freshman All-American first-team, Scout.com Freshman All-American first-team and Collegefootballnews.com Freshman All-American second-team, plus was the Sporting News Pac-10 Defensive Freshman of the Year and was an All-Pac-10 honorable mention pick.[10][11]

Sophomore season (2008)

edit
 
Griffen heading into Notre Dame Stadium with then-defensive coor. Nick Holt.

In the fall practice before his freshman season, Griffen and veteran defensive end Kyle Moore got into heated competition that culminated with a fight during practice; the two reconciled and are now friends.[12] During spring practices, former USC coach Pete Carroll staged a prank by having the Los Angeles Police Department enter a team meeting and arrest Griffen for “physically abusing a freshman” (Trojans offensive guard Matt Meyer);[13] Griffen was previously aware of the prank.[12]

In his sophomore year in 2008, Griffen was USC's pass rush specialist as a backup defensive end. He appeared in all 12 games (all but Washington State, missed due to illness) and started the first three games (Virginia, Ohio State and Oregon State) for the Trojans, compiling 18 tackles, including 6 for losses of 43 yards (with 4.5 sacks for minus 39 yards). He had three tackles against Oregon State and California and two tackles against Virginia, Ohio State, Oregon and Stanford (1.5 for losses).[14]

Junior season (2009)

edit

On July 4, 2009, at a Fourth of July party on Nantucket Island, Griffen and a teammate, linebacker Jordan Campbell, were cited by the Nantucket Police Department for a noise violation; no charges were filed and the two agreed to write a letter of apology.[15] Overall, he finished the 2009 season with 45 total tackles, eight sacks, one pass defensed, and one forced fumble.[16]

In 2009, Griffen was second-team All-Pac-10.[17]

College statistics

edit
Everson Griffen Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Season Team GP GS Comb Total Ast Sck Tfl PDef Int Yds Avg Lng TDs FF FR FR YDS
2007 USC 13 2 21 15 6 5.5 5.5 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
2008 USC 12 3 18 11 7 4.5 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2009 USC 13 11 45 22 23 8 9.5 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 9
Total 38 16 84 48 36 18 21 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 9

Professional career

edit

After USC's 24–13 victory over Boston College in the 2009 Emerald Bowl, Griffen announced he would forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the 2010 NFL draft.[18] At the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine, Griffen (who measured at 6'3 3/8", 273-lb) put on a show, running an electronic-timed 4.66 in the 40-yard dash and bench-pressing 225 lbs 32 times. His 40 time was second among defensive lineman, while his 32 reps were tied for sixth-best. Entering his Pro Day workout as one of the most scrutinized prospects in the NFL draft, Griffen lived up to his nickname as "The Freak," posting a 34-inch vertical jump, 9-foot-7 broad jump and 40-yard dash time of 4.59 seconds, though some scouts had his second run as low as 4.46.[19]

External videos
  Griffen runs the 40 at his Pro Day
  Griffen gets drafted by Minnesota
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3+38 in
(1.91 m)
273 lb
(124 kg)
32+58 in
(0.83 m)
10 in
(0.25 m)
4.59 s 1.63 s 2.66 s 4.36 s 7.25 s 34.0 in
(0.86 m)
9 ft 7 in
(2.92 m)
32 reps
All values from NFL Combine and Pro Day[20][21][19]

Minnesota Vikings

edit

2010 season

edit
 
Aaron Rodgers sacked by Griffen, 2012

Griffen was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the second pick in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft, becoming the 100th player selected overall.[22] After being inactive for the opening five games of the season, he played in the final 11 games, finishing his rookie year with 11 tackles, all of them solo.[23] On January 28, 2011, Griffen was arrested in Los Angeles for public intoxication. Three days later, he was arrested again after he was found driving with an invalid drivers license. He then tried to flee on foot only to be tased.[24]

2011 season

edit

In his second season, Griffen played in all 16 games for the Vikings, mostly on special teams as a gunner on punt coverage at times as well as serving as a regular on return units, helping the Vikings special teams unit set a team record with a 26.9 kickoff return average for the season and tied for first in the NFL with four kickoff returns of +50 yards.[25] His 4 sacks on the year ranked fourth on the team and contributed to the Vikings 50 total sacks on the season, tied for first in the NFL.[26] His 18 special teams tackles ranked second on the team behind team-leader Eric Frampton, who posted four more. In Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he notched his first career sack when he brought down quarterback Josh Freeman.[27]

