The Minnesota Vikings have placed former Alabama tight end Hale Hentges on the reserve/retired list, the NFL team announced on Tuesday.
The reserve/retired list is for a player who retires before his contract expires. It also allows his team to retain his rights if he decides to return to the NFL, with his contract picking up where it left off. Hentges had a season remaining on his contract, which called for a base salary of $850,000 for the 2021 season.
The Vikings did not provide details for Hentges’ change in status. Hentges’ Twitter account bio shows him as an inside channel account manager at Zebra Technologies.
In football, Zebra Technologies has made its mark with the player-tracking innovations behind the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. But Zebra Technologies also works with retail, manufacturing, health-care and transportation logistics industries on tracking and data management.
Hentges had an externship with Zebra Technologies this offseason through an NFL Players Association program.
A Missouri native, Hentges played for Alabama from 2015 through 2018. In that span, the Crimson Tide reached the CFP national championship game every season, won two titles and compiled a 55-4 record.
Hentges made the Indianapolis Colts’ regular-season roster as an undrafted rookie coming out of the preseason in 2019. He didn’t play in the first four games, and Indianapolis waived him to elevate defensive back Shakial Taylor with two safeties unable to play.
With its top two tight ends sidelined by concussions, the Washington Football Team claimed Hentges off waivers. In the final 11 games of the 2019 season, Hentges got on the field for 230 offensive snaps and 90 special-teams plays and caught eight passes for 103 yards and one touchdown.
In 2020, Hentges did not survive the cut for the regular-season roster coming out of training camp and was re-signed for Washington’s practice squad.
On Sept. 17, Washington released Hentges and wide receiver Shelton Gibson to sign tight end Temarrick Hemingway and wide receiver Jeff Badet to its practice squad.
Five days later, Hentges joined the Colts’ practice squad, where he stayed until joining Vikings’ active roster on Dec. 10. Hentges played in one of Minnesota’s remaining games, getting on the field for seven special-teams plays in a 37-35 victory over the Detroit Lions on Jan. 3.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
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