Former Husker running back Ameer Abdullah re-signed with the Minnesota Vikings on Monday.
Abdullah played in seven games for the Vikings last season after the team claimed him on waivers. Abdullah, who was a free agent entering this offseason, reportedly signed a one-year contract with the Vikings. Financial terms of the deal have not been reported, though he made a base salary of $412,586 with Minnesota last season.
“It’s amazing. It’s exactly what I wanted heading into this process,” Abdullah said, according to a story posted on Vikings’ website. “I was hoping that Minnesota was going to bring me back.
Abdullah played primarily on special teams for the Vikings, returning 14 kickoffs for an average of 26.1 yards. He didn’t record a rushing attempt and caught one pass for 10 yards.
He began the year with the Detroit Lions though he spent several weeks inactive as he slid to fourth on Detroit’s running back depth chart. Abdullah appeared in three games for Detroit last season, running once for one yard and catching two passes for 18 yards. He was released in November.
The 25-year-old Abdullah — a second-round draft pick of Detroit in 2015 — had his most productive NFL season as a rookie in 2015, when he had 597 yards rushing, 183 receiving and three total touchdowns. Injuries robbed him of all but two games in 2016, but he rebounded in 2017 with 714 total yards of offense and five touchdowns.
Abdullah ranks second on Nebraska’s career rushing chart with 4,588 yards and is fifth with 39 career rushing touchdowns. He was a second-team All-American in 2014, when he was also a finalist for the Doak Walker and Paul Hornung Awards.
