MANKATO —
When John Carlson was a lot younger, he made a few trips to Mankato to watch the Minnesota Vikings practice.
As he looked up into the stands Friday and saw all the kids watching, he became more excited.
“Things have really come full circle for me,” he said. “I think what this reminds me is that I didn’t do this alone. There were a lot of people along the way who gave me support, and I was blessed with opportunities. When I see those kids, it excites me what might be ahead for them.”
Carlson was a standout athlete at Litchfield, helping his team win three state championships in basketball from 2000 to 03. There was also a state-tournament berth in football in 2003, and he was an all-state tennis player.
He received a scholarship at Notre Dame, where he helped to recruit Vikings teammate Kyle Rudolph and roomed one year with Vikings center John Sullivan.
Carlson was drafted by Seattle in 2008 and had three productive seasons there, accumulating 137 receptions for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns. He missed all of last season with a shoulder injury and signed a five-year, $25 million contract as a free agent.
When he started looking at free-agent options, Carlson chose to return to Minnesota, in part because of close friendships with Rudolph and Sullivan. He also was excited about the potential of quarterback Christian Ponder, running back Adrian Peterson and receiver Percy Harvin.
But the lure of returning to Minnesota was strong as Carlson weighed the rich contract against a slower-paced lifestyle.
“I’m married now, and I have two kids so it was important to stay close to family and friends,” Carlson said. “I’ve been gone for nine years now, and Minnesota is a great place to live and raise a family.”
Carlson replaces Visanthe Shiancoe, who left as a free agent and recently signed with New England. Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave said he’s excited about how Rudolph and Carlson work together.
“Both of them compliment one another; they are interchangeable,” he said. “One time we may have one guy in the backfield, both on the line of scrimmage, or even both of them split outside of corresponding wide receivers. They have that much versatility.”
Carlson sees the same possibilities and already feels comfortable in this offense.
“I’m excited about what the tight end can do in this offense,” he said. “We have a lot of weapons, and it’s fun to think about what we can accomplish as an offense.”
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Minnesota Vikings tight end John Carlson was a standout at Litchfield. He said he is happy to be closer to family and friends. Pat Christman
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