Early Tuesday, James Brady posted that the Vikings had reportedly released Bernard Berrian. The move was announced by the NFL Network around noon and confirmed by the Vikings later in the day.
Yahoo!'s Doug Farrar breaks down the "historic ineptitude" Berrian takes with him:
It's safe to say that when the Minnesota Vikings signed former Chicago Bears receiver Bernard Berrian(notes) to a six-year, $42 million contract with $16 million guaranteed money in March of 2008, they expected more than what they've received. In his 3 1/2 years as a Vikings receiver, Berrian amassed just 138 receptions for 1,925 yards and 11 touchdowns. In 2010 and 2011 combined, he put up just 35 total catches … and it's not as if he hasn't had the opportunities.
In his 2011 season, Berrian was targeted 23 times by Vikings quarterbacks, and he caught just seven passes. That 30 percent catch rate is the lowest in the 19-year history of Football Outsiders' metrics, which track catch rate for primary and ancillary receivers and tight ends going back to 1993. Berrian had never had stickum hands before — he had gone above 59 percent catch rate in just one season before — but this season has been ridiculous.
Berrian sat out the last two games after supposedly missing some team meetings prior to the Arizona Cardinals game on October 9. But I think it's safe to assume that there was a whole lot more going on than a couple missed meetings.