EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings have agreed to terms with linebacker DeMarquis Gates, the team announced Wednesday.
Gates most recently played for the Houston Roughnecks of the upstart XFL, which had its season canceled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
He spent part of the 2019 offseason with Washington after playing for the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football, which stopped play after its first eight games.
Gates also spent part of the 2018 offseason with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent.
Gates recorded 32 tackles (second on the team) and 2.0 sacks (tied for the team lead) for the Roughnecks, where he teamed with former Vikings LB Edmond Robinson. He also had a game-clinching play against Dallas that is shown below (eventually ruled a fumble recovery) and forced a fumble late against Seattle.
In 2019, Gates led the AAF with 52 tackles and five forced fumbles.
Gates played collegiately at Mississippi from 2014-17 after playing high school football at Lovejoy High School in Georgia. He led the Rebels in tackles during his final three seasons, including 2017 when he became the first player at the school to record more than 100 tackles in a season since Patrick Willis in 2006. His total of 114 that season included an SEC-best 70 solo tackles that ranked 13th in FBS.
