Vikings Offseason Plan: The Good One
Feb 13, 2021 11:27:16 GMT -6
Funkytown, Danchat, and 2 more like this
Post by whoskmoon on Feb 13, 2021 11:27:16 GMT -6
The Vikings are in a really tough spot this off season and improving from a 7 win team to a 13 win SB contender is going to be incredibly difficult. 2021 is not looking good, but I think there is hope that the Vikings could be an above .500 team and build towards the future.
This is my first off season plan, where we explore a world without Cousins, and how removing a large portion of his cap hit, and possibly even acquiring draft picks in a trade, could change the Viking's prospects going forward.
Cuts/Trades/Restructures:
Trades:
In essentially a 4 way trade, Vikings send Kirk Cousins to the SF 49ers for their 1st round pick and Jimmy G. They then ship Jimmy G to the NE Patriots for their 3rd round pick which they send to the Jags for Gardner Minshew.
Acquired - 1st(12th overall), Minshew, and 10 million in cap in 2021 and 35 million in 2022.
Cuts:
Reiley Reiff - He was very good for us last season, but we need the cap.
Cap saved - 12 million in cap
Shamar Stephen - A below average tackle that the Vikings need off the roster so Zimmer isn't tempted to start him again. Adds 0 in the pass rush and I just don't see the value in the run game either.
Cap saved - 4 million
Kyle Rudulph - Smith and Conklin both did better than Rudy once he went out with an injury. He is a one dimensional red zone threat that sucked in the red zone last year.
Cap saved - 5 million
Restructures:
Barr - A lot of people will want to see him cut, but that just adds a hole that we will need to fill via the draft, and I think his contract is structured in a way where he will accept a lower overall salary in return for more guarantees. The Vikings rework his deal to lower his cap number to 10 million per year over the next 3 seasons and add 15 million in guarantees.
Cap saved - 7 million
Vikings FA Signings/Extensions:
Extensions:
Harrison Smith - 3 years/24 million. I think he might take a Malcom Jenkins contract seeing what aging safeties have been getting in FAs recently. It is in his best interest to stay with the Vikings.
Cap saved 2021/2022 - 3/(-8)
O'Neil - 4 years/36 million extension. I am basing this extension off of what Robert Havenstein got in 2018 when he got an extension coming off a solid campaign on his rookie deal. Havenstein got 33 million over 4 and with cap inflation I think that 4/36 is about right.
Cap saved 2021/2022 - (-3)/(-6)
FA Signings:
Rashod Hill - 1 year/1 million. The Vikings having cut Reiff and need veteran depth at tackle.
Cap saved 2021/2022 - (-1)/(0)
Mike Boone - 2 years/2 million I like him more than Mattison as RB2.
Cap saved 2021/2021 - (0)/(-2) (His cap hit in 2021 is negligible)
Tod Davis - 1 million/1 year - Played well for us last year and could be a solid weakside linebacker
Cap saved 2021/2021 - (-1)/(0)
After the dust has settled the Vikings have about 27 million in cap to spend on free agents and 60+ in 2022, and have holes at starting LT, 3 tech, RDE, LG and FS.
Outside FA Signings:
DT Leonard Williams - 4 years/70 million - Williams' 62 pressures he generated on his own would more than double the pressures of all our DT's last season (29). His cap hit would be significant, but adding him turns our Dline from being very average even with Hunter, to elite.
Cap hit 2021/2022 - 10/20
LG Joe Thuney - 4 years/50 million - Thuney is a beast who only allowed 17 pressures this past season, compared to the 46 allowed by Dozier. For more context, in 3 games Samia and Elf allowed 20 combined pressuers.
