Vikings officially release RB Alexander Mattison after 5 seasons

Alexander Mattison #2 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the New York Jets at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 04, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  ((Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images))

The Minnesota Vikings signed running back Alexander Mattison to a two-year contract last offseason out of free agency.

Monday, they made it official that they’ve released him after five seasons. Mattison came back to Minnesota on a $7 million deal. The Vikings will now be in the market for a new lead running back. The current rushers with game experience are Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu and Cam Akers, who suffered a torn Achilles last season.

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Jim Rich goes 1-on-1 with Vikings RB Alexander Mattison

Sunday night on Fox 9 Sports Now, Jim Rich went 1-on-1 with Alexander Mattison during Vikings OTAs last week.

Mattison ran for 700 yards in 16 starts last season, but didn’t have a single rushing touchdown. He also had 30 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns, but had three costly fumbles early in the season.

The move saves the Vikings more than $3 million against the 2024 salary cap. His $2.75 million base salary was going to be guaranteed on March 15 if he was still on the roster. The Vikings drafted Mattison in the third round in 2019 out of Boise State. In 75 career games, he averaged 4.1 yards per carry and had 11 rushing touchdowns.

We also await Vikings’ news on Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson and Danielle Hunter as legal tampering ahead of NFL free agency starts next Monday.