2021 Offseason Discussion - Free Agency and Roster Moves

Purple Pain
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2021 Offseason Discussion - Free Agency and Roster Moves Feb 27, 2021 11:13:38 GMT -6 vikingbill and legendsofthenorth like this

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Post by Purple Pain on Feb 27, 2021 11:13:38 GMT -6

Zone Coverage: Exciting Free Agents the Vikings Can Afford by Luke Braun

Every year in free agency, there are a few teams with functionally unlimited cap space that warp all of the bidding wars. This could be the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021. It’s been the Cleveland Browns and the Las Vegas Raiders as well. The Jaguars have $82 million in functional cap space in the worst-case scenario. The New York Jets and New England Patriots each have over $60 million. If they want a free agent, they’ll be able to outbid a team like the Minnesota Vikings for him.

That may not be such a bad thing. In 2016, the New York Giants outbid everyone by a mile for Olivier Vernon, only to sneak him into the Odell Beckham trade as a contract dump two years later. Washington signed Paul Richardson for $40 million hot off the heels of a decent WR3 campaign in Seattle. Two years later, he couldn’t crack a 53-man roster. The big free-agency deals can blow up spectacularly. Even when the Vikings have cap space, they prefer to sit out the big-money auctions.

Who could be this year’s Linval Joseph or Riley Reiff? Minnesota can make some space easily if they want to, but they won’t do that unless there’s value to be had. The Vikings will need some value players at guard, cornerback, safety, and wide receiver (and perhaps more). Here are some players who could provide just that. Projected contracts come from PFF’s free agency page, made in conjunction with OverTheCap.

CB DESMOND KING (PROJECTED CONTRACT: 3 YEARS, $17.5M)

There’s something strange brewing in Tennessee. Isaiah Wilson’s off-field issues look like they’re steering him toward a catastrophic release. Desmond King has friction with his coaches in a broken Los Angeles Chargers locker room, and the Titans only paid a sixth-round pick for a former All-Pro in the middle of the 2020 season. After doing so, his impact was limited, creating a perfect storm of value-deflating factors.

The Chargers used King as a box defender, nickel corner, and sometimes high safety. The Titans, due to need, put him almost exclusively at slot corner. King is a disruptor who can wreak havoc on the line of scrimmage and over the top. Placing him in coverage against slot corners neuters some of his best attributes. The Titans didn’t have much choice, but the Vikings would.

There is a wide zone revolution going on in the NFL. More teams are relying on heavier personnel packages, bootlegs, and outside zone runs to beat savvy Cover-3 zone defenders. In response, the wide-9 that Robert Saleh took to a Super Bowl and the corner blitz that Todd Bowles used to counter Patrick Mahomes should become more popular. In short, bring someone off of the edge to punish the naked bootleg. King is perfectly suited to that role.

If his disciplinary issues in L.A. don’t scare you, you should be in on Desmond King. Mike Zimmer loves to use defensive backs the way King was used in Los Angeles, and while his All-Pro rookie season seems like it’s far behind us, his usage and franchise turmoil play a huge role. At under $6 million per year, he’d be an excellent value to bolster a secondary in dire need of some disruptive power.

OG JON FELICIANO (2 YEARS, $8M)

Feliciano has some injury issues that might tank his value. He ended up taking starts pretty often for the Buffalo Bills, but they never intended him to. In those years, he played admirably. In the playoffs, he held up well against DeForest Buckner and Calais Campbell. In the AFC Championship, he was undone to some degree by Chris Jones in the passing game but stonewalled him in the run.

That’s the story for Feliciano, but it’s not as extreme as, say, Garrett Bradbury‘s. His run blocking, especially in zone concepts, should entice the Vikings. His pass blocking is up and down but would be the least of their problems there. If his medicals check out, they should be interested in replacing the Josh Kline-type presence they so sorely missed in 2020.

Buffalo has a lot of work to do this offseason, which could leave Feliciano in the dust. This free-agent interior offensive line class is bursting with talent. Brandon Scherff, Joe Thuney, and Corey Linsley will soak up the bigger bidders. Brian Winters, the other Bills right guard, will also hit the market. The Vikings should have access and interest in someone who can at least turn in reasonable guard play.

WR CURTIS SAMUEL (3 YEARS, $27.5M)

Keelan Cole also works and has a Keenan McCardell connection, but let’s swing for a triple instead of a single. People view Samuel as a slot-only WR/RB hybrid. He can be more than that. He runs a 4.3, and the Carolina Panthers had great success moving him all over the formation. He’s most comfortable in the slot, but Carolina played him out wide and in the backfield at differing rates each week.

