In rookie Myles Price, Vikings appear to have found their returner

During his first return in the NFL, Myles Price was welcomed to the league in physical fashion.

Price, the undrafted rookie who made the Vikings' roster as a return specialist, was running back a kickoff in the first quarter on Monday when he was blasted by Bears defensive lineman Daniel Hardy. The hit from Hardy (listed at 6'2", 255) sent the 5'9", 183-pound Price flying to the grass.

On the sideline, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell walked over to the rookie after the play and had a message for him. "Well it's good to get that one out of the way, because there's absolutely nothing to fear now about doing your job," O'Connell said he told Price. "And he goes, he looked at me right in the eye, he said 'Coach, I don't fear nothing.'"

Price sure didn't look like a guy with any fears over the remainder of the evening at Soldier Field. He handled another kick return later in the first half, but it was his work as the Vikings' primary punt returner that really stood out. He racked up 68 yards on four punt returns, three of them in the second half, which helped give the Vikings good field position during their 27-24 comeback victory.

"I think I played to the best of my ability," Price said. "Main thing I say, like I tell my people, I did my job. As long as I'm doing what I have to do in order to help the team win, then whatever that looks like, I'm gonna do my best to do that."

For some context, the Vikings had 164 punt return yards over the entire 2024 season. Each of Price's final three returns (20, 17, and 22 yards) went for more yards than the single longest punt return by Brandon Powell last season (15). He's the first Vikings player to have over 60 PR yards in a game since Dede Westbrook in 2021, and just the second since longtime standout Marcus Sherels' final season in Minnesota in 2018.

Punter Tory Taylor and the Bears gave Price opportunities, and he consistently maximized them by making people miss and getting upfield. "Vikings have found a returner," ESPN's Joe Buck said on the call after Price's final return of the night.

Undrafted rookie Myles Price, in his NFL debut, had 68 yards on four punt returns.

He's just the second Vikings player this decade with 60 PR yards in a game (Dede Westbrook, 2021). Marcus Sherels did it 10 times from 2011-18. pic.twitter.com/ytBnbJJ3ZA
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) September 9, 2025

"He's got an unbelievable mindset, an infectious personality," O'Connell said. "And you just, I remember telling Kwesi (Adofo-Mensah) early on in training camp that there was just something about him, when you start getting to know him, you have conversations with him. He is prepared, in his own mind, for every moment that could come."

Price, a Texas native, spent four seasons playing for Texas Tech, where he averaged about 40 receptions per year and was also used as a ballcarrier and a punt returner. He then transferred and spent his final season at Indiana, where he did more of the same. An undersized receiver without eye-popping college production, Price wasn't invited to the NFL combine. Still, he did enough in the pre-draft process to catch the eye of the Vikings, who signed him as an undrafted free agent.

If there was buzz about a potential Vikings UDFA punt returner heading into offseason practices, it was around Silas Bolden, who had a big touchdown return for Texas in last season's College Football Playoff. But that job was an open competition between several players — and Price simply won it with his performance over the course of the spring and summer. He impressed throughout OTAs and training camp, then made a statement when had an 81-yard kick return and a 20-yard punt return against the Patriots in the preseason.

A season-ending injury to veteran Rondale Moore helped clear the way for Price, who was one of seven undrafted rookies to make the Vikings' initial 53-man roster. He was listed as the starting punt and kick returner on the team's first depth chart, and then he went out and made a fantastic first impression in primetime action in Chicago.

"I've been saying for a while, there's not going to be a moment too big for Myles," O'Connell said. "And he won that job, he clearly showed he could give us a spark when you're in a constant battle to win field position. Every yard matters. He's got the skill set to be a really good returner in the NFL from in the punt phase, making the initial guy miss, understanding the return and how to set up blocks."

It's just one game, but it sure looks like the Vikings might have their most dynamic punt return threat since Sherels. If Price can consistently given them decent chunks of yardage to boost their field position, that makes a real difference. He also looks like a guy with a chance to break a long one sooner or later, whether in the punt return phase or as a kickoff returner, given the NFL's new rules that have made that play relevant again. Before Monday, Price hadn't caught a kick return in a real game since his freshman season at Texas Tech in 2020, but he looks capable of handling it all. And with Ty Chandler now hurt, the Vikings will need him to.

Beyond his skills on the field, it doesn't hurt that Price is always smiling and easy to root for.

"I've got a lot of confidence in Myles," O'Connell said. "I think you could feel it in the locker room with the team afterwards, he's beloved by his teammates. All he does is work. All he does is have a million-dollar smile on his face every day. Never had a bad day and absolutely loves playing football. You're gonna win when you get as many of those kind of guys as you can possibly find."

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