Desmond Bishop signed with the Minnesota Vikings on Monday. On Tuesday, he said part of the reason he signed with those losers is because he wanted to play against former teammate Aaron Rodgers.
“It was part of the reason,” Bishop told NFL Network’s “NFL AM” on Tuesday. “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 a chance to play against (running back) Adrian Peterson. … That’s my mindset. I want to play against the best.”
Bishop was also courted by the Chiefs, Giants and Jaguars, in addition to the Vikings. Of those teams, he only visited the Chiefs. So, in reality, Bishop probably signed with the Vikings because they were the team that offered him a contract.
That he signed only a one-year deal tells us Bishop didn’t have a lot of offers on the table.
Despite signing with a division rival, Bishop went on to say he harbors no ill will toward the Green Bay Packers, who cut him on June 17.
“It was really just a numbers game, I suppose,” Bishop said. “You know, it’s a lot of uncertainty with me coming back off this injury, and the two guys who played — A.J. 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 … which is understandable from a business standpoint, so I don’t hold nothing against them.”
A.J. Hawk… a good job… yeah…
Bishop will compete with Erin Henderson to start for the Vikings at middle linebacker.