On passes beyond 20 yards, Samuel caught 10 of 13 targets for 279 yards and two long scores. Don’t view Samuel as just a gadget after-catch player. But the league might. With Chris Godwin, Will Fuller, and Allen Robinson on the market, anyone who wants to bid big money on a deep threat has other places to funnel that cash. Samuel doesn’t immediately spring to mind as a deep threat, but that doesn’t mean he can’t run a go route.

Samuel would cost a little more than $8 million per year, putting him squarely in the Vikings’ range. Add him to a corps of Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, and you have three wide receivers who can line up anywhere and take something to the house.

S XAVIER WOODS (4 YEARS, $25M)

There are a lot of interesting safety options in this year’s free agency. Depending on what you’re willing to put up with, there’s an option out there for you. Want to take a flyer on someone’s health? Malik Hooker‘s ceiling is somewhere in the clouds. Want to grab someone who was misused in 2020? Tre Boston calls your name. Want to take a high-profile flyer on a superstar of yesteryear? Earl Thomas would only cost $3.5 million a year.

The Vikings need safeties who can do everything. They won’t be interested in the best centerfielder who can’t sink into the box because of how it ruins their pre-snap adjustments. Zimmer wants as many options available down-to-down as possible. This eliminates a lot of possibilities on the market, but it highlights Xavier Woods.

The Dallas Cowboys have a decent chance to extend Woods before he hits the market. But with Dak Prescott drama looming and tons of other unrestricted free agents to take care of, Woods could be lost in the shuffle. He can play high, in the box, and even in the slot if you get caught out of position. That’s a mirror of the role the Vikings have asked Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris to fill, and for less than $7 million per year.

Every year, the Vikings can find value in the second wave. Don’t panic when big money is thrown into the abyss from teams without the wherewithal to search for efficient value. There will be players available to the Vikings, even with their restricted cap situation.

zonecoverage.com/2021/minnesota-vikings-news/exciting-free-agents-the-vikings-can-afford/

Purple Pain
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2021 Offseason Discussion - Free Agency and Roster Moves Feb 28, 2021 9:38:07 GMT -6

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Post by Purple Pain on Feb 28, 2021 9:38:07 GMT -6

Purple Insider: How could the Vikings make the cap work around a big free agent?

I gave it a try using OverTheCap's cap calculator and it's not easy

Last week here at Purple Insider, we took a look at the best of the “big fish and bargain” free agents that the Minnesota Vikings could target when free agency opens.

As you might expect, the most common response to the “big fish” options was that pouring too much cap space into one player would be problematic with multiple holes to fill on the roster.

But is that really the case? We often hear “the cap is a myth” and it’s routinely pointed out that the Vikings have worked around cap issues for years. Last offseason they traded for Yannick Ngakoe and made the pieces fit by asking Riley Reiff to take a pay cut. Could they do something like that again in order to get a game-changer?

In order to get a better handle of what the front office is facing, I started toying with OverTheCap.com’s tool called the “Cap Calculator.” It allows you to play the role of cap expert by restructuring contracts, signing free agents, trading players and designating June 1 cuts — pretty much anything an NFL team can do to work with the salary cap is on the table.

The tool is a little tricky if you’re not very familiar with contract structures but once you’ve done a little studying of other contracts, you get a good feel for how the whole operation works and can start GM’ing away.

Trying to make it all work is like putting together a puzzle only you can change the shape of the pieces if they don’t exactly fit — but there’s only a limited number of pieces that you can use the scalpel on.

Since the No. 1 player on my “big fish” list was Washington right guard Brandon Scherff, I decided to start there (though there was a report from the Washington Post that he could stay in DC).

I fiddled around with his contract using some of the Vikings’ recent extensions and Zack Martin’s deal with the Cowboys as an outline and eventually landed on a five-year contract with $43 million guaranteed and cap numbers of $11.4 million, $15.4 million and $5.5 million in the first three years before getting to the whopping $17 million numbers over the final two years .

I’m not sure Vikings Executive Vice President-Football Operations/cap expert Rob Brzezinski would be proud of the deal but it gives us a general ballpark figure to work with. So signing Scherff to that monster contract would put the Vikings $20 million over OTC’s projected $184 million cap.

Now what?

