Vikings WR Michael Floyd Suspended 4 Games

Field Yates of ESPN is reporting that Vikings WR Michael Floyd has been suspended for the first four games of the 2017 season.

This means that the earliest Floyd could make his Vikings debut would be October 9 for Week 5’s game against the Bears.

Floyd completed one-day jail stint a few weeks ago and has been released to serve out the remaining five days of house arrest for his recent alcohol violation.

However, he was facing a potential suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy and the possibility existed that his penalty could end up being even greater, considering he plead guilty to an extreme DUI.

Vikings GM Rick Spielman released a statement a few weeks ago saying they stand by Floyd and support him moving forward.

“When we signed Michael Floyd, we hoped he would show signs of improvement and we continue to expect that he shows progress and a professional attitude. We believe Michael will be a productive member of the Vikings organization, both on and off the field. Pursuant to the ruling of the Arizona Court earlier today, Michael will serve the remainder of his sentence and we expect him to be with the team at the start of training camp in Mankato when the players report on July 26.”

Floyd, 27, is a former first-round pick of the Cardinals back in 2012. He played his four-year, $9.972 million contract before the Cardinals elected to pick up his fifth-year option in 2015.

After he was arrested for DUI last year, Arizona elected to cut him loose and he was later claimed off of waivers by the Patriots. The Vikings signed him to a one-year, $1.41 million contract last month.

In 2016, Floyd has appeared in 15 games and caught 37 passes for 488 yards receiving and five touchdowns for the Patriots. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 94 receiver out of 115 qualifying players.