Cap hit 2021/2022 - 5/12
DE Carl Lawson - 3 years/24 million - This guy didn't have the sack totals last year, but his pressure rate was 9th best in the NFL and he had 20+ more pressures than our leading edge rusher, Odenigbo. He is set for a breakout year and a value pickup for any team that takes a chance on him...assuming he can stay healthy
Cap hit 2021/2022 - 3/8
Safety Karl Joseph - 2 years/10 million - He had a down year playing next to the worst safety in football last year and has never really stood out, but for all of the criticisms Zimmer has gotten over the years, getting the most out of his safeties shouldn't be one of them. Joseph has the talent to be great and good coaching can hopefully help that talent show here in MN.
Cap hit 2021/2022 - 3/7
CB Quinton Dunbar - 1 year/2 million - He has the size Zimmer likes in a CB and has had some success in the past. Maybe Zimmer can get something out of him and make him a viable option if Gladney continues to suck.
Cap hit 2021/2022 - 2/0
After all of those free agent signings the Vikings still have abiyt 4 million left to spend on depth free agents and still have about 20 million in cap next season. They also have every starting position filled save LT.
Going into the draft the roster on offense looks like this:
QB: Minshew/no QB2
LT: Hill
LG: Thuney
C: Bradbury
RG: Cleveland
RT: O'Neil
RB1: Cook
RB2: Boone/Mattison
WR1: Jefferson
WR2: Thielen
WR3: Johnson
TE1: Smith
TE2: Conklin
FB: Ham
Better on the line overall, although LT is still a concern, not as good at QB, but we have found that Cousins isn't a real impact QB anyway.
On defense though, holy cow:
LDE: Hunter
NT: Pierce
3Tech: Williams
RDE: Lawson
WL:Davis
SL:Barr
ML:Kendricks
SS:Smith
FS: Joseph
CB1:Dantzler
CB2:Dunbar
CB3:Gladney
CB4:Hughes
The secondary is still a concern but your Dline is arguably one of the best in the NFL. This is a top 10, possibly top 5 defense again.
This is also prior to the draft where the Vikings now have 2 1st round picks in the top half the round. I haven't looked into the QB prospects enough to know if one is good enough to trade up for and until then this is who I got.
1st round pick 1: Mac Jones. He seems like he has the tools to be a good QB in the NFL with the right pieces around him, and with him being on a rookie salary for the next 4 seasons the Vikings can put those tools around him. Not totally sold on him yet, but that could change.
1st round pick 2: OT Christian Darrisaw - A LT that fits our zone blocking scheme and who has gotten better with every season in college. He could be our starting LT right out of the gate and would compete with Hill for the starting spot at either LT or RT depending on if the Vikings moved O'Neil to LT or not.
3rd round pick 1: Frank Darby WR - The Vikings have a huge need at WR3 and Darby could be the guy that fills that need. A big play WR who plays big despite his very average measurables.
3rd round pick 2: Kelvin Joseph CB - It is absurd to think that the Vikings would not draft a defensive player with one of their first 4 picks, and even more absurd to think that they wouldn't draft a CB with one of them. Joseph has the size Zimmer likes and could develop into a good outside corner.
That is as far as I am going to go with my mock, because #1, I am not a draft expert and #2, it is still too early for me to really like anyone in round 1, let alone round 4.
After the draft the Vikings look like this:
QB1: Minshew
QB2: Jones
LT: O'Neil
LG: Thuney
C: Bradbury
RG: Cleveland
RT: Hill/Darrisaw
RB1: Cook
RB2: Boone/Mattison
WR1: Jefferson
WR2: Thielen
WR3: Darby
WR4: Johnson
TE1: Smith
TE2: Conklin
FB: Ham
LDE: Hunter
NT: Pierce
3Tech: Williams
RDE: Lawson
WL:Davis
SL:Barr
ML:Kendricks
SS:Smith
FS: Joseph
CB1:Dantzler
CB2:Dunbar/Hughes/Gladney
CB3:Gladney/Joseph
CB4:Hughes
What do you think? Now the line actually looks like a strength and our defense should be really good with options at least at CB. I considered moving Cleveland to that LT spot, but I don't think the Vikings actually ever had any plans to play him there, so I left him at guard. I think there is also the possibility that we keep Reiff, extend him to save cap this season and use both those 1sts to move up to get the QB we really want (if I stop likin Jones).
