EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings on Wednesday announced punter Jordan Berry signed a one-year deal to remain in Minnesota hours before the start of free agency.

The agreement is set to return Berry for a second season in Minnesota and his eighth in the NFL.

After spending his first six pro seasons in Pittsburgh, the native of Melbourne, Australia, was claimed by the Vikings just before the start of the 2021 season.

Berry tied for 11th among qualifiers with a net punting average of 46.5 yards per punt and placed 26 of 78 punts inside the 20-yard line for the Vikings.

The contract with Berry, combined with long snapper Andrew DePaola being under contract and Minnesota's placement Monday of a right-of-first-refusal tender on Greg Joseph, make it highly likely that the Vikings will be able to keep its specialists together for a second consecutive season.

The trio will work under the guidance of new Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels and assistant special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica.

Daniels was asked during his introductory press conference in February if he expected Joseph and Berry to return to Minnesota for the 2022 campaign. He initially answered, "Yeah, I do," but also emphasized that it was too early to know for sure.

"We're going through the evaluation process. You look at a guy like Jordan Berry who's been doing it for a long time, he's got a lot of leg talent. He's had a lot of success in his career. Greg Joseph, as well," Daniels said. "I think they've done a lot in their career to say that they deserve to be on this team."