How Well The Vikings Are Armed

There will be plenty of discussion starting very soon about how the Vikings can attract, afford, and accumulate more talent throughout their roster.  First, let us take a look at how well armed the Vikings are in their quest to improve upon 2012.

First, Tom Pelissero writes that the Vikings should begin this offseason with about $12.3 million in cap space, a number that is above average for NFL teams.  These projections include deductions for earned incentives for players such as Antoine Winfield, as well as a bump stemming from cap violation penalties placed on the Redskins and Cowboys.

The team will probably want to start spending that cap space by retaining some of their 14 free agents, each of which are discussed here, before considering just who they might target when free agency opens up.

They may also increase their cap space depending on how they decide to proceed with veterans such as defensive tackle Kevin Williams, defensive end Jared Allen, cornerback Antoine Winfield, tight end John Carlson, and wide receiver Percy Harvin.

The Vikings are also armed with eight picks in the 2013 NFL Draft.  They have no picks in the sixth round, but two in both the fourth and seventh rounds.  Each of the other rounds, they have one pick in each.  While the official Draft order has yet to be released, the Vikings appear to be solidified as having the 23rd pick in the first round.  That is, of course, a full 20 spots lower than where they sat when Draft Day rolled around in 2012.

With plenty of cap space and Draft picks, this should be an exciting offseason to pay attention to, as Rick Spielman has plenty of fire power to keep building this team into one that can win a championship.

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