Vikings LB Blake Cashman's return home has surpassed even his wildest expectations

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.

Blake Cashman smells the grilled cheeseburgers as soon as he steps in from the cold.

Its winter in Minnesota, and Lions Tap, this legendary little outpost that looks like a log cabin, is as packed as ever.

The line to eat does not faze the Minnesota Vikings middle linebacker.

Yes, Cashman is a star for the local team, but no, he is not above waiting for a table at the local haunt.

In fact, this family restaurant is the spot he preferred.

Advertisement How many? a hostess eventually asks.

Two, he says.

Right this way.

She leads him to a table near the bar, and he begins with an explanation.

He chose Lions Tap because of the memories the place conjures.

Its as if the smell of cooked meat, melted cheese and greasy fries transports him to some of his favorite childhood afternoons.

Cashman, 28, grew up here in Eden Prairie, and his family frequented the restaurant after youth sporting events at the nearby Flying Cloud Fields.

With eye black smeared and his jersey stained, he would scarf down burgers with his teammates and rehash plays with his parents.

Camaraderie and competition blended in the most innocent way, and he loved every second.

Coming back reminds him of what was and how it led to what is.

These days, Cashman is one of the most important players on his hometowns most beloved team.

Incredibly, the Vikings have not lost this season when Cashman plays.

He missed two midseason games against the Lions and Rams with a turf toe injury, and those teams targeted the middle of the field.

Beyond his sideline-to-sideline range, all of the pre-snap orchestration runs through him.

He imagined making this kind of impact when he signed with the Vikings this spring as a free agent, and he knew with success would come extra attention, especially locally.

What he could not have foreseen was how special this is.

Between bites of a double cheeseburger with fried onions, just as he starts to talk about this team and this year and why it all transcends his loftiest expectations an older couple approaches hesitantly.

Were honored to announce that Minnesota @Vikings player Blake Cashman ( @blockayyy ) has selected Way to Grow for the NFLs My Cause My Cleats initiative! Thank you, Blake, for making Minnesota proud both on and off the field.

Tune in to the Vikings game this Sunday! #SKOL pic.twitter.com/srZN2aCUcJ Way to Grow (@mplswaytogrow) December 6, 2024 Would you mind if we get a picture? they ask shyly.

Cashman laughs.

Sure thing, he says.

One of the waitresses takes a photo and hands them their phone.

Good luck this weekend! the woman says, referring to Sunday nights regular-season finale between the Vikings and Lions, a matchup to decide the NFC North title and No.

1 seed.

Keep this going, please! GO DEEPER Can the Vikings go into Detroit and snatch the No.

1 seed from the Lions? Part of the perfection of Cashmans return home is the backstory.

The Vikings interest in him was essentially born in a Minnesota basement.

Mike Sherels is the brother of former Vikings punt returner Marcus Sherels.

He is also a former linebacker and coach at the University of Minnesota and has gotten to know Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

Advertisement Flores three children are close in age to Sherels four kids.

Many of them are classmates.

Last winter, Flores dropped his daughter at Sherels house for a playdate and, when he came to pick her up, was invited inside.

Sherels showed him around his house and brought him to the basement, where Flores noticed a multicolored painting depicting Sherels alongside some of his favorite former players in their NFL uniforms.

Thats so cool, Flores said.

He asked about each player, and Sherels eventually pointed at the man in the Jets uniform.

This is the one, Sherels said of Cashman.

If he can put it together, hes the guy.

Flores learned that Sherels had recruited and developed Cashman, a no-star recruit who began as a preferred walk-on with the Golden Gophers.

In high school, Cashman had been a stalwart defensive back for an Eden Prairie team that won 36 games in a row.

Sherels noticed him while watching one of Cashmans teammates, Carter Coughlin, and Cashman accepted the walk-on offer because Sherels convinced him he could be more than just a practice player.

All I ever really wanted was the opportunity, Cashman says.

I had my own doubts about myself and felt intimidated.

What if this doesnt work out? But the lingering thought was, if I settled for Division II or Division III, would I look back on my entire life and say: What if? Could I have done it? And I didnt want to live with that regret, so I took the chance on myself.

Cashman started as a safety, then transitioned to linebacker before his sophomore year.

Initially, he struggled to adapt.

But Sherels kept working with Cashman, who developed a knack for quick decisions and big plays from the second level.

Injuries to teammates gave him an opportunity, and he took advantage, recording two sacks in one of his first games against Purdue.

Advertisement Sherels relayed a lot of this to Flores, knowing that Cashman, who had just produced his best pro season in Houston, was about to become a free agent and fit the mold Flores seeks: smart enough and willing to learn a non-traditional defense; large enough to blitz, but a good enough processor and tackler to play in coverage.

