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wtfvikesfan (449)There were a few clues following the Greg Jennings signing, including the lack of a jersey presentation, that suggested the Vikings would be getting new uniforms in 2013.
The Vikings have now made it clear that new jerseys are on their way.
The team plans to reveal the new uniforms at their April 25th Draft Party and are also promoting their “Vikings Uniform Insider” campaign to help generate interest. You can learn more about the whole deal by visiting this link to the official site.
Jared Allen has said that the surgery to repair his torn labrum, which we already knew about, was the first surgery he’s had during his entire professional career. In fact, he said it was the first surgery he’s had since getting his tonsils out at the age of five.
According to Tom Pelissero, however, Allen got two surgeries done on the same day.
In addition to the torn labrum, Allen had a “minor” knee issue taken care of on the same day, and is expected to be ready for June’s minicamp.
Allen will be 31 years old in a couple of days and is entering the final year of his contract. He is set to make a base salary of $14.28 million, with a cap hit of $17.06 million, and these facts have led some to wonder if Allen could be a candidate for a contract extension or even as a trade possibility.
The free agent market this offseason has been flooded with big name veteran pass rushers, and the Draft is very talented and deep in this area, so it seems highly unlikely the Vikings would find any offers of interest on the trade market.
Allen’s age and injuries, as well as the overabundant market, may cause the Vikings to balk at the idea of giving Allen any sort of lucrative extension. An extension would surely mean they have to invest more guaranteed money into Allen, or else he would have little motivation to sign it, and the Vikings may just not feel comfortable with the idea of making such a commitment.
The idea of convincing Allen to take any sort of pay cut is laughable, considering the only reason he is a Viking in the first place was the stubborn stance he took with the Chiefs after they applied the franchise tag to him so many years ago, and he would surely have all the leverage in this situation, as well.
With Everson Griffen and Brian Robison still on the team, the Vikings could theoretically decide to release Allen and begin the process of developing younger talent, but I just don’t see that happening despite the salary cap benefits that would result in the move. Allen is a beloved figure in Minnesota and his dip in productivity last season has, by many, been attributed to his shoulder issue.
Don’t be surprised if Allen plays out his current contract, under his current salary, and then decides to test the market in 2014 when maybe defensive end options won’t be as plentiful for needy teams.
The linebacker is largely considered to be the most glaring need for the Minnesota Vikings as April’s Draft edges closer, but their decision to bring back veteran Marvin Mitchell on Tuesday helps provide them with an insurance plan in case the instant-starter they surely covet in the first two rounds next month doesn’t pan out.
Mitchell signed a one year deal with the Vikings after spending 2012 with the team as a special teams contributor and a two-week starter in place of the injured Erin Henderson. In those two weeks Mitchell made four tackles, and added five tackles plus a forced fumble on special teams over the course of the year.
Chad Greenway and Erin Henderson are expected to return as starters at their respective outside linebacker spots, but the drama lies in the middle after previous starter Jasper Brinkley was allowed to leave via free agency this offseason. Mitchell joins a depth chart that includes Audie Cole, Tyrone McKenzie, and Larry Dean.
According to Dan Wiederer of Access Vikings, the team “has not closed the door” on the possibility of Cole competing for the remaining starting spot. Cole, a seventh round selection last year out of North Carolina State, made his biggest splash last season when he returned interceptions for touchdowns on back-to-back plays against the Buffalo Bills. He was inactive for 11 games in 2012 and registered no stats, but you have to remember that receiver Jarius Wright was also kept inactive as a rookie until Percy Harvin’s injury forced the Vikings to play him, and he now figures to be a key part of the offense.
The Vikings have reportedly flirted with the idea of bring in Brian Urlacher, which I thought made no sense, but have otherwise not let word leak about any interest in other possible linebackers. Larry Grant and Karlos Dansby are a few free agents still available that might make sense, but it otherwise looks like the Vikings will be looking to the Draft for that guy capable of leading their defense.
I currently have the Vikings drafting Manti Te’o in the first round of my Mock Draft.
As we prepare for the 2013 NFL Draft in these parts I came to the realization that the very first Draft I covered as a blogger, the 2009 Draft class, have all completed their rookie contracts, and I can now be held accountable for the grades I assigned the Vikings back in my first days of blogging at VikingsGab.com.
