Article Courtesy of Vikings.com
The one silver lining of the Red Wedding that the off-season has been thus far was that the moves that the Vikings made (letting Everson Griffen opt out of his deal, cutting Xavier Rhodes, David Morgan and Linval Joseph, trading Stefon Diggs and extending Cousins) opened up space for them to use a franchise tag on new star safety Anthony Harris.
Well, apparently the solace we found in that move was short lived as it’s being reported that according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday morning that the Vikings have signaled to teams that Harris could be had for a mid-to-late round draft pick. I will repeat (since some in the comments missed this), I’m basing this off of what Rapoport (and others) have mentioned as a possibility.
Like NFL.com’s Kevin Patra, who said:
“It turns out, the tag could just be a short-term placeholder to get the Vikings a modicum of return for losing the rising safety.”
A mid-to-LATE round pick?
Sure. Harris was an undrafted free agent and sure maybe dropping a franchise tag on a safety not named Harrison Smith for a team that is clearly in the midst of a rebuild may seem extravagant.
But a late round pick?
I guess it’s better than the nothing the team would’ve received had they done nothing (this year, as they would’ve most likely received a third-round compensatory pick in 2021 should Harris leave), but it’s still a late round pick for a player that was a major component of the 2019 defense and that could be even more important now that Rhodes is gone and there’s no guarantee that they will be able to keep corners Trae Waynes or Mackenzie Alexander.
Actually, considering that we’ve yet to hear anything about either corner, it’s probably safe to presume they will both hit the door tomorrow when free agency starts.
That is, unless the team can move Harris, which would open up the cap space needed to keep either or both. Considering the fact that we are at the 25th hour for those deals, hopefully the Vikings can find a team willing to part with a sixth or seventh round pick for a player that could be a major component of their defense for years to come.
Sigh.
We had a goo… Mediocre run.
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Total 1 yr rebuild. I figured Cleveland for a 3rd and a 6th, but we'll see. Brings total picks this year to 13 or 14. Boom. Fill a spot or 2 in free agency, and the draft becomes pretty clear.
Let me get this straight, you are saying that the Vikings placed the Franchise tag on Harris so they could get a mid to late round pick for him? Do you realize, if Harris were to leave in FA that the Vikings would receive a 3rd round pick for him? Not sure you thought this one through before writing the article, makes zero sense. Would you take a 4-7 round pick for the Top rated safety in the league the past 2 years?
Exactly.
I’m responding to Ian Rapoports report stating as much. Perhaps they’d rather have a 2020 mid-to-late than a 2021 3rd round compensatory pick?
Again.
Not my theory.
It’s linked in the story.
I adjusted the article to include quotes from other sources. My apology for not doing that in the first place
https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/browns_exploring_trade_for_vikings_safety_anthony_harris/s1_14819_31588040
Many people did not believe we'd get a 1st for Diggs (plus 3 others). There's a team out there who will give up a 3rd for him, maybe even a 2nd........and then laugh at the Vikings for letting him go.
Personally, I think we need to keep a young, proven talent who hasn't hit his ceiling yet. Any replacement we would draft is unproven at the NFL level and doesn't know the system.