Flores listened but made few comments and fewer promises.

Little did Sherels know how much the Vikings needed a relentless off-ball linebacker to replace veteran Jordan Hicks.

And little did Sherels know that his recommendation intrigued Flores enough to check out Cashmans tape.

GO DEEPER Brian Flores vs.

Ben Johnson is a matchup made for this type of moment Once the free-agency period began in March, Cashmans agent contacted him to inform him of the interested teams.

The Packers had called, the Steelers inquired, Denver became another option and then there were the Vikings.

Hearing the list, Cashman replied, See what Minnesota can do.

He viewed the chance to come home as a perfect chapter in what he calls a dream story.

Cashman knew what playing for the hometown team would mean to his family, friends and girlfriend.

He was also aware of how the community would rally around him, especially considering how close he had come to hanging up his cleats several times before.

By his third NFL season with the Jets, he had torn his labrum, strained countless hamstring muscles and torn his groin.

He left rehab only to find himself back in the training room.

For years, he searched for answers, visiting doctors and consulting with different trainers.

At one point, having played only 36 defensive snaps in 2020 and 21 combined, Cashman told himself to stop caring.

I was doing that to have a safety net in my mind, he says.

But I knew, deep down, if I was no longer playing after three years, itd crush me.

I wanted to be, like, this macho man.

It was ego, me saying I didnt care.

But deep down, I did.

Advertisement Thinking he was damaged goods, the Jets traded Cashman to the Texans for a sixth-round pick.

The move, Cashman says, revived his career.

Upon his arrival, Houstons athletic training staff put him through days of tests and informed him he applied an exorbitant amount of stress to his body every time he moved.

Staffers told him he needed to triple the amount of his mobility work.

So he did, and positive results followed.

He played primarily as a special-teamer in 2022, then operated the controls of DeMeco Ryans defense in 2023.

Flores film study confirmed Cashmans constant pursuit as a blitzer and his special ability to close on ball carriers without taking steep angles.

When pressed by Cashmans agent on their level of interest, the Vikings upped their offer, making it clear he could start and play an integral role in the defense.

Cashman made his decision without anyone knowing.

His friends begged him for hours in their group chat to tell them his plans.

Finally, he responded with one word: Skol.

Thoughts flooded in.

Stop lying, one friend texted.

You better not be fing with us, another wrote.

Cashman sent a screenshot of the official report.

Everybody was going nuts, he says.

A young woman approaches the table inside Lions Tap.

My boyfriend noticed you, she says.

Its his birthday, and he was too afraid to ask you to sign this.

Will you? Cashman smiles sheepishly.

Of course, he says.

When he sits back down, Cashman says he thinks Minnesotans are some of the most passionate fans in the country.

While he understands why disappointment is often expected (none of the states four major sports teams have won a title since the Twins in 1991), he despises the negativity.

I get where it comes from, but especially being here and playing, I cant stand seeing it, he says.

The people who talk about how excited they are for us this year? I just love that.

His father, Steve, straddles these lines.

Steve grew up in Minnetrista, about 30 minutes west of Minneapolis, and is a purple and gold die-hard.

As a child, Cashman knew not to approach his father for a while after a Vikings loss.

Cashman even had a Packers phase during Brett Favres run, and Steve was so particular about his viewing experience that he forced his son to watch downstairs.

Advertisement When Cashman informed his father he was coming home to play for the Vikings, Steve laughed hysterically, partially because it meant hed converted his son once and for all.

Although Steve rarely shows emotion, Cashman calls him after games, fields his questions about Sam Darnolds play and Flores game plan, and feels how much his father is enjoying this.

Cashman tries to give him some behind-the-scenes glimpses.

Hell explain, for example, how this Vikings staff constantly seeks players opinions on practice times.

Hell share stories about adjusting in-game by implementing a call they hadnt used in a month and a half.

Hell mention the relationships in the locker room and say things like hes saying now.

I tell everyone this is probably as much fun as Ive had playing football since high school, Cashman says.

Ive been on teams where it feels like were just showing up to work.

Yeah, you all get along, but guys arent having fun the way we are.

Steve hears all of this.

Privately, he worries whether it can continue.

But, more than ever, he is losing himself in the joy of the present the same way so many in this city are.

Speaking of which, after Cashman finishes eating and steps back out into the cold, a few of the Lions Tap employees are sweeping the floors and talking.

One of them says shes a Packers fan, and another says its good, then, that she did not meet the man who just left.

Wait, who was that? she asks.

Was that a Vikings player? Yep, the other employee responds.

Hes one of their best.

His name is Blake Cashman, and hes actually from here.

(Top photo: Jeffrey Becker / Imagn Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.