Rumors

Greg Jennings Is In Minnesota

March 14, 2013, by 10 comments

One of the most obvious targets that Vikings speculation swirled about as free agency neared was Packer wide out Greg Jennings.

Well, now we are going to find out whether or not the team and the player think they are a match as Jennings is officially visiting the Vikings in Minnesota.  1500 ESPN reports that Jennings, 29 years old, will have dinner with officials on Thursday night and then visit the team facilities on Friday, but that no deal is imminent.

As we have seen, however, things can move very fast during free agency.

The star Packer has had a couple of down years, mostly due to injury, but he would instantly become the most legitimate weapon in the Vikings passing game after Percy Harvin was dealt to the Seattle Seahawks.

Vikings Give Cassel A Two Year Deal

March 14, 2013, by 10 comments

The Minnesota Vikings were patient, waiting for quarterback Matt Cassel to be released instead of trying to trade for him, and that patience has paid off.

Cassel was signed to a two year worth about $4 million per year, according to Viking Update, with a potential to earn more through incentives. Cassel also reportedly has the right to void the contract after the 2013 season.

Cassel represents the first NFL player the Vikings have signed who wasn’t one of their own since free agency began on Tuesday.  Some national experts are reporting that Cassel will compete with Christian Ponder for the starting quarterback spot, but local media is brushing that off since the Vikings are so invested into Ponder, and I tend to think Ponder will be the guy without a doubt.

With that being said, Cassel presents the Vikings with some flexibility at the position.  Joe Webb and McLeod Bethel-Thompson will currently be in line to compete for the number three spot, but one will surely be sent packing as a result of this move, and some speculation that makes sense centers around trying to trade Joe Webb to an option offense team.  The situation will get even more interesting if the Vikings take a page out the Seattle Seahawks playbook in 2012 and decide to use one of their 11 draft picks on a quarterback, as well.

The signing of Cassel come on a day when reciever Greg Jennings is reportedly meeting with the team in Minnesota, and linebacker Brian Urlacher is reportedly of interest, which shows an interesting shift in priorities for the Vikings front office.  It was widely assumed that Rick Spielman and his staff would continue to pursue younger players with upside, as they did last season in an effort to rebuild the roster, but so far most of the serious interest seems to be in veterans.

Cassel is 30 years old.

Rumor: Vikings Could Try To Nab Matt Cassel

March 13, 2013, by 33 comments

The Vikings might not think they need to upgrade their starting quarterback position, but if the one playoff game they were able to play last season proved anything, it is that they desperately need a better backup option.

The Vikings have been linked, in passing, to Chiefs soon-to-be-displaced quarterback Matt Cassel ever since news broke that the Chiefs were swinging a trade for Alex Smith.  Cassel was believed to be a candidate for release as recently as Wednesday, but now the Chiefs appear to have held off on that with hopes of finding a trade partner.

One of those trade partners might be the Vikings.  The rumors continued to filter through the likes of Twitter and other unreliable sources of information, but it also started to get some attention from more main stream media outlets, and it appears as though this might have some legs behind it.

“Continue to hear Vikings really like Cassel,” NFL Network‘s Jason La Canfora tweeted late on Wednesday.

This is about the most quarterback-less offseason I can remember, as the Draft and free agent class are both greatly lacking any star power, but there are still some options that exist that would not require any picks to obtain.  Recently released Ryan Fitzpatrick and free agent Tyler Thigpen are both available, as is veteran signal caller Jason Campbell.

Cassel is currently set to make $7.5 million in 2013, the same salary the Vikings were in line to pay Antoine Winfield, but I would assume a new contract would be a top priority if they did decide to trade to obtain Cassel as a backup to Christian Ponder.  His 2014 salary is scheduled to increase to $9 million, according to Rotoworld.  

We are now two days deep into free agency and the Vikings have yet to sign any players that didn’t play for them last year, but at least the rumor mill is starting to heat up.

Yes, Vikings Have Contacted Urlacher

March 13, 2013, by 2 comments

“Look forward to the Draft.”