This is my first off season plan, where we explore a world without Cousins, and how removing a large portion of his cap hit, and possibly even acquiring draft picks in a trade, could change the Viking's prospects going forward.
Cuts/Trades/Restructures:
Trades:
In essentially a 4 way trade, Vikings send Kirk Cousins to the SF 49ers for their 1st round pick and Jimmy G. They then ship Jimmy G to the NE Patriots for their 3rd round pick which they send to the Jags for Gardner Minshew.
Acquired - 1st(12th overall), Minshew, and 10 million in cap in 2021 and 35 million in 2022.
Cuts:
Reiley Reiff - He was very good for us last season, but we need the cap.
Cap saved - 12 million in cap
Shamar Stephen - A below average tackle that the Vikings need off the roster so Zimmer isn't tempted to start him again. Adds 0 in the pass rush and I just don't see the value in the run game either.
Cap saved - 4 million
Kyle Rudulph - Smith and Conklin both did better than Rudy once he went out with an injury. He is a one dimensional red zone threat that sucked in the red zone last year.
Cap saved - 5 million
Restructures:
Barr - A lot of people will want to see him cut, but that just adds a hole that we will need to fill via the draft, and I think his contract is structured in a way where he will accept a lower overall salary in return for more guarantees. The Vikings rework his deal to lower his cap number to 10 million per year over the next 3 seasons and add 15 million in guarantees.
Cap saved - 7 million
Vikings FA Signings/Extensions:
Extensions:
Harrison Smith - 3 years/24 million. I think he might take a Malcom Jenkins contract seeing what aging safeties have been getting in FAs recently. It is in his best interest to stay with the Vikings.
Cap saved 2021/2022 - 3/(-8)
O'Neil - 4 years/36 million extension. I am basing this extension off of what Robert Havenstein got in 2018 when he got an extension coming off a solid campaign on his rookie deal. Havenstein got 33 million over 4 and with cap inflation I think that 4/36 is about right.
Cap saved 2021/2022 - (-3)/(-6)
FA Signings:
Rashod Hill - 1 year/1 million. The Vikings having cut Reiff and need veteran depth at tackle.
Cap saved 2021/2022 - (-1)/(0)
Mike Boone - 2 years/2 million I like him more than Mattison as RB2.
Cap saved 2021/2021 - (0)/(-2) (His cap hit in 2021 is negligible)
Tod Davis - 1 million/1 year - Played well for us last year and could be a solid weakside linebacker
Cap saved 2021/2021 - (-1)/(0)
After the dust has settled the Vikings have about 27 million in cap to spend on free agents and 60+ in 2022, and have holes at starting LT, 3 tech, RDE, LG and FS.
Outside FA Signings:
DT Leonard Williams - 4 years/70 million - Williams' 62 pressures he generated on his own would more than double the pressures of all our DT's last season (29). His cap hit would be significant, but adding him turns our Dline from being very average even with Hunter, to elite.
Cap hit 2021/2022 - 10/20
LG Joe Thuney - 4 years/50 million - Thuney is a beast who only allowed 17 pressures this past season, compared to the 46 allowed by Dozier. For more context, in 3 games Samia and Elf allowed 20 combined pressuers.
Cap hit 2021/2022 - 5/12
DE Carl Lawson - 3 years/24 million - This guy didn't have the sack totals last year, but his pressure rate was 9th best in the NFL and he had 20+ more pressures than our leading edge rusher, Odenigbo. He is set for a breakout year and a value pickup for any team that takes a chance on him...assuming he can stay healthy
Cap hit 2021/2022 - 3/8
Safety Karl Joseph - 2 years/10 million - He had a down year playing next to the worst safety in football last year and has never really stood out, but for all of the criticisms Zimmer has gotten over the years, getting the most out of his safeties shouldn't be one of them. Joseph has the talent to be great and good coaching can hopefully help that talent show here in MN.
