The Vikings had a guard named Charlie Johnson and a wide receiver who goes by Charles Johnson on their roster in 2014, but only one will remain on the roster in 2015.
The team announced Friday that they have released Charlie Johnson after four years with the team. Johnson was due to make a non-guaranteed $2.5 million in salary and bonuses next season.
Johnson started all 61 games he played for the team in that run, mostly at left guard although he did play left tackle during his first year with the team in 2011. His performance left room for improvement, but the Vikings couldn’t find a player to bump him out of the starting lineup. Now they’ll be forced to find someone else to hold down the position.
2014 fifth-round pick David Yankey is on the roster as a possibility, although the Vikings will likely look for help across the line this offseason after allowing 51 sacks last year.