2012 season

edit
 
Griffen in 2012

After a quiet performance early in the 2012 season, he came on strong late in the season, posting five sacks, one interception returned for a touchdown, and 16 quarterback hurries in the final seven games. His first sack of the year came in Week 2 as he brought down Andrew Luck for a 22-yard loss against the Indianapolis Colts.[28] It was the third-longest sack in team history. On October 11, 2012, Griffen was given an indefinite leave from the team after his mother died.[29]

In week 15 against the St. Louis Rams, Griffen scored his first career touchdown on his first career interception, taking to the house a Sam Bradford pass 29 yards for the score in a key victory for the Vikings' playoff chances.[30] His 29-yard interception return touchdown ranks as the fourth-longest in Vikings history by a defensive lineman. The following week, he earned his first career start in a road game against the Houston Texans, finishing the game with a solo tackle.[31] On December 30, he posted a career-best 3 sacks against the Green Bay in the regular season finale win over the Packers that gave the Vikings a playoff berth.[32] He had a tackle and a sack in his playoff debut at Green Bay in the Wild Card Round.[33]

2013 season

edit

In 2013, Griffen was used all over the defensive line, playing in all 16 games with no starts. He finished the 2013 season with 5.5 sacks, including 2.5 in the final two games of the regular season. On September 29, he recorded the game-winning strip-sack on Ben Roethlisberger against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL International Series game at London.[34]

In Week 2 in a road game against the Chicago Bears, he tipped a Jay Cutler pass that led to a Kevin Williams interception in the endzone for a touchback.[35] He recorded a season-best six tackles and tied a career-high with 3 tackles for loss in a loss against the Cincinnati Bengals.[36] He ended the season with 27 tackles (18 solo), 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble.[37]

2014 season

edit
 
Griffen rushing Jay Cutler, 2014

On March 9, 2014, Griffen re-signed with the Vikings on a five-year contract worth $42.5 million, including $20 million guaranteed.[38] He enjoyed a breakout season in his first year as a full-time starter, helping the Vikings revamped defense have the most improved defense in the NFL. He started all 16 games after entering the season with one start in his first four seasons with the Vikings.[39] On October 19, Griffen had a career day against the Buffalo Bills in Week 7 when he recorded a career-high nine tackles and tied a career-high with 3 sacks.[40]

He was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month in October after recording six sacks and a forced fumble in just four games.[41] In Week 13 against the Carolina Panthers, Griffen returned a Jasper Brinkley blocked punt for 43 yards for a touchdown, making it the longest blocked punt returned by a Vikings player in franchise history.[42] Griffen ended his breakout season with 57 combined tackles (41 solo), one forced fumble, one blocked punt for a touchdown, three passes defensed, and a career-best 12 sacks, which led the team and tied for ninth-best in the league.[43]

2015 season

edit

On October 18, 2015, Griffen missed the game against the Kansas City Chiefs due to an illness.[44] Griffen was selected as the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 17, becoming the third Vikings player to win the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award in 2015, joining nose tackle Linval Joseph and cornerback Terence Newman.[45] In the game against the Green Bay Packers, Griffen registered two sacks on Aaron Rodgers, including a strip-sack that was recovered by cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, who returned it for a 55-yard touchdown in the Vikings' 20–13 win; in addition, he also added four quarterback hits and six tackles, three of which were for a loss.[46]

Griffen ended his second year as a starter tied for fourth in the NFC and twelfth in the league with 10.5 sacks, becoming the first player in a Mike Zimmer defense ever to record double-digit sacks in back-to-back seasons (he had 12 in 2014).[47] On January 14, Griffen was picked to take the place of Houston's defensive end J. J. Watt in the 2016 NFL Pro Bowl, marking his first career invitation to the annual showcase game in Hawaii.[48]

