Aj Mansour on Jarius Wright, Midseason Drama, and the 2017 NFL Draft
Aj Mansour is practically a household name among Minnesota Vikings fans. Long a contributor at kfan.com, he’s making like Lebron James and taking his talents to another Internet “city.” Only this time, it’s not Miami or Cleveland.
Mansour’s joining the growing team at Purple PTSD, where our friend Joe Johnson serves up daily reminders of the struggle of being a Vikings fan. Like good neighbors, we asked Aj to participate in the final installment of “Three Questions,” and he happily obliged.
Before we get to his answers, though, here’s a rundown of every interview…
Daniel House On The Playoffs, Adam Thielen, & Vikings Free Agency
Mark Craig On 2016 Vikings Oddities, Adrian Peterson’s Future, & Sam Bradford’s Accuracy
Lindsey Young On Her Favorite Articles, 2010 Versus 2016, & U.S. Bank Stadium
Christopher Gates On London, Those Calling For Zimmer’s Job, & Minnesota’s Most Exciting Player
Matt Falk On The 2017 NFL Draft, Adam Thielen, & Fixing The O-Line
Joe Johnson On Nick Swardson, The Defense, & Roster Upgrades
Nik Edlund On Kalil’s Injury Impact, A Possible Vikings Draft Target, & The Play Of The Year
Matthew Coller On Norv Turner, Cordarrelle Patterson, And Vikings Craziness
Tom Moore on U.S. Bank Stadium, Vikings Alumni, and the Minnesota Offense
And now, words of wisdom from Mansour himself…
1. Can you give us any insight regarding the Jarius Wright situation this season and what it means for his future as a Viking?
I’ve been saying for a little while now that Jarius Wright just doesn’t appear to “fit the system” anymore. At one point in time he did, landing himself a four-year, nearly $15 million deal. The cupboards were pretty bare back then and he was a decent sized part of the plan. Fast forward to 2017 and it looks like he’s getting passed up and written out of the plans.
The emergence of Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, coupled with the wake up call that Cordarrelle Patterson experienced and the continued optimism around Laquon Treadwell, has left little room for a $4-million fourth/fifth wide receiver on the roster. I think that it probably means that there is not much future here in Minnesota for Wright, though he’ll likely land a roster spot elsewhere and find some run.
2. Between Adrian’s preseason game status, the stuffed animal massacre, defensive backs going rogue, and any of the other 2016 oddities, do you think any were reported on as poorly as Mike Zimmer seemed to indicate?
I think it’s likely that somewhere along the line, one of those situations was sensationalized a little bit. But we’ve all heard the saying that where’s there’s smoke, there is a fire.
These situations of insubordination/miscommunication are the first signs of smoke that we’ve seen under the Zimmer regime and should be alarming because of that. From here, it’s all about how you handle it. In 2017, we’ll see if the coaching staff nipped it in the bud to put out said fire, or, if they ignored it to let it fester and grow over the offseason.
3. Is there any particular player, in this Draft class or potential free agent, that you really want to see Minnesota add to their 2017 roster?
Yes, and he’s presently wearing purple…for the time being at least. His name is Matt Kalil and he might be the single most important piece to putting back together the Vikings offseason puzzle coming up here. This is no surprise to anybody here, but this offseason needs to be almost entirely about the offensive line.
Looking at the recent history of free agents, you will almost never be able to land a left tackle worth his weight on the open market. If you do, you’ve likely SEVERELY overpaid, which will further handicap the Vikings. Going after and landing Kalil will be the first domino that needs to fall for the Vikings. He’s able to be had and though you might have to pay a bit more for him, it shouldn’t be egregious due to his inconsistent play and injury history. Still, the Vikings know the most about him.
They know how he’ll fit, they know how his health really is, and they know what kind of mental state he’s in. Get him settled then move on to filling other spots and finding depth along the line with the extra money you just freed up from cutting ties with Peterson… 😉