Kaare Vedvik - Pro Football Rumors

Jets Claim Kicker Kaare Vedvik

September 1st, 2019 at 12:06pm CST by Zachary Links

This has been quite the weekend for the Jets. On Sunday, they piled up even more transactions by claiming four players off waivers:

K Kaare Vedvik (Vikings)
WR Braxton Berrios (Patriots)
DE John Franklin, (Bears)
DB Bennett Jackson (Ravens)

The Vikings traded a fifth-round pick to acquire kicker/punter Kaare Vedvik just a few weeks ago, but dumped him on Saturday. The Jets, meanwhile, have been looking hard for kicking solutions and they appear to have found their guy with days to go before the season opener. To make room, they cut kicker Taylor Bertolet.

The Jets, naturally, will have to release more players to conform with the 53-man maximum.

Vikings Announce Cuts To Make 53

August 31st, 2019 at 5:16pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings have trimmed their roster down to 53 players. Notably, the team waived kicker/punter Kaare Vedvik, who they just traded a fifth-round pick for a few weeks ago. They also sent packing quarterback Kyle Sloter, who has starred in the preseason the past couple of years and earned a lot of fans. Finally, the team cut their losses with first-round bust Laquon Treadwell. Minnesota drafted the former Ole Miss receiver 23rd overall back in 2016, and he never topped 200 yards with the team.

Here’s the full list of moves:

Waived:

DE Ade Aruna (Injured)

WR Jeff Badet

FB Khari Blasingame

QB Jake Browning

LB Reshard Cliett

T Aviante Collins

DT Curtis Cothran

WR Davion Davis

LB Devante Downs

C Cornelius Edison

RB De’Angelo Henderson

TE Cole Hikutini

WR Alexander Hollins

CB Craig James

DE Stacy Keely

C John Keenoy

LB Greer Martini

CB Nate Meadors

WR Dillon Mitchell

T Storm Norton

DT Tito Odenigbo

DE Anree Saint-Amour

DE Karter Schult

QB Kyle Sloter

LB Cameron Smith

S Derron Smith

CB Duke Thomas

WR Laquon Treadwell

P/K Kaare Vedvik

T Nate Wozniak

S Isaiah Wharton (Injured)

WR Brandon Zylstra

Placed on Reserve/PUP:

TE David Morgan

Placed on Reserve/NFI:

DE Tashawn Bower

Vikings To Cut Kaare Vedvik

August 31st, 2019 at 2:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Kaare Vedvik’s shaky preseason work with the Vikings will lead to his new team cutting him. The Vikings traded a fifth-round pick for the promising Ravens kicker, but after these recent struggles, Minnesota will keep Dan Bailey as its field goal specialist, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Following his trade from Baltimore, Vedvik made 1 of 4 field goal tries with Minnesota. This came after he went 4-for-4 in his Ravens finale. Vedvik retains practice squad eligibility, should he pass through waivers. But this could represent another squandered fifth-round pick on a kicker.

The Vikings drafted Daniel Carlson in the 2018 fifth round but waived him after two games last season. Vedvik did not make it that far. Matt Wile will remain the Vikings’ punter, with Bailey — Carlson’s replacement last season — staying on as the kicker.

NFC Notes: Falcons, Vikings, Crabtree

August 25th, 2019 at 10:05pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Falcons had one of the most stable kicking situations in the league until this year. Matt Bryant had been the team’s kicker for the past ten seasons before they finally decided to move on and cut him back in February. The team had Giorgio Tavecchio all set to replace him, but Tavecchio has faltered during the preseason. In response, Atlanta went out and signed Blair Walsh to provide some competition for him. Now we’ve learned Walsh wasn’t the only kicker they kicked the tires on.

Falcons coach Dan Quinn said the team discussed bringing Bryant back before ultimately going with Walsh, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). In a separate tweet, Ledbetter notes that Quinn said it will be an open competition now between Tavecchio and Walsh. Bryant has kicked in the league since 2002, but the 44-year-old has been unable to find a new gig. He made the Pro Bowl in 2016 and was usually a reliable option, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Falcons reach back out midseason if whoever they roll with to start the year slips up.

Here’s more from the NFC:

Speaking of kicking controversies, it sounds like the Vikings might have one on their hands. Minnesota traded a fifth-round pick to the Ravens for Kaare Vedvik, seemingly putting the issue to rest. Vedvik then missed his first two field goal attempts as a Viking in their most recent preseason game, prompting head coach Mike Zimmer to say he has a “high” level of concern about the position, per Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com. “I honestly don’t know” what the team will do now, Zimmer said. “Since we brought Vedvik in, Wile has been punting good and Bailey has been kicking good, and then Vedvik goes out there and misses field goals. I don’t know. I’m at a loss on that.” Vedvik was initially expected to handle both punting and kicking duties, and now it sounds like he might not even make the team. Dan Bailey seemed like he was soon to be out of a job last week, but he’s been given new life now. This will be a situation to monitor during the team’s fourth and final preseason game.
The Cardinals signed receiver Michael Crabtree a few days ago, and now we have the details on his contract. Crabtree got a one-year deal worth $3.25MM that can be upped to $5.5MM if he hits incentives, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Crabtree originally visited with the Cards weeks ago, but a potential deal was called off over a disagreement about compensation. Arizona reportedly offered him a one-year, $2.5MM deal the first time around, so they upped their offer by $750K in base value.
In case you missed it, Lions starting linebacker Jarrad Davis will miss some regular season time with a high ankle sprain.