2016 season

edit

On September 18, Minnesota opened their new stadium with a win against division rival Green Bay Packers and Griffen contributed with a sack and a forced fumble.[49] In the Vikings' upset of the 1–1 Carolina Panthers in Week 3, Griffen tied a career-high with 3 sacks for losses of a combined 37 yards as the Vikings sacked Cam Newton a total of eight times, which tied the team's third-highest total in a road game and was the most since 2003.[50] On September 28, Griffen was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week, joining John Randle and Chris Doleman as the only Vikings defensive linemans to win a Defensive Player of the Week Award in consecutive seasons.[51]

In the Vikings' 31–13 win over the Houston Texans in Week 5, Griffen sacked Brock Osweiler two times, but both sacks were negated due to penalties. Griffin recorded a strip sack of Dak Prescott but the Vikings lost to the Dallas Cowboys. Griffen had a strong performance in the Vikings' 25–16 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14; on the Jaguars second possession of the game, Griffen was able to get around the edge and sacked Blake Bortles for a loss of six yards. His second sack of the game came after halftime when he cut back in to the middle and got to Bortles for a six-yard loss. On that same drive, he batted down a ball intended for Jaguars running back Corey Grant.[52] He finished the season with 48 total tackles, 22 quarterback hits, eight sacks, one pass defensed, and two forced fumbles.[53] Griffen was ranked 92nd by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.[54]

2017 season

edit

On July 26, 2017, Griffen signed a four-year, $58 million contract extension ($34 million guaranteed) with the Vikings through the 2022 season.[55] He was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month in October. Griffen recorded at least one sack in each of the Vikings first eight games and is on pace to break his own record of 12 sacks, a mark he got in the 2014 season. Only Jim Marshall and Jared Allen hold the Vikings record for a sack in at least eight straight games; Marshall achieved it in 1969, Allen in 2011.

On December 19, 2017, Griffen was named to his third straight Pro Bowl.[56] In the Vikings' Divisional Playoff game against the New Orleans Saints, Griffen tipped a Drew Brees pass that ended up being intercepted by teammate Anthony Barr. The Vikings went on to win 29–24 and advance to the NFC Championship, where their season ended against the Philadelphia Eagles.[57][58] He was ranked #19 by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[59]

2018 season

edit

Griffen played in 11 games in the 2018 season. After playing in the first two games, he missed five games due to a personal matter.[60] He finished with 5.5 sacks, 33 total tackles, five quarterback hits, and one pass defensed.[61]

2019 season

edit

Griffen made his return to football in week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons. In the game, Griffen sacked Matt Ryan once in the 28–12 win.[62] In week 3 against the Oakland Raiders, Griffen recorded a sack on Derek Carr in the 34–14 win.[63] In Week 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Griffen recorded his second career interception off a pass thrown by Eagles kicker Jake Elliott on a fake field-goal attempt.[64]

On January 21, 2020, Griffen was named to the 2020 Pro Bowl to replace Nick Bosa since the latter's team (San Francisco 49ers) made it to Super Bowl LIV.[65] It was the 4th time Griffen had been selected to the Pro Bowl in his career.

On February 20, 2020, Griffen opted out of his contract, making him a free agent at the start of the new league year on March 18.[66]

Dallas Cowboys

edit

On August 16, 2020, Griffen signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys.[67][68] Days after signing with Dallas, Griffen said the reason that he chose them was because he grew up a Cowboys fan and was named after legendary Cowboys defensive back Everson Walls. His arrival generated a great expectation that he could be part of a formidable pass-rushing unit along with defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence, Aldon Smith and Randy Gregory.

In Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons, Griffen recorded his first sack with the Cowboys on Matt Ryan late in the fourth quarter to help the team rally from a nine-point deficit and win 40–39.[69] On October 27, because of the struggles experienced by the defense as a unit, he was moved as part of a roster purge that included free agency acquisitions Dontari Poe and Daryl Worley.[70] He made seven appearances (no starts), 20 tackles (at the time tied for ninth on the team), 2.5 sacks (at the time second on the team), one tackle for loss and 12 quarterback pressures (at the time third on the team).

