Weeks after being released by the Minnesota Vikings and signing with the Los Angeles Chargers, linebacker Eric Kendricks has settled in enough to write a heartfelt goodbye to Minnesota – the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
You can read his full good-bye here.
“Man…. Minnesota, I love you all so much. I just wanted to say thanks real quick if you don’t mind. It doesn’t quite feel real that I won’t be suiting up in the purple and gold next season,” Kendricks wrote. “I’m going to miss a lot about being a Viking, I can’t lie. Playing for you guys is all I’ve really known. You’re family. Simple as that. And we had some great times. I’ve been thinking about them a lot these past couple of weeks. And the thing that really sticks out to me? Everything was so fun. It was just fun to play for you all.”
Kendricks wrote about his first NFL training camp in 2015, recalling former head coach Mike Zimmer’s menacing stare and Chad Greenway helping groom him during his rookie season.
“Yeah, it’s cold. So what. It’s also beautiful in its own way,” he wrote about Minnesota, noting that his favorite restaurants in the Twin Cities are Bar la Grassa, Spoon and Stable, and Zen Box.
“The sense of community that Minnesota has, that’s what makes saying goodbye so tough. I’m going to miss coming to work every day and being with family,” he continued.
“I hope, no matter where you sat, or whatever TV you watched on, you could see my heart, you could see the passion I played with — and you could see how much I loved being a Viking.”
Kendricks, 31, signed a two-year, $13.25 million deal with the Chargers. His replacement in Minnesota is expected to be 2022 third-round pick Brian Asamoah.
