After being released by the Green Bay Packers last Monday, Desmond Bishop officially signed on with the Minnesota Vikings. The two parties agreed to a contract, making Bishop the latest free agent to sign with the Packers' NFC North rivals. Bishop has multiple options after becoming a free agent. He took visits to the Vikings and the Kansas City Chiefs while also getting interest from other teams before signing his contract. While money was sure to play a factor, the idea of facing Aaron Rodgers was the reason Bishop joined Minnesota.
The linebacker will now get to face the Green Bay Packers twice a year during the season. That means he will get to face Rodgers twice a year, something Bishop is looking forward to.
"It was part of the reason," Bishop told the NFL Network. "And if I can get a chance to play against Aaron Rodgers, I think that right there, in itself, is a motivation. You know, you want to play against the best. When I was playing for Green Bay, the games I cherished most was playing against the Vikings because I had the chance to player against Adrian Peterson. That's my mindset. I want to play against the best."
While Rodgers might have played a role in Bishop heading to his once rival team, the fact the Green Bay passed him up for other talent likely played into the decision as well. The team would not even entertain the idea of re-working Bishop's contract, instead just cutting him on the spot. Bishop missed all of last season due to a tear in his hamstring and the Packers were not convinced that he was healthy enough to play. Bishop says he is 100 percent healthy, but knew that was not enough to convince Green Bay.
"It was really just a numbers game, I suppose. You know, it's a lot of uncertainty with me coming back off injury, and the two guys who played- AJ Hawk and Brad Jones- they did a really good job. Brad was up, so they had to make a move with him, and I guess they went with the sure bet," Bishop said.
If healthy, Bishop will likely be one of three starting linebackers with the Vikings. He is expected to play middle linebacker, moving Erin Henderson to the weak-side of the defense. Bishop will transition from 3-4 scheme to the 4-3 scheme run in Minnesota, something he is not concerned about. The linebacker believes he will find success at any position and is ready to be put to the test.