Detroit Lions

edit

On October 27, 2020, the Cowboys traded Griffen to the Lions in exchange for a conditional sixth-round pick (#192-Quinton Bohanna) in the 2021 NFL draft.[71][72] In Week 10 against the Washington Football Team, Griffen recorded his first quarterback hurry with the Lions on Alex Smith during the 30–27 win.[73] Griffen was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on December 12, 2020,[74] and activated on December 23, 2020.[75] He registered two starts in seven games, 13 tackles (four for loss), 3.5 sacks, eight quarterback hits and three passes defensed.[76]

Minnesota Vikings (second stint)

edit

On August 23, 2021, Griffen signed a deal with the Minnesota Vikings.[77] He was a part of initial roster cuts on August 31, 2021, but re-signed with the team on September 2, 2021. Griffen suffered a concussion on September 18, 2021, after crashing his car while swerving to avoid a deer in the road. He was subsequently ruled out for Week 2.[78] On November 26, 2021, Griffen was placed on the non-football illness list under dealing with a personal mental health issue earlier in the week.[79]

NFL career statistics

edit

Regular season

edit
Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2010 MIN 11 0 11 11 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2011 MIN 16 0 21 15 6 4.0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 1 9 0
2012 MIN 16 1 27 24 3 8.0 2 1 29 29.0 29 1 1 2 5 0
2013 MIN 16 0 27 18 9 5.5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2014 MIN 16 16 58 41 17 12.0 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2015 MIN 15 15 44 34 10 10.5 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2016 MIN 16 16 48 36 12 8.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 3 20 1
2017 MIN 15 15 45 31 14 13.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 0 0 0
2018 MIN 11 10 33 22 11 5.5 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2019 MIN 15 15 41 26 15 8.0 2 1 17 17.0 17 0 0 0 0 0
2020 DAL 7 0 20 10 10 2.5 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DET 7 2 13 8 5 3.5 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021 MIN 9 6 15 10 5 5.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 170 96 403 286 117 85.5 20 2 46 23.0 29 1 10 6 34 1

Postseason

edit
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2012 MIN 1 0 1 1 0 1.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2015 MIN 1 1 6 4 2 1.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2017 MIN 2 2 4 4 0 1.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2019 MIN 2 2 6 4 2 1.5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 6 5 17 13 4 4.5 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0

Personal life

edit

Griffen and his wife, Tiffany, have three sons. Their oldest son, Greyson, was born in 2013 and their second son, Ellis, was born in 2015.[80] Their third and youngest son, Sebastian Gregory, was born on November 23, 2017.[81]

On Thursday, September 20, 2018, Griffen and his agent were sent a letter from the Minnesota Vikings, stating that he would not be allowed back with the team until he underwent a mental health evaluation.[82] Two days later, on Saturday, September 22, Griffen was involved in an incident at Hotel Ivy where he had allegedly threatened to shoot someone because he was not allowed in his room.[83][82] On September 25, 2018, it was revealed that Griffen was taken to the hospital for a mental health evaluation.[84][85]

Early on the morning of November 24, 2021, Griffen called 911, claiming that intruders were attempting to enter his home. He posted several videos on Instagram, in which he showed a pistol that he claimed his teammate Dalvin Cook had helped him purchase. Police were unable to find any intruders in the vicinity of Griffen's residence, but Griffen initially refused to leave his home; after several hours of contact with both law enforcement and team psychologists from the Vikings, he finally left his home around 2:30 PM CST (20:30 UTC), and was transported to a health care facility.[86] On December 3, 2021, Griffen revealed that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.[87]

On July 23, 2023, Griffen was arrested in Chanhassen, Minnesota, for 4th degree driving under the influence (DWI). Griffen was booked in the Carver County Jail and was released an hour later.[88]