Fitting Scherff on the roster means cutting starting left tackle Riley Reiff to create $11.75 million and get us down to $9 million over the cap. There really isn’t another viable way of going about it. Extending Reiff at a fair price is an option but it doesn’t lower his cap hit enough to make a big dent in the $20 million over.

To clear enough space to sign the draft class and other bargain free agents, I gave an extension to Harrison Smith, restructured Anthony Barr, cut Kyle Rudolph, Shamar Stephen and Dan Bailey. That brought my total to $175 million, almost $9 million in space.

Here’s what it looked like on OverTheCap.com:

Where would this scenario leave us with filling the rest of the team’s needs?

They would still be missing a safety, defensive line help, a veteran corner, WR3 and a guard (assuming Ezra Cleveland is moving to tackle).

This approach would require some patience in free agency — meaning waiting until right before the start of camp to sign the remaining players that the league has passed over.

In our mock scenario, I decided to sign defensive end Alex Okafor, guard Nick Easton and safety Jaquiski Tartt for $2 million each, bring back linebacker Todd Davis for $1 million and give original-round tenders to RFAs Mike Boone and Chad Beebe.

That leaves us with $1.2 million left. One last move to create some more space: Re-work Danielle Hunter’s deal to give him more guaranteed money and lower his cap hit to $14 million.

That opens up just enough space to keep Ifeadi Odenigbo on his RFA deal and add receiver Breshad Perriman at $2 million. Here’s what we’re looking at:

Alright, maybe your head is spinning at this point. Mine is too. Being a cap guy is hard. So let’s get to the brass tacks of the exercise.

Here’s what we can learn:

— Scherff is about the most expensive free agent the Vikings would ever target and there are still ways that they could make him fit under the cap. But it takes a ton of work, including cutting a solid left tackle.

It also would mean relying quite a bit on signing veterans from the bottom of the free agent barrel and banking on the 2019, 2020 and 2021 draft classes clicking rather than having a safety net. They would have to hope Ezra Cleveland is ready to play tackle, Jeff Gladney and Cam Dantzler take steps forward, Mike Hughes stays healthy or someone else emerges and a young defensive lineman can make an immediate difference.

That’s a lot to ask.

— It says something about the conversations about trading Kirk Cousins. While Cousins has been a very good quarterback overall in Minnesota, you can see how much different the conversation about landing an expensive free agent would be if the Vikings didn’t have his cap hit.

That isn’t to imply they *should* trade Cousins, it’s only to say that’s why it’s a discussion.

— Danielle Hunter’s situation doesn’t swing the cap all that much in 2021 but it does significantly impact how much work the Vikings need to do in order to rebuild the defense. If he signs an extension, Michael Pierce returns and Ifeadi Odenigbo stays on an RFA deal (or extension), they appear to be only one or two players away from a vastly better D-line. If Hunter is trade — a move that would only save the Vikings $5.2 million — it’s going to feel like they’re worlds away from having an impact pass rush.

— Restructuring is cool for this year but it has implications down the road. Converting $4 million of Barr’s base salary to bonus saved space in 2021 but added space in 2022. Similar to June 1 cuts, these work-arounds have repercussions.

— The Vikings have a really interesting formula to deal with on the offensive line. Do they believe Cleveland can play tackle? Would they move Brian O’Neill? Do they think they can find another bargain guard?

— There is an abundance of solid free agents that will land somewhere between bottom-of-the-barrel and big fish. It might be the most likely approach that the Vikings take in free agency rather than playing with fire.

Feel free to play around with the Cap Calculator and drop the results in the comments…

purpleinsider.substack.com/p/how-could-the-vikings-make-the-cap

Purple Pain
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2021 Offseason Discussion - Free Agency and Roster Moves Feb 28, 2021 9:50:09 GMT -6 legendsofthenorth likes this

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Post by Purple Pain on Feb 28, 2021 9:50:09 GMT -6

Purple Insider: Which needs will the Vikings fill through free agency?

As we’ve established here at Purple Insider, the Vikings are in a tricky salary cap situation. That means choosing correctly whether to fill holes through the draft or free agency. Or Door No. 3: Staying put with the talent they currently have.

Based on the urgency of the team’s need, the depth of the draft and the likelihood that a rookie can contribute the particular position, Matthew and Sam will take a stab at how the Vikings should address their various needs….

