Ex-Vikings, Cowboys Star the Latest Victim in String of Burglaries: Report

Getty Former Vikings defensive tackle Linval Joseph

The home of Dallas Cowboys and former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Linval Joseph‘s home is the latest to be hit in a string of burglaries involving professional athletes in Minnesota.

Joseph’s home in Sunfish Lake, Minnesota, a small suburb of St. Paul just three miles away from the Vikings’ headquarters, was burglarized on Monday, November 18, West St. Paul police told the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

It’s the fourth burglary in the area in less than two months, according to the Pioneer Press, following a nationwide trend of burglaries on professional athletes’ houses.

“The burglaries share similarities with more than 60 other cases in the Twin Cities metro and others nationally that have targeted professional athletes, according to West St. Paul Police Chief Brian Sturgeon,” Pioneer Press reporter Mara Gottfried wrote.

Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley’s home in Medina, Minnesota, was burglarized in September while he was at a Vikings game.

“ ‘We know that they’re using some sophisticated techniques’ in order to determine when people at the home are leaving and where exterior cameras are situated on homes, and the burglaries have been the work of more than one person,” West St. Paul Police Chief Brian Sturgeon told the Pioneer Press.

Joseph, 36, played six seasons with the Vikings before his release in 2020 and made two Pro Bowl appearances in 2016 and 2017.

J.J. McCarthy Purchased Joe Mauer’s Sunfish Lake Home Before String of Burglaries

GettyVikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy during warmups of a 2024 preseason game against the Raiders.

The Sunfish Lake community, home to 500 residents, is an affluent community that has included many Minnesota professional sports athletes.

The most recent arrival: Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

A November 11 Pioneer Press report noted McCarthy had purchased the Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer Joe Mauer’s house.

Tax and property records obtained by Heavy note the home was purchased on June 24 for $2.44 million, roughly two months after the Vikings drafted McCarthy 10th overall in April’s draft.

The two-story house features four bedrooms, five bathrooms and 7,252 finished square feet with 4.92 acres of land located in Sunfish Lake, a small suburb of 500 residents south of St. Paul — a two-mile drive from the Vikings’ headquarters in Eagan.

Mauer bought the Sunfish Lake homes for $1.75 million in 2012. Mauer paid $6.3 million in cash for a home on Lake Minnetonka in the western Twin Cites metro in 2016, according to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

Cowboys Provide Reunion for Linval Joseph, Mike Zimmer

GettyCowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer

Mike Zimmer’s return to the NFL as the Cowboys defensive coordinator prompted an influx of former Vikings to Dallas.

Since leaving Minnesota in 2020, Joseph played for the Los Angeles Chargers (2020-2021), Philadelphia Eagles (2022) and Buffalo Bills (2023) before signing a one-year deal with the Cowboys.

Former Vikings Pro Bowl linebacker Eric Kendricks also followed Zimmer to Dallas, turning his back to the San Francisco 49ers after agreeing to terms with the NFC rival in March free agency.

Nick Vigil, a two-year starter in 2020 and 2021, is also currently on the Cowboys roster.

Dallas, currently 3-7 and without Dak Prescott for the rest of the year, is prone to a shakeup in the coaching staff with head coach Mike McCarthy in the hot seat.

Zimmer’s history with the Cowboys as a cornerbacks coach during their Super Bowl run could keep him in good standing.

However, Dallas’ defense has allowed the second-most points in the league after ranking fifth in points allowed in 2023 with Dan Quinn as defensive coordinator.