On May 30, 2024, Griffen was arrested for DWI and cocaine possession in Minneapolis, Minnesota after driving 82 MPH in a 55 MPH zone.[89][90] This would be Griffen's second DWI charge within the past year.[89] In addition, Griffen also had two petty misdemeanor convictions between the time of his two as well, including for in incident on October 28, 2023, where he crashed his car into a fence and gazebo in Mound, Minnesota and for an incident on December 7, 2023, where he was driving 55 in a 30 speed zone.[89] In his plea deal for his second petty misdemeanor conviction, Griffen had his driver's license revoked and was ordered to commit no alcohol-related or careless driving offenses.[89]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Crabtree, Jeremy (June 7, 2006). "Griffen the Great". Rivals.com.
  2. ^ "4A I State Meet". Arizona Milesplit. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  3. ^ "Everson Griffen". trackingfootball.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  4. ^ "Everson Griffen, Agua Fria , Strong-Side Defensive End". 247Sports. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  5. ^ Crabtree, Jeremy (February 8, 2007). "Pac-10 Signing Day Blitz: Ranking each conference team's 2007 recruiting class". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 12, 2007.
  6. ^ "Everson Griffen 2007 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  7. ^ Miller, Ted (May 2, 2008). "Miller: Griffen ready to step up as USC's next star". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  8. ^ "Oregon State at USC Box Score, November 3, 2007". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  9. ^ "USC at Arizona State Box Score, November 22, 2007". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  10. ^ "Griffen Named To Freshman All-American First Team". USC Athletics. November 27, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  11. ^ "Pac-10 Football Awards and All-Conference Team Announced". Pac-12. December 3, 2007. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019.
  12. ^ a b Miller, Ted (May 2, 2008). "Griffen ready to leave his mark on Pac-10 QBs". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
  13. ^ Coach Carroll's April Fool's Joke on YouTube
  14. ^ "Everson Griffen 2008 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  15. ^ Miller, Ted (July 12, 2009). "Clearing up the details of the Griffen 'legal' issue". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  16. ^ "Everson Griffen 2009 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  17. ^ Carden, Kevin (December 7, 2009). "All-Pac-10 Trojans". USCFootball.com. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  18. ^ Hiserman, Mike (December 26, 2009). "USC's Everson Griffen says he's turning pro". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  19. ^ a b Carden, Kevin (March 31, 2010). "USC Pro Day Recap". 247Sports.com. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  20. ^ "Everson Griffen Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  21. ^ "2010 Draft Scout Everson Griffen, Southern California NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  22. ^ "2010 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  23. ^ "Everson Griffen 2010 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  24. ^ Wallin, Matthew (March 22, 2011). "Vikings Football Player Everson Griffen Tased and Arrested". WKLAW. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  25. ^ "2011 NFL Standings & Team Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  26. ^ "2011 Minnesota Vikings Statistics & Players". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  27. ^ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings – September 18th, 2011". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  28. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts – September 16th, 2012". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  29. ^ "Minnesota Vikings excuse Everson Griffen after mother's death". NFL.com. October 11, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  30. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams – December 16th, 2012". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  31. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans – December 23rd, 2012". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  32. ^ "Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings – December 30th, 2012". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  33. ^ "Wild Card – Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers – January 5th, 2013". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  34. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Minnesota Vikings – September 29th, 2013". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  35. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears – September 15th, 2013". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  36. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals – December 22nd, 2013". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  37. ^ "Everson Griffen 2013 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  38. ^ Goessling, Ben (March 9, 2014). "Everson Griffen gets $42.5M deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  39. ^ "2014 Minnesota Vikings Starters, Roster, & Players". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  40. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills – October 19th, 2014". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  41. ^ "Everson Griffen Named NFC Defensive Player of the Month". www.vikings.com. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  42. ^ "Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings – November 30th, 2014". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  43. ^ "Everson Griffen 2014 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  44. ^ Goessling, Ben (October 18, 2015). "DE Everson Griffen (illness) inactive for Vikings". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  45. ^ "2015 NFL Week 17 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  46. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers – January 3rd, 2016". