General News

Rosenfels Will Be Back

March 12, 2012, by 3 comments

Brett and I were just talking about our surprise in the lack of Vikings news happening today.

At last, however, we have reason to believe that the lights are indeed still working at Winter Park.

According to this report, the Vikings have agreed to a contract with quarterback Sage Rosenfels which will keep him in the fold as a tutor to Christian Ponder and Joe Webb.

This is the third time the Vikings have acquired Rosenfels.  In 2009, he was acquired via trade with the Texans and then subsequently traded to the New York Giants.  The Vikings claimed him off of waivers last season after Donovan McNabb was released.

Terms of this deal are not known at this time.

Page Signs Dodgers Deal

March 10, 2012, by 3 comments

As we wait to receive word on which, if any, Vikings free agents are retained prior to free agency starting on Tuesday, there is one guy we can pretty much scratch from the list with certainty.

We had mentioned a while back that safety Jarrad Page attended an open tryout with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  As it turns out, he wasn’t just doing it to kill time.

Reports have surfaced that Page, a once promising young NFL player, has signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers as an outfielder.

Griffin Is Out, Too

March 10, 2012, by 16 comments

Well, I have said all offseason long that I was 51% sure that Cedric Griffin and Steve Hutchinson would be back with the Vikings.

It appears I was 100% wr-wr-wr-mistaken.

As mentioned in the post below this one, guards Steve Hutchinson and Anthony Herrera have been released by the Vikings and now we know that cornerback Cedric Griffin is a goner, as well.

“It was a tough decision as we move forward and prepare for the upcoming season and the future of our organization,” said Leslie Frazier.  “All three individuals have meant a great deal to the Vikings organization both on and off field over the years. We wish all of them the best and thank them for their service to the Minnesota Vikings.”

The Vikings have cleared roughly $13 million in cap space by making these three moves which is expected to give them over $20 million in cap space going into free agency, which starts this week.

We will continue to monitor this fluid situation, but it appears the Vikings are done making moves for today.

Vikings Release Both Starting Guards

March 10, 2012, by 1 comment

In an effort to shave nearly $10 million from their salary cap commitment, the Vikings will reportedly release starting guards Steve Hutchinson and Anthony Herrera.  The decision, which plays to the notion that they would like a younger roster, was finalized on Saturday according to multiple reports.

Both players have struggled with injuries and seen their production slip in recent seasons, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if Hutchinson is welcomed back under a greatly reduced contract.  He has stated his desire to play one more NFL season.

The Vikings have in-house options to fill the guard position that include Joe Berger, Brandon Fusco, Charlie Johnson, and possibly Chris DeGeare.  Additionally, there is a lot of talent expected to be available via free agency and the draft.

These moves are sure to fuel speculation that the Vikings would like to sign Carl Nicks.

Three Testify That Cook Chokes Girlfriend

March 10, 2012, by 5 comments

The trial regarding charges against Vikings cornerback Chris Cook still appears to be up in the air.

While the victim, Cook’s girlfriend Chantel Baker, has recanted her claim that Cook tried to strangle her during an October 22nd incident the prosecution has brought a number of witnesses to the stand to point out her story change.

A police officer, a doctor, and a paramedic all testified that Baker claimed she had been choked that night.

These testimonies will continue to fuel speculation that Baker is feeling pressure to protect Cook’s NFL career by taking responsibility herself for the physical altercation.

The jury consists of eight men and five women, one of which is an alternate.  For more on how the trial is proceeding, go ahead and click here.

Vikings Are Essentially On The Clock

March 10, 2012, by 4 comments

News broke late on Friday night, via Jay Glazer, that the St. Louis Rams have traded the second overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft to the Washington Redskins.

According to Glazer, the bounty (ha!) is quite plentiful.  The Rams will receive the sixth overall pick in this Draft, two future first round picks, and other multiple draft choices.  It is assumed, and for good reason, that Washington plans to use the second pick on Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.

 It will be tough for some Vikings fans to think about how close this franchise could have been to netting such a profit had they not beat, coincidentally, the Redskins on Christmas Eve with Joe Webb and Toby Gerhart playing the roles of unlikely heroes, but not all is lost.

The deal cannot be finalized until the league year begins on Tuesday, but as I stated previously, the Vikings now find themselves in a pretty good situation.

They can now take the player they find to be the best non-quarterback addition to the roster whether it be Matt Kalil, Morris Claiborne, or Justin Blackmon.  They can also begin to entertain offers for teams, like perhaps the Bengals, that may be looking to move up and snag a player they covet.

The Vikings may not have the same leverage that St. Louis had, but they suddenly have a lot more of it than they did on Friday morning.

I hope Rick Spielman’s cell phone came with unlimited minutes.

Things Are About To Happen

March 8, 2012, by 4 comments

Vikings fans are used to being patient.

This team seems to always wait until the very last moment before making transactions.  Whether it signing draft picks, re-signing their own free agents, or jumping into free agency itself, they always keep us waiting.  Heck, one time they waited so much, they forgot to make a first round selection.

Things are expected to start happening this weekend, however, so I want to make sure you are plenty prepared for the action and know what to expect.  Below are the links to my position-by-position breakdown of how I see this Vikings offseason playing out:

The Passers,

The Runners,

The Wide Outs,

The Tight Ends,

The Offensive Line,

The Defensive Tackles,

The Defensive Ends,

The Linebackers,

The Cornerbacks

The Safeties

The Specialists

In the linebackers preview, I project that the team will try hard to retain linebacker Erin Henderson and it appears that they will do just that over the next week or so according to multiple reports like this one.

In the section about the quarterbacks, I predicted that the Vikings will probably bring back Sage Rosenfels to round out their depth chart.  There is a recent rumor floating about that the Vikings and Rosenfels have mutual interest in making his return happen.

In the cornerbacks preview, I mistakenly (undoubtedly due to a lack of research and excess of scotch) thought Marcus Trufant was an unrestricted free agent.  This was not true… but it will be soon.  PFT reports that the Seahawks will release Trufant and his $7.2 million salary soon.  So, let’s just pretend I saw that coming and knew what I was talking about all along, okay?