Every year we dismiss draft grades as useless opinions that couldn’t possibly be accurate prior to these guys even stepping on an NFL field. With the career paths of the 2009 class now taking shape, however, I thought it’d be fun to go back and see just how useless my grades were exactly. The entire post of my 2009 draft grades an analysis can be read right here.
WR Percy Harvin (First Round, Pick 22)
What I said then:
GRADE: “C” There is no denying that Harvin could become a premier player with his game changing abilities, but he also runs the risk of doing more damage than good if his character flaws come out again. For now a “C” until he earns the respect of Minnesota fans. The fact that he was chosen over offensive tackle Michael Oher is another reason why I didn’t give the Vikings a higher grade here.
What I say now:
The Vikings ended up getting an elite talent out of Harvin, but health and character issues did indeed taint his time in Minnesota, which ended up seeing him shipped to Seattle for three picks including the 25th overall selection this year. Harvin was that year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year and made multiple Pro Bowls as a return man. I was wrong about Michael Oher being the superior player here, but only one of those two guys is still with the team that drafted him.
Well, the first wave of free agency has come and gone, and there were some fireworks involving our favorite team. Percy Harvin was traded, Antoine Winfield was released, Greg Jennings and Matt Cassel were signed, and a lot of Vikings were retained. Now it is time to put a nice exclamation point on this first wave as we wade closer into the second, and else edge towards the Draft.
Back in my pre-children Madden playing days, I used to think it was unfair that my truck stick allowed me to run for 2,000 yards a season with Adrian Peterson, but if I still gamed that guilt would’ve gone away after the season he had last year.
Adrian Peterson is famous for giving defenders “the business” during a run, lowering his head and trucking whomever is in his way, as he was raised to believe that if he were hitting them harder than they were hitting him, then he would not only be a better running back but he would remain a healthier one.
The NFL approved a new rule today that will create a spot penalty (that is, penalized from the spot of the infraction, not the line of scrimmage) of 15 yards if a call carrier uses the “crown” of their helmet when engaging a defender.
The Vikings, for obvious reasons surrounding their $100 million running back, opposed the rule vocally at first. However, citing an overwhelming amount of evidence at the owners meetings, they ended up being one of the 31 teams to vote in favor of the rule change. Leslie Frazier said the vote was cast with player safety in mind.
Many other news outlets will dissect the new rule, and I am content leaving that to them, and how it might impact the game.
All I wanted to say is this: Thanks for giving Adrian Peterson yet another obstacle to truck.
That is all.
Many of the national outlets reported last week that the Vikings signed backup quarterback Matt Cassel to a one year deal, which caused some confusion in these parts because we were saying it was a two year deal with an option.
With details of the contract now available, allow us to clarify the matter.
The deal is, in fact, for two years and carries a maximum value of $7.4 million. In 2013 Cassel can earn a base salary of $1.65 million, already got a $2 million roster bonus, can make up to $500,000 in “not likely to be earned” incentives, and also has a $50,000 workout bonus. That is a grand total of $3.7 million for this coming season.
Next year, the same incentives and workout bonus exist, and his base salary increases to $3.15 million. The hitch is that there is a $500,000 roster bonus owed on the seventh day of the 2014 league year, at which time both the player and the team will have a decision to make.
Both sides have an option available to them that negates the second year of the contract. So, basically, if Cassel feels he outperformed his 2014 compensation he can bail. If the Vikings feel like he under-performed and don’t want to pay him then they can bail. If Cassel performs just about right for that pay scale, then perhaps the second year of the deal will actually happen, but it seems somewhat unlikely which probably explains why so many were reporting it as a one year deal.
Cassel’s cap number is $3.7 million during both years of the deal. The Vikings were thought to have over $5 million in cap space Tuesday morning, but they signed guard Seth Olsen on Tuesday, so the cap is still fluid.
Olsen played for the Vikings practice squad in 2010, and stuck to the roster for a little while in 2011, but ended up playing for the Colts these last two years. Olsen made five starts in Indianapolis and figures to be a possible replacement for Geoff Schwartz, as he can play guard and tackle if need be.
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