SAM’S OFFENSIVE NEEDS

BACKUP QUARTERBACK: FREE AGENCY
I promise you we aren’t ignoring that possibility here at Purple Insider that the Vikings could go after a starting quarterback this offseason, and we spent about a half hour on Tuesday’s podcast talking about the theoretical Deshaun Watson trade. But for the purposes of this article, we’re just going to deal with the likeliest pursuit, which for now, would be finding Cousins’ backup.

Sean Mannion is seemingly the perfect backup based on the way he works in practice and helps Cousins prepare during the week, but we’ve hardly got a clue how he’d perform with any extended time at the position. It wouldn’t be a sin to bring in somebody else like Nick Mullens, who has more starting experience and comes from a similar system in San Francisco. Otherwise, Mannion has familiarity and a low price tag.

Options: Sean Mannion (Vikings), Nick Mullens (49ers), Blake Bortles (Jaguars)

DEPTH RUNNING BACK: DRAFT OR (UNDRAFTED) FREE AGENCY
The Vikings are set at their top two running back spots with Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison, so there’s no reason to invest more than the bare minimum here. Ameer Abdullah (UFA) and Mike Boone (RFA) may not return, though, so finding late-round or undrafted talent will be necessary to fill out the roster. The Vikings have been strangely interested in keeping four running backs on the roster even though they don’t use many in the offense, so it’s possible we see a handful of prospects brought in to compete. Rick Spielman found Boone, a solid third-string back, in college free agency and could do so again this year. Hey, the No. 2 rookie running back last year in yardage was undrafted James Robinson.

Options: Chuba Hubbard (Oklahoma State), Kylin Hill (Mississippi State), Jaret Patterson (Buffalo)

DEPTH TIGHT END: DRAFT
There shouldn’t be any heightened urgency to find a ballyhooed tight end just to replace Kyle Rudolph. The Irv Smith Jr.-Tyler Conklin tandem averaged eight catches and 88 yards per game in the final quarter of the season and seem well-equipped to take over the bulk of the duties, while Brandon Dillon is still on the roster as a possible depth piece.

Between 2015-18 the Vikings found a tight end in the fifth or sixth rounds each year. That might be a good place to snag a good blocking tight end in the David Morgan archetype.

Options: Tommy Tremble (Notre Dame), Tony Poljan (Virginia), Kylen Granson (SMU)

THIRD WIDE RECEIVER: DRAFT
As nice as it would be to have a sure-handed veteran like Danny Amendola or an under-the-radar stud like Curtis Samuel, the Vikings are far better off spending that money elsewhere and getting a rookie that can be put under team control. Rookie receivers crash the party all the time in the NFL, and it’s another loaded receiver class in 2021.

Consider that 41 rookies receivers made a catch last year, 16 had over 300 yards, 10 had over 500 yards, and five had over 100 targets.

Sure, the Vikings might’ve whiffed on the K.J. Osborn pick in the fifth round, but other Day 3 picks like Gabriel Davis (fourth round), Darnell Mooney (fifth round), Quintez Cephus (fifth round) and Donovan Peoples-Jones (sixth round) were not whiffs. I still have a hard time believing the Vikings will splash for a Devonta Smith-like receiver in the first round with their current offense — hope I’m wrong.

Options: Amon-Ra St. Brown (USC), Tutu Atwell (Louisville), Tylan Wallace (Oklahoma State)

STARTING INTERIOR LINEMAN: EARLY DRAFT/LATE FREE AGENCY
This has to be a hybrid approach. Dakota Dozier would seem unlikely to return. We don’t know what Ezra Cleveland’s real position is. Dru Samia is probably a bust.

Fixing the guard position may require more than one body. Ideally, the Vikings see which cap casualties or veteran free agents slip through the cracks at guard before signing a couple of them to compete. One of my favorite targets Mike Iupati already retired, but there are other cheap veterans that will be available.

The draft is trickier without a second-round pick. If the Vikings trade back and acquire a second somehow, I’d be more comfortable using one of the first two picks on a guard. Otherwise, the third or fourth round could have a nice run on interior linemen. That’s where teams found some of the most productive rookie guards last year like Jonah Jackson (Lions), Damien Lewis (Seahawks) and Kevin Dotson (Steelers).

