Stephen Weatherly announces return to Vikings

Stephen Weatherly has agreed to sign with the Vikings, per an announcement on his Instagram. The 26-year-old defensive end started his career in Minnesota and now he’s headed back to where it all began.

Weatherly came into the league as a seventh-round pick in 2016. He went on to record six sacks between the 2018 and ’19 seasons before joining up with the Panthers last March. Weatherly began the year as the team’s defensive end starter opposite Brian Burns before suffering a finger injury. That meant surgery, which meant a mid-season IR stint. After that, second-round pick Yetur Gross-Matos took his place. Weatherly recorded zero sacks in Carolina.

Last time around, Weatherly scored a two-year, $12.5M deal in free agency. His return to the Vikings likely comes at a lesser rate, but still more than his original seventh-round contract.