“Look forward to the Draft.”

“Look forward to the Draft.”

I have to keep repeating these words to myself through these opening days of free agency because, to be honest, I am not really enjoying myself so far.  The latest bit of information, which I buried in my previous post but will highlight seperately here, is sure to cause some excitement from Vikings fans because of the name value.

I am not one of those fans that is excited.

The Vikings have reportedly been in contact with Chicago Bears longtime middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, according to a report from the Chicago Tribune who cites a Vikings source.  Urlacher is reportedly seeking a salary in the range of $5,5 million.

Given the price tag and his age of 34 it really seems odd that the Vikings would be interested, especially in light of their recent release of Antoine Winfield, but despite their obvious need for a new starting middle linebacker.  Urlacher, who will actually be 35 in May, has proven to be one of the greatest linebackers to ever play the game, but his best days certainly appear to have come and gone.

Maybe the Vikings are just trying to drive up the price for Urlacher, as the Bears are still trying to retain their local hero, as payback for the Bears doing the same to them with right tackle Phil Loadholt.

Vikings Could Be In The Mix For Greg Jennings

March 12, 2013, by 15 comments

Greg Jennings was of interest to the Miami Dolphins, but they took care of business with Mike Wallace today, and that leaves Jennings with limited suitors.

According to PFT, Jennings will be making a decision between returning to Green Bay or defecting to Minnesota, unless another party of interest makes themselves known.

There are rumors floating about that the Vikings have floated an offer to the Jennings camp, but I can’t say that as fact right now, but the PFT article indicates we may have an answer sooner rather than later.  Supposedly, Jennings plans to make a decision by midnight tonight, and if no offers top what the Packers have put forth then he will simply return to Green Bay.

All Options On The Table… Except Wallace

March 12, 2013, by 3 comments

I’ll be honest, I was never sold on Mike Wallace on a number one wide out worth paying over $50 million.  I especially didn’t think it made sense for the Minnesota Vikings who will reportedly play two of their next three seasons outdoors.

I know that Wallace did well playing outdoors in Pittsburgh, but Pennsylvania’s winters are a far cry from what one will see in Minnesota, and the Vikings need to invest in their vertical game, but I don’t think investing that much into one player would have been wise.

News broke almost immediately, however, that Wallace signed with Miami which was the expectation all along.

As a result, the Vikings are being rumored to be chasing every wide out in the world, other than Percy Harvin, of course.  From Larry Fitzgerald to Victor Cruz to Sidney Rice to Danny Amendola to… well, the list goes on and on.

We’ll keep you updated when things grow legs longer than just a Twitter rumor.  I’m here with you all night.

Kevin Williams: “We’re Going Backwards At This Point In My Career?”

March 11, 2013, by 3 comments

Kevin Williams is notoriously quiet when it comes to talking with the press or getting overly animated about the football business.

On Monday, however, he couldn’t contain his confusion as to why the Vikings would trade one of their best young playmakers.

You’re like, ‘What’s going on? We’re going backwards at this point in (my) career,’ ” Williams said to the Pioneer Press. “Last year, we counted on a lot of young guys and played well, but to get rid of one of your top offensive players, I don’t even know who we have at receiver. Jarius Wright is the only guy we’ve got. Hopefully we have a plan in place and it works out for us.”

Williams went on to talk about Harvin as a competitive teammate but gave no indication, as seems to be a trend with Vikings players, that he ever crossed any sort of line in the form of a tantrum.

“Nobody had any problems with Percy,” Williams continued.  ”He went about his business, did his work. Sometimes, his passion for what he did on the football field got taken out of context. He was real passionate about what he did. That’s good for ballplayers.”

Williams also said that he has not been approached about a change to his contract status, he is under contract for $7.5 million annually for 2013 and 2014, and could potentially see his long term replacement drafted with the first round pick gained from Seattle in the Harvin trade.  Once that replacement is in hand the Vikings may then want to talk about restructuring his contract, or else that rookie might end up replacing him sooner rather than later.