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  47. ^ "Everson Griffen 2015 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  48. ^ "2015 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  49. ^ "Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings – September 18th, 2016". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  50. ^ "Vikings-Panthers Notebook: Griffen's Relentlessness Helps Pass Rush". www.vikings.com. September 25, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  51. ^ "2016 NFL Week 3 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  52. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Jacksonville Jaguars – December 11th, 2016". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  53. ^ "Everson Griffen 2016 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  54. ^ "2017 NFL Top 100". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  55. ^ Patra, Kevin (July 26, 2017). "Everson Griffen signs four-year extension with Vikings". NFL.com. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  56. ^ "NFL announces 2018 Pro Bowl rosters". NFL.com. December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  57. ^ "Divisional Round – New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings – January 14th, 2018". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  58. ^ "NFC Championship – Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles – January 21st, 2018". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  59. ^ "2018 NFL Top 100". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  60. ^ "Vikings' Everson Griffen: Absence not injury related". CBSSports.com. August 14, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  61. ^ "Everson Griffen 2018 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  62. ^ "Vikings trample Falcons 28–12 behind fierce defense, Cook". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 8, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  63. ^ "NFL rushing leader Cook leads Vikes romp past Raiders 34–14". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  64. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings – October 13th, 2019". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  65. ^ Smith, Eric (January 21, 2020). "5 Vikings Added to NFC Pro Bowl Roster". www.vikings.com. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  66. ^ Walker, Patrik (February 20, 2020). "2020 NFL Free Agency: Everson Griffen opts out of contract with Vikings, per report". CBSSports.com. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  67. ^ Gordon, Grant (August 12, 2020). "Cowboys signing former Vikings DE Everson Griffen". NFL.com. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  68. ^ Phillips, Rob (August 16, 2020). "Everson Griffen Officially Signed; Jelks Waived". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  69. ^ "Cowboys' rally stuns Falcons 40–39 in McCarthy's home debut". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  70. ^ Moore, David (September 23, 2020). "Cowboys' much-hyped pass rush has been mostly ineffective. Here's how Everson Griffen hopes to change that". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  71. ^ Helman, David (October 27, 2020). "Cowboys Deal Everson Griffen To Detroit". www.dallascowboys.com. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  72. ^ Wesseling, Lakisha (October 27, 2020). "Cowboys trade DE Everson Griffen to Lions for conditional sixth-round pick". NFL.com. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  73. ^ "Washington Football Team at Detroit Lions – November 15th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  74. ^ Williams, Charean (December 12, 2020). "Everson Griffen placed on COVID-19 list". NBCSports.com. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  75. ^ Schlitt, Erik (December 23, 2020). "Lions activate Everson Griffen from reserve/COVID-19, Danny Shelton returns to practice". USAToday.com. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  76. ^ "Everson Griffen 2020 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  77. ^ Smith, Eric (August 23, 2021). "Vikings Bring Back DE Everson Griffen". Vikings.com. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  78. ^ "Vikes' Griffen in protocol after deer causes wreck". ESPN.com. September 17, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  79. ^ Smith, Eric (November 26, 2021). "Vikings Place Everson Griffen on Reserve/Non-Football Illness List". Vikings.com. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  80. ^ Murphy, Brian (July 23, 2016). "Vikings' Everson Griffen is man of the house, on and off field". Twin Cites.com. Pioneer Press. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  81. ^ Cronin, Courtney (November 30, 2017). "Everson Griffen reveals name of new baby, says he'll make his kids wait to play football". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  82. ^ a b "Vikings ordered mental health check for Griffen". ESPN.com. September 25, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  83. ^ Walsh, Paul (September 26, 2018). "Police: Viking Everson Griffen mentally struggling for weeks, banned from practice". Star Tribune. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  84. ^ "Vikings' Griffen battling serious mental-health issue". NFL.com. September 25, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  85. ^ "Source: Vikes' Griffen under hospital evaluation". ESPN.com. September 25, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  86. ^ Cronin, Courtney (November 24, 2021). "Minnesota Vikings DE Everson Griffen leaves home, getting care". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  87. ^ Young, Ryan (December 3, 2021). "Vikings DE Everson Griffen reveals bipolar disorder: 'I'm not ashamed of it anymore'". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  88. ^ "Former Viking Everson Griffen arrested on suspicion of impaired driving in Chanhassen". CBS News. July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  89. ^ a b c d Day, Jeff (May 30, 2024). "Former Vikings Pro Bowler Everson Griffen arrested on suspicion of DWI". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  90. ^ Hart, Tony (May 31, 2024). "Former Minnesota Viking Star Arrested And Jailed For DWI And Cocaine Possession". KDHL. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
edit