Before he went on to have a Hall of Fame career -- before all he did was catch touchdowns -- Cris Carter was a fourth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles. Carter spent three seasons in Philadelphia, catching 89 passes for 1,450 yards and 19 scores. And then the Eagles surprisingly cut him.

Carter admitted later that Buddy Ryan released him because of his alcohol and drug abuse, but it did not take long before he turned his life and his career around. The Vikings claimed Carter off waivers from Philly, and he blossomed into one of the best receivers not just of his time, but ever.

Carter racked up 1,004 receptions for 12,383 yards and 110 touchdowns in 12 seasons with the Vikings, playing his way into the Hall of Fame. He retired in 2002 after spending his final season with the Dolphins, and he's been a TV fixture ever since.

Now, 17 years after he left Minnesota, Carter is returning to serve an important role: according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Carter will serve as an honorary captain for the Vikings prior to the NFC Championship Game against ... who else? The Eagles.

Carter is an all-time Vikings great so it's a cool move to make him an honorary captain no matter the situation; but this is also just an excellent troll maneuver by the Vikings to do it against the Eagles, who cut Carter and then saw him go on to greatness with Sunday's opponent. We'll just have to see whether or not it brings them any luck in the actual game.