NFC Notes: Falcons, Garoppolo, 49ers, Vikings

August 19th, 2019 at 9:59pm CST by Ben Levine

Falcons first-round offensive lineman Kaleb McGary is set to resume on-field activities after undergoing a cardiac ablation procedure at the beginning of the preseason. After the lineman missed his team’s first three preseason games, coach Dan Quinn made it clear that they’ll bring the rookie along slowly.

“The first part is, like today, participating in the walkthrough,” Quinn told Will McFadden of the team’s website. “And then he’ll get a good bit of the field work with Marty [Lauzon] and the athletic performance staff. And then once that’s good, we’ll be out a couple of weeks, make sure the conditioning is right. And then back into individual [drills], and then you get back into team [drills]. So we really stay strict to the policy we put into place for the guys to return to it. We just don’t back off of it, especially if you’ve been out for, in his case, two weeks.

“It’s a good sign that he had such a good report. But, like all players, we’re going to do the right thing and make sure nothing comes up.”

McFadden notes that the rookie was working with the second team during the early parts of preseason, but he was expected to emerge as the Falcons’ starting right tackle.

Some more notes from around the NFC:

Jimmy Garoppolo is coming off a torn ACL that shelved him for the 2018 campaign, but the 49ers organization is optimistic about his return. “I think what’s important, all the time, is you look at the totality of a camp and I think he’s had a really good camp, I really do,” general manager John Lynch said, via Jennifer Lee Chan of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “I think the best thing for all of us is that is, I get hesitant and reluctant to say it, but is his recovery from his knee has been flawless.” The quarterback struggled during his preseason debut this evening, completing one of his six passes and tossing an interception.
49ers tight end Garrett Celek is currently on the PUP, and Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com writes that the 31-year-old will be sidelined “well into the regular season” as he recovers from back surgery. Celek appeared in 15 games last season, hauling in five receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer explained some of his logic as he settles on a 53-man roster. “I don’t know that we’re real deep in the secondary,” Zimmer said (via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Twitter). “So that might lend itself (to an extra LB). May keep an extra defensive lineman, less in the secondary and maybe keep one less running back. It all will work out.” When it comes to special teams, Tomasson believes the organization will ultimately opt for kicker Dan Bailey and punter Kaare Vedvik.

Latest On Vikings’ Kicking Situation

August 14th, 2019 at 6:22pm CST by Rory Parks

There is still not much clarity on the Vikings’ kicking situation, as Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune observes. Minnesota, of course, traded a fifth-round pick for Kaare Vedvik on Sunday, which suggests that he is a near lock to make the team. However, kicker Dan Bailey and punter Matt Wile remain on the roster, and head coach Mike Zimmer hasn’t tipped his hand just yet.

As was reported when the Vikings acquired Vedvik, the team could deploy him as both a punter and kicker. Zimmer said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com, “[y]eah, if he’s good enough, I wouldn’t have a problem with that. But I don’t know. Again, I think everything is a possibility at this point.”

All three players are expected to see action in Minnesota’s second preseason contest on Sunday. Bailey has responded well to the increased pressure from Vedvik, as he nailed all seven of his attempts in Tuesday’s practice, including a 54-yarder. That was the first time he had been perfect in drills since training camp opened.

Wile, the team’s ordinary holder, cannot serve in that capacity for the time being, as he sliced his left thumb during last week’s preseason opener. But Goessling suggests that Wile’s progress as a holder could ultimately determine whether he makes the 53-man roster.

Again, it seems unlikely that Vedvik will be cut, but Bailey’s and Wile’s fates are still very much up in the air.

Packers Also Pursued Kaare Vedvik

August 12th, 2019 at 4:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

It appears three NFC North teams discussed a Kaare Vedvik trade with the Ravens. While the Vikings ended up winning the pursuit, and the Bears were an obvious candidate to acquire a kicker, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets the Packers were also in the mix.

Green Bay is set for a 13th Mason Crosby season, but Vedvik has multiple roles. The Packers have used four punters in the past four seasons, with a different one — Tim Masthay, Jake Schum, Justin Vogel, J.K. Scott — spending a full season in that role. A 2018 fifth-round pick, Scott remains in place as the Packers’ punter. It would have obviously been curious to see the Packers trade a Day 3 choice for another punter.

Crosby, though, has one season (at $4.85MM) remaining on his contract. The career-long Packer made 30 of 37 field goal tries last season; four of those misses came on a rough day in Detroit. The soon-to-be 35-year-old kicker made 5 of 7 of his 50-plus-yard attempts in 2018.

