Taylor Mays Released by Vikings: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

Less than three months after signing with the Minnesota Vikings, safety Taylor Mays is back on the open market as he was released Tuesday.  

The Vikes made the move official by announcing it on Twitter. Minnesota and Mays previously agreed to a one-year contract, and while the partnership was short, he came away with $25,000 guaranteed, according to ESPN.com's Adam Caplan.

Mays seemed to be an obvious fit with the Vikings due to his relationship with head coach Mike Zimmer. The 59-year-old coach served as Mays' defensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2010 through 2013, and there was hope that a reunion would bring out the best in the former USC standout.

Per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press, CBS NFL analyst and former Bengals safety Solomon Wilcots felt as though Mays would be a good addition for the Vikes: "Mays is more of an in-the-box safety who can hit. He would help the defense. I still think he's got better years ahead of him and I think Zim knows how to use him."

Despite Mays' previous experience playing under Zimmer, the 2010 second-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers wasn't utilized extensively during the Vikings' offseason program, according to ESPN.com's Ben Goessling:

While Mays could have provided Minnesota with solid depth, it shouldn't miss a beat in the secondary since it already boasts a pair of solid starting safeties in former Notre Dame stars Harrison Smith and Robert Blanton.

Mays brought something different to the table as a big defensive back who is capable of acting essentially as an extra linebacker in run support, but the Vikings clearly felt as though they didn't need that type of player.

There is no question that Mays has been a disappointment over the course of his career with just 10 starts, 84 tackles and no interceptions over the course of five NFL seasons, but he figures to get another look due to his physical ability.

With that said, the fact that his former coach didn't think enough of him to carry him into the preseason suggests that he's running out of chances.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.