No Vikings Free Agents Signed With Other Teams During Free Agency Opening
First off, I just want to say “thank you” to all of you readers that have made Vikings Territory one of your destinations on such a busy and fun opening day of free agency. Austin Belisle has been rocking the Live Blog for three straight days like an animal (while also battling the flu) and we plan to keep that going for at least one more day.
Our servers were tested on Wednesday, and sometimes failed the test, but it is great to be a part of such a passionate fan base and see our little corner of the internet getting a little more popular every year. Thank you, again, for being the best damn football fans this side of the north pole.
Anyways, the Vikings organization had a very busy opening day of free agency, and there is a fresh crop of new players to discuss at length between now and September. More immediately, however, it is interesting to note that not a single 2015 Vikings player has yet to officially become a “former Minnesota Viking.”
If you’ve been monitoring our list of Vikings free agents you’ll notice that the Vikings retained seven of their own, but the remaining 10 have yet to be signed by any of the NFL’s 32 franchises.
Rhett Ellison
There was some drama surrounding Ellison today when, apparently, Ellison’s father took to Facebook to tell people he wouldn’t be returning to Minnesota. The post was deleted pretty quickly and promptly replaced with a few Twitter reports suggesting he was talking to the Vikings about a return.
Regardless of what is really going on, the Vikings can’t count on Ellison being available to start the 2016 season thanks to his Week 17 injury last year. The Vikings could certainly be in the market for another tight end this offseason.
Josh Robinson
I think I’m in the minority here, but I think the Vikings are giving up on Robinson too early. He’s young, he’s fast, and he played pretty well under Mike Zimmer in 2014 (other than against people named Alshon). Injury cancelled his 2015 hopes of starting for the Vikings and the local buzz is that they don’t want him back.
Terence Newman
Newman had more ups than downs for the Vikings in 2015 and many fans would like to see the aging veteran return at a reasonable price. There is nothing floating around out there right now to suggest that isn’t a possibility, but it is understandable that Rick Spielman would let the open market determine his value while also evaluating other younger options.
Marcus Sherels
I’m kind of surprised the Vikings didn’t lock up Sherels prior to free agency opening up, especially after reports indicated the interest was mutual. Sherels has great special teams value as one of the NFL’s most consistent punt returners while also providing adequate depth as a reserve corner. It would seem like such a shame to see the “local kid does good” show hit the road.
Matt Asiata
Again, the rumor mill indicated that interest in a return was mutual, but the Vikings might be wise to let the market (or lack thereof) for ho-hum running backs set his asking price for him. I mean, I like Asiata and all, but he’s pretty much the most replaceable player in the NFL at this point.
Chad Greenway
We love Chad! We don’t want him to leave! He makes us all proud to be Vikings fans!
He’s also getting up there in age and seems unlikely to come super cheap. So, I can’t help but wonder if we’ve seen Greenway play his last game as a Viking, particularly with the two linebacker acquisition Spielman pulled off Wednesday.
I’m still hoping he’s back, though.
Justin Trattou
This is a bad year to be a free agent defensive lineman, because this Draft class is stacked. I’d love to see Trattou continue his development in Minnesota, but totally understand if the team wants to move on and cast their gaze to the Draft. I also understand it if Trattou wants to move on to a team where he has a clearer path to the top of the depth chart. I see a lot of potential here, though, and wouldn’t mind seeing him return.
Jason Trusnik
With the linebackers we signed on Wednesday, I just don’t see Trusnik coming back. If he does, it’ll pretty much be a given that he doesn’t escape the final cuts. Probably best to just move on.
Robert Blanton
I haven’t been a fan of Blanton’s since before the Vikings selected him, so understand that my opinion of his abilities were solidified literally years ago. But, for what it is worth, I see no reason to bring Blanton back at any price.
Casey Matthews
Nope.