The Vikings sent a fifth-round pick to the Ravens for Vedvik, a Norwegian-born specialist who kicked and punted at Marshall. Vedvik’s time as the Thundering Herd’s punter lasted longer than his stay as their kicker, and John Harbaugh used him in both capacities in the Ravens’ preseason opener last week. It remains unclear how the Vikings will deploy Vedvik.

Vikings To Acquire K Kaare Vedvik From Ravens

August 11th, 2019 at 1:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Kaare Vedvik sweepstakes will end with the Ravens sending their backup kicker to the Vikings, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Minnesota will send a 2020 fifth-round pick to Baltimore.

Not previously mentioned as a destination for the suddenly in-demand specialist, the Vikings outflanked a rival that almost certainly was in that mix. The Bears, who have featured one of the more public kicker needs in modern NFL history, were reported to be in the hunt for Vedvik. So were the Jets and two other teams. Instead, Vedvik will wear a slightly different shade of purple soon.

Interestingly, Schefter adds Vedvik could be used as Minnesota’s kicker and punter. Dan Bailey and Matt Wile serve as the Vikings’ incumbents at those roles. It would be obviously unique for a team to use a specialist for both roles in this era. When asked about the trade report Sunday, Mike Zimmer said, “I really like Dan Bailey,” Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets.

The Ravens have stashed Vedvik, a 2018 UDFA, for two offseasons and kept him on IR last season in hopes of a future trade. The mid-Day 3 return represents good value for a kicker without any NFL game experience. He did, however, connect on each of his four field goal tries in the Ravens’ preseason opener. This included a 55-yarder.

For the most part, Vedvik only saw action for two seasons at Marshall. He did serve as the Thundering Herd’s kicker and punter in his 2017 senior season, however. The Norwegian-born specialist also began as a punter before seeing action as a kicker. Vedvik was Marshall’s punter for two seasons and made 10 of 16 field goals for the Conference USA program as a senior.

For the Vikings, this represents another fifth-round draft choice used on a kicker. They drafted Daniel Carlson in Round 5 in 2018 but cut him after a woeful performance against the Packers in a Week 2 tie. Bailey became the Vikings’ kicker soon after. The longtime Cowboy made 21 of 28 field goal tries as a Viking, also hitting 30 of 31 PATs. A fourth-year punter, Wile averaged 45.2 yards per boot (14th in the NFL) last season in Minnesota.

At Least Four Teams Inquire On Ravens K Kaare Vedvik

August 11th, 2019 at 12:42pm CST by Rory Parks

Not many backup kickers have generated the type of interest that Ravens’ understudy Kaare Vedvik has, but not many backup kickers are as talented as Vedvik. We learned on Saturday that the Bears and Jets are interested in Vedvik, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that at least four teams have approached Baltimore about a trade (Twitter link).

Schefter says that at least two of the four teams are in the NFC North, and it’s almost certain that Chicago is one of the inquiring clubs. The Lions appear set at the position with Matt Prater, but it’s not at all surprising to learn that the Packers and/or Vikings are interested in a potential upgrade.

Vedvik, a Norwegian-born kicker who played his college ball at Marshall, signed with the Ravens as a UDFA last year and was extremely impressive last preseason. He was generating plenty of trade buzz before a bizarre assault landed him in the hospital and on the non-football injury list. However, he has picked up right where he left off, nailing all four of his field goal attempts in the Ravens’ first preseason game on Thursday, including a 55-yard boot.

He is also a gifted punter, and as such, any acquiring team could fill two roster spots with one player. Unless Justin Tucker or Sam Koch suffers an injury over the coming weeks, Baltimore will surely trade Vedvik, and the team will have no shortage of potential trade partners.

Jets, Bears Eyeing Ravens K Kaare Vedvik?

August 10th, 2019 at 12:09pm CST by Ben Levine

We heard earlier today that the Jets were auditioning a pair of kickers, but it sounds like the front office could instead opt for a trade. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets that the Jets could make a run at Ravens kicker Kaare Vedvik, a player the organization was eyeing last offseason. However, Mehta adds that the Jets are convinced that the Bears will ultimately pull off a trade for Vedvik.

As Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com writes, the 25-year-old Vedvik was a standout during last year’s preseason and this year’s training camp. The kicker was hospitalized last September after being assaulted in Baltimore, and Vedvik spent the rest of the season sitting on the non-football injury list. This year, the special teamer is healthy, but he naturally has no chance of winning the starting gig over Justin Tucker. Therefore, hearing his name on the trade block isn’t that much of a surprise, especially since coach John Harbaugh said back in March that the player would likely be dealt.

“I fully expect that he’ll kick well enough for us to trade him,” Harbaugh said (via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley). “That’s kind of the goal. He’s capable of kicking in the NFL. We probably could have traded him last year.”

The Jets are hunting for competition to current starter Chandler Catanzaro, who missed a pair of extra points during his team’s preseason opener. Meanwhile, the Bears are watching as a pair of unproven options, Eddy Pineiro and Elliott Fry, battle for the starting gig. The Bears were connected to veteran Robbie Gould before he inked an extension with the 49ers.