UNEXPECTED NEWS: Minesota vikings player have loss his wife in…

April 12, 2024 admin minnesota vikings 0

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Minnesota Vikings offensive line coach Tony Sparano died Sunday morning. He was 56 years old.
The team announced his death, saying it was unexpected.

“I am at a loss for words with Tony’s sudden passing,” said Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman. “Tony loved the game of football and his players.”

Sparano is survived by his wife, Jeanette, two sons, a daughter, and four grandchildren.

“Our hearts go out to Jeanette and the entire Sparano family,” said Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf, in a statement.

The Wilfs also said that Sparano, who joined the Vikings’ offensive line staff in 2016, will be “deeply missed” by the team.

Vikings players Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph mourned Sparano’s death on Twitter.

“Really tough to see this,” wrote Thielen, a receiver. “So much respect for this guy, great coach and great person!”

Below is the team’s full statement:

With deep regret the Minnesota Vikings announce that Offensive Line Coach Tony Sparano unexpectedly passed away early this morning.

“Our hearts go out to Jeanette and the entire Sparano family as we all mourn the loss of Tony. Tony was a passionate and driven individual who cared deeply about his family, and especially enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren. Tony’s presence within the Vikings organization will be deeply missed. We are only thinking of Tony’s family during this incredibly difficult time. We ask that the entire NFL and Vikings family keep the Sparanos in their thoughts.” – Vikings Owners Mark and Zygi Wilf

Sparano began his NFL coaching career in 1999 with stints as a head coach with the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders. Tony served as the Vikings offensive line coach since 2016. Tony played collegiately at the University of New Haven where he was a four-year letterman. Sparano was named New Haven’s head coach in 1994 and held the position for five seasons.

Tony is survived by his wife, Jeanette, his two sons; Tony and Andrew, his daughter, Ryan Leigh, and four grandchildren. Sparano was born October 7, 1961. He was 56 years old.

The Sparano family requests privacy at this time. The Vikings will provide further updates when appropriate.

Other Minnesota sports franchises also went to social media to offer their prayers and condolences on Sparano’s death.

Read More…

Justin Jefferson has been exceedingly patient over the past year, and the time has come for the Minnesota Vikings to act on his behalf in more ways than one.

The Vikings star wide receiver appeared on comedian Kevin Hart’s “Cold As Balls” show via the Laugh Out Loud (LOL) Network on Wednesday, April 10. During the interview, Hart asked Jefferson how he felt about his former LSU teammates quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase playing together as professionals with the Cincinnati Bengals.

“I love them together, I love the chemistry they have,” Jefferson said. “It’s definitely some jealousy on that side.”

Jefferson won a National Title with Chase and Burrow at LSU in 2019, and their unlikely reunion at the next level might be enough to cause jealousy in and of itself. That said, Jefferson’s longing for some chemistry and familiarity at the quarterback position may well have been further stoked by Minnesota’s choice to let quarterback Kirk Cousins leave for the Atlanta Falcons in free agency last month.

The wideout was an outspoken proponent of the QB in the weeks and months leading up to free agency after playing his first four NFL seasons with Cousins under center. Jefferson earned Pro Bowl honors in each of his first three years coupled with Cousins, including a first-team All-Pro selection in 2022 when he led the league in receptions (128) and receiving yards (1,809).

He failed to earn accolades last year, though likely only because he missed seven games with a strained hamstring, returning after an Achilles tear sidelined Cousins for the remainder of the season. Jefferson still finished the 2023 campaign with 68 catches for 1,074 yards and 5 TDs. All told, he has amassed 392 receptions for 5,899 receiving yards and 30 TDs across 60 career games played, per Pro Football Reference.

Minnesota owned the No. 11 pick before trading two second-rounders (2024, 2025) and a sixth-rounder to the Houston Texans for the rights to the No. 23 selection this year.

Packaging pick Nos. 11 and 23, along with a 2025 first-rounder, should be enough to get the Vikings somewhere into the top five. Precisely who Minnesota will land is going to depend on how high the franchise can get in the draft order, as well as which quarterbacks are drafted ahead of that spot.

Even if the Vikings can land a talent like Drake Maye of North Carolina or J.J. McCarthy of Michigan, there is no guarantee that player pans out. And even if the team’s next franchise quarterback does pan out, there is no guarantee he will be able to create the chemistry that Jefferson sees between his old college teammates in Cincinnati or the chemistry he had himself with Cousins, a four-time Pro Bowler in his own right.

There is also Jefferson’s contract to consider. The wideout has been extension-eligible since last offseason and should command a deal that will reset the market at the position.

However, Minnesota has left Jefferson waiting to ink that life-changing contract as the front office tries to align its finances to make a push toward a Super Bowl-caliber roster. While a reasonable approach in several ways, the Vikings have nonetheless opened themselves up to peril by affording Jefferson the leverage to command more money than he would have one year ago, as well as hold out until the franchise provides clear answers at the quarterback position.

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