FA Options: Matt Feiler (Steelers), Jon Feliciano (Bills), Lane Taylor (Packers)
Draft Options: Kendrick Green (Illinois), Josh Myers (Ohio State), Ben Cleveland (Georgia)

SWING OR STARTING TACKLE: FREE AGENCY
This is a pretty loaded tackle tackle class in free agency, whether you’re looking for a starter or a swing tackle. There’s honestly going to be more supply than demand, which might end up saving the Vikings’ backside if Riley Reiff plays hardball with them and refuses to restructure his contract. They should be able to find a replacement.

There is plenty of high-end talent like Trent Williams, Taylor Moton, Russell Okung and Alejandro Villanueva who will probably get poached quickly. There are mid-level options like Germain Ifedi, Demar Dotson and Cameron Irving. There are one-year wonders like Daryl Williams coming off a breakthrough season, the ageless Jason Peters and the ever-consistent swing tackle Ty Nsekhe. Inevitably, some will hold out longer than they should and wind up taking a bargain salary.

James Hurst, Mike Remmers, Ty Sambrailo, Cedric Ogbuehi, Kelvin Beachum and Ifedi all ranked in the top 55 (out of 93) tackles last year, making $2.5 million or less. That might be middle of the pack, but at that pricetag you’re getting value.

I’d still endorse re-signing Reiff and Hill if you can pay them less than $10 million combined next year. But if you lose them, it feels like a surer bet to replace them with experience than youth, when there’s already so much of it on the Vikings’ offensive line and potentially more on the way at the guard position.

Options: Rashod Hill (Vikings), Kelvin Beachum (Cardinals), Daryl Williams (Bills), Ty Nsekhe (Bills), James Hurst (Saints)

MATTHEW’S DEFENSIVE NEEDS

DEFENSIVE END: DRAFT/LATE FREE AGENCY
If you were to rank the most likely position the Vikings will address with the 14th overall pick, defensive end probably sits at the top of that list. Even if the Vikings get Danielle Hunter back in action, Mike Zimmer’s defense still requires another every-down defensive end to fire on all cylinders. If their salary cap situation was more favorable, the Vikings would be favorites for players like Melvin Ingram, Shaq Barrett, and Carl Lawson but it appears unlikely that they’d be able to outbid anyone for their services.

That means the best way to acquire a top-end talent is going to be through the draft, especially with an abundance of talent projected in the first round. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah projected six edge rushers to be taken in the first round. They could trade down and still get a top player.

The edge-rushing talent appears to extend through the first three rounds, giving the Vikings a potential opportunity to wait until the third or move back into the second to pick a defensive end.

They should also look for a veteran situational rusher so all the pressure of sacking the quarterback doesn’t rest on a rookie.

Options: Kwity Paye (Michigan), Gregory Rousseau (Miami), Jaelan Phillips (Miami), Ryan Kerrigan (Football Team), Stephen Weatherly (Panthers), Alex Okafor (Chiefs)

PASS-RUSHING DEFENSIVE TACKLE: FREE AGENCY*
The * stands for Alabama’s Christian Barmore, the only projected defensive tackle in the first round. Barmore was a monster in both college football playoff games, emerging as the clear-cut interior rusher. If he’s available, the Vikings should strongly consider him.

If they do not pick Barmore, the post-draft part of free agency is likely where they will be looking. The free agent class is light on top-end interior pass rushers. Of PFF’s top 100 free agents, only two would qualify as pass-rushing DTs. That means their goal will be to spot an under-the-radar player. That may require taking a few long shots.

The middle rounds of the draft do feature some project DTs that the Vikings could consider but it’s unlikely they’ll find anyone who will make an instant impact.

Options: Shelby Harris (Denver), Sheldon Rankins (Saints), Kawann Short (Panthers), Roy Robertson-Harris, Larry Ogunjobi (Cleveland), Tyrone Crawford (Cowboys)

DEPTH LINEBACKER: DEVELOP WITHIN, LATE FREE AGENCY
Assuming Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr return, the Vikings will be in need of one more linebacker with Eric Wilson set to hit the free agent market. While the position isn’t at the top of the priority list and they presumably drafted Troy Dye to take Wilson’s place as the No. 3 linebacker, that spot could still use some veteran depth, especially after Dye struggled as a rookie.

One trend we have seen in recent years is that teams without any depth at linebacker will end up seeing multiple tight end sets or personnel groupings with fullbacks to force the third linebacker onto the field.

