Before Mike Zimmer became the head coach of the Vikings, he was the defensive coordinator of the Bengals and it seems he might want to bring some of his former charges in Cincinnati to his current team.
Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press reports that the Vikings have contacted representatives for Bengals safeties George Iloka and Reggie Nelson since the “legal tampering” window opened on Monday. They’ve also reportedly reached out to linebacker Vincent Rey, who joined the Bengals in 2010.
That was also the first year for Nelson in Cincinnati and he’s played in all but three regular season games for the Bengals since joining the team. He’s started the last 32 of those games with Iloka beside him for 28 of those contests. Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Iloka has also heard from the Giants, Falcons and Lions and adds that the Bengals want him back with the team.
Iloka turns 26 this month and that makes him almost seven years younger than Nelson, who turns 33 in September. That will likely make for different markets and contract demands for the two players, which will in turn lead the Vikings to make a decision about which player is their top target.
