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Vikings agree to terms with veteran punter Johnny Hekker, a 4-time All-Pro

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings agreed to terms Tuesday on a contract with four-time All-Pro punter Johnny Hekker, who will begin his 15th season in the NFL.

The 36-year-old Hekker spent last season with the Tennessee Titans. He played three years with the Carolina Panthers after spending his first 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He started with the Rams franchise in St. Louis in 2012 as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon State.

Hekker will be in line to replace Ryan Wright, who signed with the New Orleans Saints. Hekker previously played for Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and special teams coordinator Matt Daniels with the Rams. He has never missed a game in his NFL career.

Hekker set what was then a league record in 2016 with a net average of 46 yards per attempt. His net average with the Titans in 2025 was 40.3, the third-lowest of his career, but his gross average matched a career high at 46.8 yards.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Russell Wilson confirms he’s retiring from the NFL to join CBS Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Ten-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson confirmed Wednesday in a video posted to social media that that he's retiring from the NFL to take a job with CBS Sports. Wilson's announcement came two days after news broke that he was finalizing a deal to become an analyst on CBS' Sunday NFL pregame show. “As I enter this next chapter with CBS Sports and ‘The NFL Today,’ I’m so blessed to continue doing what I love most — being around the greatest game in the world,” he said in the video. Wilson played 14 seasons after being taken by Seattle in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft out of N.C. State. He spent his first 10 seasons with the Seahawks, leading them to their first Super Bowl championship in the 2013 season. He was traded to Denver after the 2021 season and spent two rocky years with the Broncos before playing one season in Pittsburgh and another for the New York Giants.
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