Getty Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers
Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel‘s second pick-six of the 2024 season came at the expense of one of the franchise’s most adversarial figures, Aaron Rodgers — who didn’t let the play go unaddressed.
After showing blitz, Van Ginkel hit the breaks and backpedaled into coverage just in time to pick off Rodgers in the first quarter of the Vikings’ 23-17 win over the New York Jets on October 7. Van Ginkel returned the ball 67 yards for a touchdown to help Minnesota take a lead it never relinquished.
In his postgame news conference, Van Ginkel said Rodgers told him during the second half, “Christmas came early for you.”
“I think it was like third or fourth quarter, I kinda got close to him and he just made that comment to me,” Van Ginkel said.
Van Ginkel’s response, in true Midwestern fashion: “I just told him thank you and didn’t say a whole lot. Kinda just walked away.”
.#Vikings outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel said Aaron Rodgers told him “Christmas came early” on his pick-6 in the 1st quarter.
Van Ginkel with the quintessential midwestern response.
Andrew Van Ginkel Proving to Be Best Free-Agent Add After Dolphins Didn’t Want Him
GettyAndrew Van Ginkel #43 of the Minnesota Vikings.
Signing a two-year, $20 million contract with the Vikings in March, Van Ginkel has been one of the best free-agent additions of the offseason after the Miami Dolphins did not want to re-sign him.
A 2019 fifth-round pick, Van Ginkel was drafted by Brian Flores, who was head coach of the Dolphins from 2019 to 2021.
Van Ginkel stayed and continued to develop in Miami, eventually signing a one-year, $2.6 million deal to stay in 2023.
Van Ginkel would have likely stayed with the Dolphins if they extended a similar deal last offseason.
However, Miami “made no effort to keep him.”
“According to a league source, Van Ginkel really wanted to stay in Miami, the only NFL home he’d known after arriving as a 2019 fifth-round pick, but the Dolphins simply made no effort to keep him,” Sports Illustrated’s Alain Poupart reported on September 28.
Flore saw more in Van Ginkel, bringing him to Minnesota as a versatile piece to his defense.
Van Ginkel has proven Flores right as arguably the defense’s biggest difference-maker with a pair of pick-sixes and 3.0 sacks in five games this season.
Over The Cap has valued his performance so far this year to be worth a $17.8 million deal — making the Vikings’ signing of him a steal despite the sticker shock in Miami.
Iowa Native Andrew Van Ginkel’s Homecoming Was Long Overdue After Flooding in His Hometown
GettyAndrew Van Ginkel
Van Ginkel’s return to the Midwest couldn’t have come at a better time as he was hands-on to help his hometown that was struck with severe flooding this summer.
A Minnesota Star Tribune feature highlighted Van Ginkel’s relief work in Rock Valley, Iowa, located roughly four hours southwest of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
Van Ginkel helped organize a partnership to provide meals for nearly 1,000 people for three weeks after the flood hit the town of 4,000, per The Star Tribune.
He “worked day and night” in the three weeks following the flood while recovering from an offseason foot surgery. And while Van Ginkel eventually had to return to Minnesota to begin training camp, he left an impression in his hometown.
Rock Valley now roots for the hometown kid who not only made it but didn’t forget where he came from.
“It’s special,” Van Ginkel told the Star Tribune. “Obviously, kind of a dream come true. I never thought this day would come, but it’s here now. It’s a great feeling.”
Trevor Squire is a sports journalist covering the NFL and NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks. Trevor studied journalism at the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities, making stops at the Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @trevordsquire. More about Trevor Squire
