Everson Griffen Wants to Be a 'Viking for Life' After 'Rough' 2018-19 Season

Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen said Tuesday that he wants to remain with the only NFL team he has ever known for the remainder of his career.

According to Brian Hall of the Minnesota Daily, Griffen acknowledged having a "rough" 2018 season and added that he wants to be a "Viking for life."

Griffen was limited to 11 games last season, and his 5.5 sacks were his lowest total in a single season since 2013.

In September, Griffen was taken into a hospital to undergo a mental-health evaluation. That occurred after a reported incident at a hotel involving Griffen.

Per ESPN.com, Griffen allegedly threatened to shoot someone at Hotel Ivy in Minneapolis if he wasn't allowed into his room, and hotel staff alleged that he was responsible for several disturbances during his stay.

The 31-year-old veteran eventually returned to the field for the team's Oct. 28 loss to the New Orleans Saints and remained in the lineup for the remainder of the season.

According to Spotrac, Griffen agreed to a restructured contract in order to remain with the Vikings in 2019. His base salary was lowered from $10.9 million to $6.4 million, and per-game active bonuses between $500,000 and $1.5 million were added to his deal.

Minnesota also has club options in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Prior to last season's on- and off-field struggles, Griffen was one of the NFL's top defensive ends. He was named to the Pro Bowl in three straight campaigns from 2015 to 2017.

From 2014-17, Griffen registered a total of 43.5 sacks, including a career-high 13 sacks in 2017.

The Viking selected Griffen in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft out of USC. Although he was primarily a backup during his first four seasons, he developed into a pass-rushing force for one of the NFL's top defenses.

On the heels of Minnesota surprisingly missing the playoffs last season with an 8-7-1 record, Griffen has a chance to combine with Pro Bowler Danielle Hunter in 2019 to form one of the NFL's best pass-rushing duos and get the Vikes back to the postseason.