Image courtesy of Vikings.com
If Tuesday was a quiet free agency day, Wednesday is shaping up to be a busy one the Minnesota Vikings. General manager Rick Spielman has made it known fixing the offensive line is a priority, and overnight, rumors swirled around the team’s possible plan at left tackle.
According to Ryan Boser, the Vikings have already offered the much-maligned Matt Kalil a three-year deal. Boser tweeted the potential contract is worth around $28 million and includes bonuses. He also noted the situation is still “fluid,” as the Vikings are waiting on Carolina to make an offer to Kalil.
Boser’s claim comes on the heels of an earlier tweet from D.J. Skee, the source of information on Adrian Peterson’s return to the field last December. Yesterday, Skee tweeted in what appeared to be real time that the Vikings had “just made Kalil an offer.”
Take the “report” with a grain of salt, but Skee appears to have a direct line to the Vikings and hit the Peterson news on the head in December. The same goes for Boser; he may have missed on the Mike Vick rumors, but he was the first to report Brandon Fusco’s release last month.
To make things more complicated, Josina Anderson confirmed this morning Minnesota’s pursuit of free agent tackle Russell Okung. When free agency officially opens on Thursday, she believes the Vikings will formally express interest in the former Denver Broncos lineman.
So, where do these rumors and reports leave the Vikings? For starters, Spotrac lists Kalil’s market value at $7.1 million per year. The figure puts Kalil in the company of tackles like Cordy Glenn, Donald Stephenson, Nate Solder, and Okung. Minnesota’s offer—if accurate—would put Kalil closer to $9 or $10 million per year.
For most, an average salary in that range is higher than expected and more than the team should pay for a tackle marred by injuries and poor play. Kalil missed almost the entire 2016 season with a hip injury and reportedly dropped to 280 pounds while recovering this winter. His prospective return to the Vikings comes at a time when the franchise needs help at left tackle in a market sparse with available talent, making an offer at this point almost cursory.
As Boser mentioned, the situation is fluid. Minnesota will likely pursue other tackles over the next few days and extend offers to a select few players. Okung is the first name that comes to mind and is expected to garner $9 to $11 million per year. But in a sparse pool of players, don’t count out the recently-released D.J. Fluker, Ricky Wagner, and even Andrew Whitworth as targets at right and left tackle.
With a little under $39 million in cap space available, Spielman has the firepower to acquire necessary pieces in free agency. The NFL Draft isn’t rife with starter-quality tackles, making these next few days a crucial juncture for the future of the Vikings’ offensive line. Opinions are sure to be split on the idea of bringing back Kalil, but at this point, how many realistic options are out there?
Stay tuned; things are sure to pick up today and tomorrow. Visit our Live Chat and join the conversation today.
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If they indeed offered Kalil 10 mil per year, I will be very upset. He is not worth it. Every year for the past 4 years has been a prove it year and he has failed. MOVE ON.
Kalil isnt worth 9-10 mil. Maybe 7-8 mil coming off a season ending hip injury and mediocre play at LT. Just wondering where Spielman's head is at. He keeps on overpaying for deficiencies in his draft ideology.
Kalil is worthless and if they resign him I'm totally on board with the fire Ricky group. How damn stupid is this guy?
They better re-sign Rashod Hill......He did fine in his shot at LT....Sadly...One game is not enough of a sample to trust the position to him...
Committing to Kalil for any period of time, let alone three years, is mind-boggling, and frankly displays a toxic combination of pride and arrogance. Pride on Spielman's part - of course MY pick is worth it and can be fixed, all evidence to the contrary - and arrogance on the part of some member or members of the coaching staff - of course WE (or I) can turn him around. And then their is the stupidity of locking up that much cash, even if not all of the money is guaranteed, when there are other options out there at a reasonable price.
Damn it, we have a fine roster and can afford to give up another draft pick or two or a pile of money for a proven and HIGH quality starting LT, even an older one who will need to be replaced in two to four years. Better that than signing a mediocre or worse talent and trying to scheme around him for years on end (the Charlie Johnson error writ large!). Committing to Kalil or Okung would be a mistake and left tackle could be the Waterloo of Spielman's run with the Vikings.