After spending a year with the Panthers, defensive end Stephen Weatherly elected to go back to where his career began, signing a free-agent deal with the Vikings.
But now he’s headed to the AFC West.
Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Minnesota is sending Weatherly and a 2023 seventh-round pick to Denver for a 2022 seventh-round pick. Pelissero added that Weatherly was looking for a fresh start. The Vikings were able to find a trading partner in the Broncos, with the two front offices knowing one another well.
Weatherly had played just 20 percent of the Vikings’ defensive snaps, recording nine tackles and one tackle for loss. But he was on the field for 64 percent of the club’s special teams reps.
In nine starts for the Panthers last year, Weatherly had 17 total tackles, one tackle for loss, and three QB hits.
The Vikings are on their bye and the Broncos have a long weekend after losing to the Browns on Thursday.