Options: Todd Davis (Vikings), Reggie Ragland (Lions), Tahir Whitehead (Panthers), Matt Milano (Bills)

CORNERBACK: FREE AGENCY AND MID-ROUND DRAFT
Vikings cornerbacks had a rough go in 2020. Four cornerbacks allowed a QB rating of 120 or higher, two Week 1 starters were lost for the season to injury and rookies Cam Dantzler and Jeff Gladney had plenty of welcome-to-the-NFL moments. Even with the two rookies expected to take the next step and Hughes slated to return, the Vikings should be adding as many quality veterans or prospects at the position to insure against having to play someone like Chris Jones (131.7 rating allowed) for long periods of time again.

The high-end corners like William Jackson will likely be out of the Vikings’ price range but PFF lists 13 corners between the 50th and 100th best free agents. The Vikings need more sure-thing type bets, even if the ceiling is just an average player. Relying on hopes and prayers at the position last year proved costly.

Aside from an affordable veteran corner or two, the Vikings should be eyeing mid-round corners to continue to bolster their pen of projects.

Options: Brian Poole (Jets), Ron Darby (Football Team), Jason Varrett (49ers), Nickell Robey-Coleman (Eagles), Bashaud Breeland (Chiefs), Chidobe Awuzie (Dallas)

SAFETY: FREE AGENCY*
In this case the * is projected top safety Trevon Moehrig, who the Vikings could consider at No. 14 if they do not replace the position alongside Harrison Smith in free agency.

Picking Moehrig aside, there a numerous options in free agency at the safety position and some of them are bound to be affordable. There are 13 UFA safeties who played at least 80% of snaps last season and a handful of others who could catch the Vikings’ eye.

The role next to Smith in recent years has belonged to players with which he had great chemistry. Would that influence the Vikings to aim for a reunion with Anthony Harris? Or would they prefer a low-priced veteran who can quickly learn to share the secondary with Smith? It would be a big ask for a rookie and the Vikings do not have any current project players who are ready to take the spot.

Options: Erik Harris (Raiders), Will Parks (Broncos), Jaquiski Tartt (49ers), Tashaun Gipson (Bears), Karl Joseph (Browns)

purpleinsider.substack.com/p/which-needs-will-the-vikings-fill

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2021 Offseason Discussion - Free Agency and Roster Moves Mar 2, 2021 16:47:59 GMT -6 via mobile

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Post by bdillon0820 on Mar 2, 2021 16:47:59 GMT -6

Kyle Rudolph is gone. Figured it would happen sooner or later. Sad to see him go, but we needed the cap space.

www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/dear-minnesota-vikings-kyle-rudolph-football-nfl

Last Edit: Mar 2, 2021 16:52:32 GMT -6 by bdillon0820

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2021 Offseason Discussion - Free Agency and Roster Moves Mar 2, 2021 16:50:41 GMT -6 via mobile

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Post by Funkytown on Mar 2, 2021 16:50:41 GMT -6

Mar 2, 2021 16:47:59 GMT -6 bdillon0820 said:

Kyle Rudolph is gone. Figured it would happen sooner or later. Sad to see him go, but we needed the cap space.

Very sad. Ugh. Gonna be weird seeing him in another uniform.

Last Edit: Mar 2, 2021 17:04:13 GMT -6 by Funkytown

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2021 Offseason Discussion - Free Agency and Roster Moves Mar 2, 2021 17:04:29 GMT -6 Funkytown likes this

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Post by Uncle on Mar 2, 2021 17:04:29 GMT -6

From a "fanatic" / following your favorite player perspective, anytime a longtime player leaves your team it's a bummer, for sure...and you understand that the organization is doing him a favor by releasing him with enough time prior to the free agent frenzy to land with another team, holding out that less than 1% hope he'd sign back w/ you on a very low-end deal...

From an "value" / "business" perspective, you wished you would have received something else of value in return for the dead cap (ie, a 2021 draft pick) vs. straight-out releasing him...

Funkytown Owner Purple Pain Big Dog Posts: 67,672 Likes: 31,598 Fan Since: 1998	2021 Offseason Discussion - Free Agency and Roster Moves Mar 2, 2021 17:10:36 GMT -6 via mobile Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Funkytown on Mar 2, 2021 17:10:36 GMT -6

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2021 Offseason Discussion - Free Agency and Roster Moves Mar 2, 2021 18:38:46 GMT -6 Uncle likes this

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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2021 18:38:46 GMT -6

Mar 2, 2021 17:04:29 GMT -6 Uncle said:

From an "value" / "business" perspective, you wished you would have received something else of value in return for the dead cap

I agree,even a 6th/7th rounder is better than nothing.

