C.J. Ham, a cherished Vikings veteran, got a bit of work done to get his body right.
The word comes courtesy of Ben Goessling of The Star Tribune, who is relaying the insight that he gleaned from social media. Check it out: “Per @StephHamDPT’s Instagram post, Vikings fullback @cjham28 had a ‘simple procedure’ at Twin Cities Orthopedics today. Ham was on the injury report with an ankle injury toward the end of the season, though he didn’t miss any games.”
Vikings Veteran C.J. Ham and The Road Ahead
Thankfully, the word is that it was a “simple procedure.” The expectation should therefore be that Mr. Ham will be healthy before too long.
Ham, at least in the world of NFL football, isn’t young anymore. He’s going to turn 32 in July, making him one of the older players on Minnesota’s roster. He first entered the NFL back in 2016 — he wasn’t drafted — and has worked to establish himself as a key part of Minnesota Vikings football.
Under Mike Zimmer, Ham’s presence on the roster made a ton of sense. The thumper of a fullback helped to clear running lanes for a run-first offense. Meanwhile, Zimmer’s focus often rested on building a stifling, suffocating defense.
The transition to Kevin O’Connell led to some questions about Ham’s ability to stick around. After all, the Rams’ famous reliance on 11 personnel excludes a fullback, so there were some reasonable questions about Ham’s purple future. Would O’Connell have room for someone with his set of skills?
Not only has Ham stuck around, but he has even extended his deal under the leadership of O’Connell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. In 2023, Ham added on a pair of years to his contract for a total compensation of $5.6 million.
Consider his usage in the O’Connell offense since the new head coach took over:
- 2022: 169 snaps, 15%
- 2023: 216 snaps, 19%
- 2024: 262 snaps, 24%
The coaching staff is seemingly finding new and better ways to use their veteran. Sometimes, that means functioning as a lead blocker — the task most commonly associated with being a fullback — but he’s also leaned on to provide rock-solid pass protection. He occasionally carries the ball and has soft hands as a pass catcher.
Last season, Ham turned 6 targets into 5 catches for 35 yards and a first down. His pair of carries went for 10 yards and a touchdown (always fun to see a fullback score).
Keep in mind, as well, that we’re talking about a team captain who is a key component of Matt Daniels’ special teams. He soaked up 282 special teams snaps last season — 63% of the total — across his seventeen games.
C.J. Ham is carrying a $3,416,668 cap charge into the 2025 season. Cutting the veteran would mean recouping $2,650,000 in cap space but the expectation should be that he sticks around.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.