Vikings To Sign P Johnny Hekker

Although the Vikings gave Hekker a guaranteed $1.26MM in free agency during the offseason, he lost their punting competition to rookie Brett Thorson over the summer. Thorson averaged 45.8 gross yards and 44.1 net on 10 punts in the Vikings’ first two games, but he suffered a hamstring injury in their win over the Bears in Week 2 (via Kevin Seifert of ESPN).

With Thorson’s status up in the air for Minnesota’s game in Tampa Bay on Sunday, the team had Hekker, fellow veteran Matt Haack and rookie Jack Stonehouse in for tryouts on Tuesday, according to Garafolo. Hekker was obviously the most impressive of the three.

Depending on the severity of Thorson’s injury, Hekker could be in position to punt in an NFL game for a 15th straight season. Now 36 years old, Hekker began his career with the Rams and had an excellent run with the team from 2012-21. Over 10 years with the Rams, Hekker picked up four first-team All-Pro selections and Pro Bowl nods apiece. He also earned a place on the 2010s All-Decade Team and won a Super Bowl.

The Rams released Hekker in March 2022, but he continued to post solid numbers with the Panthers (’22-24) and Titans (’25) over the next four seasons. Hekker averaged 47.0 gross yards per punt and recorded a 43.1-yard net average on 236 tries in Carolina. He notched a near-identical 46.8-yard gross average (matching his lifetime mark) last year in Tennessee, though his net mean fell to 40.3 over 78 punts.