This little snippet from PFR caught my eye:

Despite the Vikings declining to trade Rudolph at last year’s deadline and during the 2019 draft, it is not surprising to see the team move on months later.

"Declining to trade him" suggests that they had an offer and rejected it. If that is true then it's just more evidence that the current regime thinks this roster is way above where it really is.

giveu1guess
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2021 Offseason Discussion - Free Agency and Roster Moves Mar 2, 2021 19:42:41 GMT -6 via Tapatalk vikingbill likes this

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Post by giveu1guess on Mar 2, 2021 19:42:41 GMT -6

Mar 2, 2021 16:50:41 GMT -6 Funkytown said:

Mar 2, 2021 16:47:59 GMT -6 bdillon0820 said:

Kyle Rudolph is gone. Figured it would happen sooner or later. Sad to see him go, but we needed the cap space.

Very sad. Ugh. Gonna be weird seeing him in another uniform.

4.35mil dead money..... no big deal for Ricky. He's got this.... in Ricky I trust...... how about all of you?

legendsofthenorth
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2021 Offseason Discussion - Free Agency and Roster Moves Mar 2, 2021 20:34:47 GMT -6 via mobile beckmt likes this

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Post by legendsofthenorth on Mar 2, 2021 20:34:47 GMT -6

Mar 2, 2021 17:04:29 GMT -6 Uncle said:

From a "fanatic" / following your favorite player perspective, anytime a longtime player leaves your team it's a bummer, for sure...and you understand that the organization is doing him a favor by releasing him with enough time prior to the free agent frenzy to land with another team, holding out that less than 1% hope he'd sign back w/ you on a very low-end deal...

From an "value" / "business" perspective, you wished you would have received something else of value in return for the dead cap (ie, a 2021 draft pick) vs. straight-out releasing him...

Actually they did right in cutting him. Allows him to choose where he gets to play. He's earned that right. And from a business perspective, if you don't think other players notice things like this and the $1M bonus to Reiff you are mistaken.

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2021 Offseason Discussion - Free Agency and Roster Moves Mar 2, 2021 20:37:26 GMT -6 via mobile

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Post by legendsofthenorth on Mar 2, 2021 20:37:26 GMT -6

Mar 2, 2021 19:42:41 GMT -6 giveu1guess said:

Mar 2, 2021 16:50:41 GMT -6 Funkytown said:

Very sad. Ugh. Gonna be weird seeing him in another uniform.

4.35mil dead money..... no big deal for Ricky. He's got this.... in Ricky I trust...... how about all of you?

I tend toward leaning not trusting him, but the man has a lot of respect around the league. They know more then us. Take out his moves in 2018 and I think he is one of the better GMs

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2021 Offseason Discussion - Free Agency and Roster Moves Mar 2, 2021 20:51:52 GMT -6

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Post by Uncle on Mar 2, 2021 20:51:52 GMT -6

Mar 2, 2021 20:34:47 GMT -6 legendsofthenorth said:

Mar 2, 2021 17:04:29 GMT -6 Uncle said:

From a "fanatic" / following your favorite player perspective, anytime a longtime player leaves your team it's a bummer, for sure...and you understand that the organization is doing him a favor by releasing him with enough time prior to the free agent frenzy to land with another team, holding out that less than 1% hope he'd sign back w/ you on a very low-end deal...

From an "value" / "business" perspective, you wished you would have received something else of value in return for the dead cap (ie, a 2021 draft pick) vs. straight-out releasing him...

Actually they did right in cutting him. Allows him to choose where he gets to play. He's earned that right. And from a business perspective, if you don't think other players notice things like this and the $1M bonus to Reiff you are mistaken.

They could have allowed him and his agent to explore trade options so like free agency, he and his agent could have somewhat of a say as to where he goes. Whether he goes via trade or gets released, the $5m cap savings is the same to the Vikings, and they could possibly received a Day 3 draft pick in-exchange. While it was a low-percentage chance that teams trade for him and his $7m base salary in 2021 knowing that he'd probably be released and they could sign him for lower, perhaps a contending team like Buffalo didn't want to take the chance of outbidding someone else on the open market and possibly would have given a 6th or 7th to secure him for $7m.

