Vikings Release Safety With Past Behavior Issues

On June 13, the Vikings announced the release of Bolden to make room for offensive lineman Vershon Lee. 

It's a curious move considering the Vikings have deployed three safeties for 1,000 snaps a season the past two years. Jay Ward is the only backup safety with playing experience on the roster after the trio of Smith, Metellus and Jackson -- leaving plenty of room for competition to make the final 53-man roster.

Bolden was a gifted athlete coming out of college in 2022 whose size at 6-foot-2 and 4.47-second 40-time helped him rank 62nd out of 765 strong safeties since 1987 for their overall athletic profile. Pro Football Network ranked him the fifth-best safety of his draft class, two spots ahead of former Vikings first-rounder Lewis Cine.

However, Bolden's career has not panned out for several reasons -- some unspoken.

As a sophomore at USC, Bolden faced a 28-month suspension for an incident that involved "mutual trash-talking" at a party. Bolden left before any escalation, but the school argued he violated the student code of conduct.

He resurrected his career at Miami but ultimately went undrafted. He's spent time with the Seattle Seahawks (2022) and Cleveland Browns (2023) but did not make the final rosters or practice squads due to ability and injury.

Bolden was also suspended for three weeks by the NFL in 2024. He was not rostered by any team at the time.

The Athletic's Dane Brugler lauded Bolden's athleticism but called his play style "undisciplined" and "inconsistent" coming out of college, begging the question of his fit in Flores' defense that demands high football IQ.

The Vikings may be in the market for another safety come the start of training camp in late July.