Vikings wide receiver Jerome Simpson is being suspended for three games, a league source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Simpson was arrested for a DUI in November of last year. It’s just the latest run-in for Simpson who was convicted of a felony for mailing two pounds of marijuana to his Kentucky home while he was playing for the Bengals.
Simpson set a career high last season for receiving yards and was two catches shy of his best season ever in that category, but a DUI hurt his negotiating leverage. Ultimately, he saw his salary chopped from $2.1MM in 2013 to $1MM in 2014 and he said in June that he was surprised by that.
“I can’t lie. I was definitely surprised that I get paid less than what I got last year,” Simpson said. “I had my best numbers. But I guess when you got that negative thing on you, they kind of got you behind the eight-ball.“
The 28-year-old hauled in 48 catches for 726 yards and one touchdown last season. With Simpson out to start the season, the Vikings can be expected to lean heavily on talented sophomore Cordarrelle Patterson in the passing game.