As far as the "charity" part, the Vikings have arguably been more charitable than many teams, going all the way back to having Jared Allen play that last year on his deal....and quite honestly, it hasn't gotten them any closer to the Super Bowl or being a consistent contender than other teams who are a bit more "ruthless" / "cutthroat"....

legendsofthenorth
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2021 Offseason Discussion - Free Agency and Roster Moves Mar 3, 2021 6:10:04 GMT -6 via mobile

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Post by legendsofthenorth on Mar 3, 2021 6:10:04 GMT -6

Mar 2, 2021 20:51:52 GMT -6 Uncle said:

Mar 2, 2021 20:34:47 GMT -6 legendsofthenorth said:

Actually they did right in cutting him. Allows him to choose where he gets to play. He's earned that right. And from a business perspective, if you don't think other players notice things like this and the $1M bonus to Reiff you are mistaken.

They could have allowed him and his agent to explore trade options so like free agency, he and his agent could have somewhat of a say as to where he goes. Whether he goes via trade or gets released, the $5m cap savings is the same to the Vikings, and they could possibly received a Day 3 draft pick in-exchange. While it was a low-percentage chance that teams trade for him and his $7m base salary in 2021 knowing that he'd probably be released and they could sign him for lower, perhaps a contending team like Buffalo didn't want to take the chance of outbidding someone else on the open market and possibly would have given a 6th or 7th to secure him for $7m.

As far as the "charity" part, the Vikings have arguably been more charitable than many teams, going all the way back to having Jared Allen play that last year on his deal....and quite honestly, it hasn't gotten them any closer to the Super Bowl or being a consistent contender than other teams who are a bit more "ruthless" / "cutthroat"....

I am 100% sure they did try to do that. But you are right, no one is going to take on that contract. Cut him and let him go where he wants.

As for charity vs superbowl. That's kind of apples and oranges.

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2021 Offseason Discussion - Free Agency and Roster Moves Mar 3, 2021 8:35:08 GMT -6 legendsofthenorth likes this

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Post by Uncle on Mar 3, 2021 8:35:08 GMT -6

Mar 3, 2021 6:10:04 GMT -6 legendsofthenorth said:

Mar 2, 2021 20:51:52 GMT -6 Uncle said:

They could have allowed him and his agent to explore trade options so like free agency, he and his agent could have somewhat of a say as to where he goes. Whether he goes via trade or gets released, the $5m cap savings is the same to the Vikings, and they could possibly received a Day 3 draft pick in-exchange. While it was a low-percentage chance that teams trade for him and his $7m base salary in 2021 knowing that he'd probably be released and they could sign him for lower, perhaps a contending team like Buffalo didn't want to take the chance of outbidding someone else on the open market and possibly would have given a 6th or 7th to secure him for $7m.

As far as the "charity" part, the Vikings have arguably been more charitable than many teams, going all the way back to having Jared Allen play that last year on his deal....and quite honestly, it hasn't gotten them any closer to the Super Bowl or being a consistent contender than other teams who are a bit more "ruthless" / "cutthroat"....

As for charity vs superbowl. That's kind of apples and oranges.

That depends on what the goal / expectations are for the team. If the expectation for the team is to play solid football and put on an entertaining product (regardless of W/L outcome), then yeah, overpaying for on-field production is certainly fine...

...but if the goal is to remain competitive to the point of competing to be one of the best team's not only in the division but in the entire Conference year-in and year-out, then you make the necessary decisions to do so, and if that means trading away fan favorites to gain a Day 3 pick and clear cap - regardless of of when the trade/or release happens - you do it.

Looking across the forums out there, I get the sense than over 50% (the majority) of fans that post are looking to get over the hump....we've seen the "old school" football days....we've lived through heartbreakers in the past (Pearson, '98, '09)...we've experienced the thrill to see skill position players have greatness (Moss, AP, etc)....we've even witnessed miracles ('17)....

...we're at the point of "it's our time now"....it's our time to be the 49ers of the 80's...it's our time to be the Cowboys of the 90's...it's our time to be the Patriots of the 2000's...it's our time to get over the hump and join the ranks of the top 2-3 teams of our conference competing for a Super Bowl birth year-in and year-out and not ascend to that level once every 10 years....

mikenessfan Living Legend Posts: 20,403 Likes: 2,562	2021 Offseason Discussion - Free Agency and Roster Moves Mar 3, 2021 14:24:37 GMT -6 via mobile Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by mikenessfan on Mar 3, 2021 14:24:37 GMT -6 Too bad we don’t have money, but gabe Jackson is available now. Wish we could bring him in he isn’t even 30 year and would be a big upgrade to our oline.