What Does Fred Evans Signing Mean?

March 17, 2012, by 7 comments

Brett clued you all in on Friday that nose tackle Fred Evans re-upped with the Vikings on a two year contract.  Given that Evans plays the nose position, and the team also has Letroy Guion and Remi Ayodele in the fold, it seems like the Vikings suddenly have an abundance of nose tackles that have underperformed as of late.

The dollar amounts of the Evans deal are not yet know, but I have seen quite a few waves of speculation around the net, so I thought I would take a look at each one of them:

Kevin Williams is on the trading block:  I highly doubt there is much to this.  At least, if the Vikings planned on trading Williams, I don’t think the presence of Fred Evans would have an impact on that decision one way or the other.

Remi Ayodele is on his way out:  This could be possible.  Ayodele is paid much higher than his production warrants.  His assumed involvement in the Saints bounty scandal has made him the second most disliked Viking on the roster… after Chris Cook.

It Means Nothing:  It wouldn’t be a total shock if Evans took a very minimal deal to return to the Vikings and his presence means nothing more than that he will really have to battle during training camp to make this roster.

You Asked And I Try To Answer

March 17, 2012, by 5 comments

Friday evening I solicited questions from the audience and I will try to hit as many as I can in this segment.

A few of them were too silly to answer in this post, but I’ll try and match the silliness and reply to them in the comments section.

Here we go.

NORSEMAN66:  Is there going to be a live chat during the draft (each day)?

ADAM:  Yes!  Brett and I plan to host live chats here at VT for every selection of the 2012 NFL Draft and we are way excited!  Barring any last minute major changes, you can consider this a done deal.  One thing I might be interested in, though, is recruiting one or two of you to be a moderator during the chats to help out with the work load.  If you have interest, click the “Contact Us” tab at the very top of the page and let me know your availability that week.

BJOHNNY:  What are your thoughts on Speilman? Is he in over his head, clueless or a crafty genius?

ADAM:  Where is the “other” option, Johnny?  I think Spielman’s approach to free agency makes this year’s Draft even more important to him.  Building through the draft is regarded by almost everyone as the best way to put together a winning football team, but you still have to draft well to see those results.  Let’s wait and see how the Draft and the next few waves of free agency go (and maybe even a football game or two) before judging the approach too harshly.

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Vikings Hold On To Fred Evans

March 16, 2012, by 3 comments

According to ProFootballTalk.com, the Vikings have agreed to terms with NT Fred Evans. Since [big] Pat Williams’ departure from the position, the Vikings have searched from within in an attempt to patch the whole left in the “Williams’ Wall” and it looks like they will continue with that methodology.

Evans, who has ties to Rick Spielman from when he was with the Dolphins in 2006, is 28 years old and has been with the Vikings for five years. Evans has never been particularly impressive but I imagine they are just trying to keep a rotation at the position. Exact details of the deal are not yet available.

Not particularly impressed by this, but what do you all think?

Open Mic Night

March 16, 2012, by 21 comments

Well, with the first week of free agency coming to a close, I want to give you all an opportunity that I haven’t given since jumping to Vikings Territory.

Bring on the questions!

Ask me about free agency.  The Draft.  Why I haven’t joined Twitter.  What my hairstyle is these days.  Whatever.

Leave your questions in the comments section below, and I’ll try to get to them all sometime this weekend.

Thanks for a great week… we continue to shatter our own traffic records, and we appreciate each and every one of you!

QF

The Vikings Signed A… Point Guard?

March 16, 2012, by 16 comments

In a move that will surely raise the hackles of the hackles of the hackles that have already been raised on Vikings fans this offseason, the Vikings have made a move that some will deem a waste of time.

The team has reportedly signed former point guard at Florida International University Nick Taylor.

The former basketball player work out at FIU’s pro day and apparently caught the Vikings attention by posting a forty yard dash in the neighborhood of 4.34 and 4.27.  He attended the pro day after spending time with a low-level arena league last year.

The Vikings then brought Taylor in for a closer look on Friday and decided to sign him to a three year contract.  Taylor said the team will give him a look as a return man, a receiver and a cornerback.  He played defensive back for his arena team.

Taylor has a major uphill battle ahead of him if he plans on sticking to the roster beyond training camp.

Vikings Are Becoming Former Vikings

March 16, 2012, by 1 comment

It is increasingly obvious that Rick Spielman didn’t think too highly of most of the Vikings players seeing their contracts expire this month.  Sage Rosenfels and Letroy Guion are the only ones to receive contracts so far, while the front office continues to monitor the status of Erin Henderson, E.J. Henderson, and presumably safety Husain Abdullah.

That doesn’t mean that now-former Vikings players aren’t getting interest in phase two of free agency.  Here are some quick updates:

STEVE HUTCHINSON

Goes to the Titans on a three year deal worth $16 million.

The length of the contract surprised me more than the dollar amount or even the destination.  Hutch had reportedly told Vikings teammates that he was really only interested in playing one more year of football.

The Titans get a heck of a player, and a heck of a good guy, and a heck of a veteran presence here.  They had made clear, following Chris Johnson’s struggles in 2011, that the offensive line was a major priority for them.  Hutchinson may not be a long term solution, but he should be an upgrade over what they had.

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John Carlson’s Numbers Are In

March 16, 2012, by 1 comment

A number of Vikings fans were a little peeved at the reported $25 million five year contract tight end John Carlson received from the Vikings on day two of free agency.

The reported numbers, however, do not tell the whole story and Tom Pelissero of 1500 ESPN shed some light on the situation Friday morning.

According to Pelissero’s source, only $9.1 million of the deal is fully guaranteed.  That is made up of a $5 million signing bonus, his 2012 base salary of $2.9 million, and $1.2 million of his 2013 base salary.

So, essentially, the deal is structured as follows:

2012:  $2.9 million

2013:  $2.9 million

2014:  $3.9 million

2015:  $4.9 million

2016:  $4.9 million

The deal also includes $100,000 workout bonuses on an annual basis.

The structure of the deal makes it so the Vikings can pay Carlson $11 million over the first two years, and then if they should choose to cut him after that they would take a $3 million cap hit in 2014.  Pelissero describes this as the “sort of pay-as-you-go deal the Vikings have used for years to keep their cap healthy.”

Furthermore, his salary doesn’t jump up until 2014, at which point the NFL’s new television deal is expected to increase the salary cap dramatically.

Carlson’s cap hit should be about $4 million this season, while Sage Rosenfels’ cap hit is expected to be about $1.5 million.  Letroy Guion’s contract details are not yet available, but he is expected to have a cap hit of around $3 million.

That should leave the Vikings with roughly $14.5 million in remaining cap space.