Stephen Weatherly says he’s back with the Vikings

Defensive end Stephen Weatherly spent his first four NFL seasons with the Vikings and says he will return to the team for the 2021 season.

Weatherly signed a two-year contract with the Panthers as a free agent last year, but was released by Carolina last month. In an Instagram post on Thursday, Weatherly wrote that he was back with the team for another tour of duty.

The Vikings have not made any announcements regarding Weatherly’s return.

Weatherly started the first nine games of the 2020 season, but spent the rest of the year in the reserve injured after sustaining a finger injury. He had 67 tackles, six sacks and two forced fumbles in his first stint with the Vikings.