Cap hit 2021/2022 - 3/7
CB Quinton Dunbar - 1 year/2 million - He has the size Zimmer likes in a CB and has had some success in the past. Maybe Zimmer can get something out of him and make him a viable option if Gladney continues to suck.
Cap hit 2021/2022 - 2/0
After all of those free agent signings the Vikings still have abiyt 4 million left to spend on depth free agents and still have about 20 million in cap next season. They also have every starting position filled save LT.
Going into the draft the roster on offense looks like this:
QB: Minshew/no QB2
LT: Hill
LG: Thuney
C: Bradbury
RG: Cleveland
RT: O'Neil
RB1: Cook
RB2: Boone/Mattison
WR1: Jefferson
WR2: Thielen
WR3: Johnson
TE1: Smith
TE2: Conklin
FB: Ham
Better on the line overall, although LT is still a concern, not as good at QB, but we have found that Cousins isn't a real impact QB anyway.
On defense though, holy cow:
LDE: Hunter
NT: Pierce
3Tech: Williams
RDE: Lawson
WL:Davis
SL:Barr
ML:Kendricks
SS:Smith
FS: Joseph
CB1:Dantzler
CB2:Dunbar
CB3:Gladney
CB4:Hughes
The secondary is still a concern but your Dline is arguably one of the best in the NFL. This is a top 10, possibly top 5 defense again.
This is also prior to the draft where the Vikings now have 2 1st round picks in the top half the round. I haven't looked into the QB prospects enough to know if one is good enough to trade up for and until then this is who I got.
1st round pick 1: Mac Jones. He seems like he has the tools to be a good QB in the NFL with the right pieces around him, and with him being on a rookie salary for the next 4 seasons the Vikings can put those tools around him. Not totally sold on him yet, but that could change.
1st round pick 2: OT Christian Darrisaw - A LT that fits our zone blocking scheme and who has gotten better with every season in college. He could be our starting LT right out of the gate and would compete with Hill for the starting spot at either LT or RT depending on if the Vikings moved O'Neil to LT or not.
3rd round pick 1: Frank Darby WR - The Vikings have a huge need at WR3 and Darby could be the guy that fills that need. A big play WR who plays big despite his very average measurables.
3rd round pick 2: Kelvin Joseph CB - It is absurd to think that the Vikings would not draft a defensive player with one of their first 4 picks, and even more absurd to think that they wouldn't draft a CB with one of them. Joseph has the size Zimmer likes and could develop into a good outside corner.
That is as far as I am going to go with my mock, because #1, I am not a draft expert and #2, it is still too early for me to really like anyone in round 1, let alone round 4.
After the draft the Vikings look like this:
QB1: Minshew
QB2: Jones
LT: O'Neil
LG: Thuney
C: Bradbury
RG: Cleveland
RT: Hill/Darrisaw
RB1: Cook
RB2: Boone/Mattison
WR1: Jefferson
WR2: Thielen
WR3: Darby
WR4: Johnson
TE1: Smith
TE2: Conklin
FB: Ham
LDE: Hunter
NT: Pierce
3Tech: Williams
RDE: Lawson
WL:Davis
SL:Barr
ML:Kendricks
SS:Smith
FS: Joseph
CB1:Dantzler
CB2:Dunbar/Hughes/Gladney
CB3:Gladney/Joseph
CB4:Hughes
What do you think? Now the line actually looks like a strength and our defense should be really good with options at least at CB. I considered moving Cleveland to that LT spot, but I don't think the Vikings actually ever had any plans to play him there, so I left him at guard. I think there is also the possibility that we keep Reiff, extend him to save cap this season and use both those 1sts to move up to get the QB we really want (if I stop likin Jones).
... and neither is this Chris guy.