Questions Answered: The Danielle Hunter Verdict, Malik Willis in the Draft, Mike Zimmer as the Difference
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the March 20th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”974699″ player=”26279″ title=”WATCH%20Julio%20Jones%20%204%20likely%20landing%20spots” duration=”80″ description=”The Titans have opted to release Jones with a post-June 1 designation. This means that they’ll save a whopping $11.51 million against the 2022 NFL salary cap. Tennessee was just $700,000 under the cap before making this surprising decision.” uploaddate=”2022-03-17″ thumbnailurl=”undefined” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/974578/974578.m3u8″ width=”16″ height=”9″]
Q: Does Saturday’s news guarantee Danielle Hunter will remain with the Vikings?
A: No, not absolutely guarantee because the Vikings could still trade Hunter if they choose. But it makes the probability 98% (rough estimation) likely Hunter is a Viking this September.
The Vikings chose the least probable route for Hunter’s contract on Saturday — they did nothing. Hunter will merely play out his contract, one unusually bad for a player, especially a star like Hunter.
The weird part was Minnesota not converting the infamous $18 million to bonus money, which the Vikings had the right to do. They can still use that method and might when the time is ripe for signing another free agent.
All in all, Hunter will be back on the 2022 Vikings.
Q: How about the Vikings drafting Malik Willis at #12 while preparing for life after Kirk?
A: Sure, let’s do it.
Willis is raw for the 12th overall pick, but teams generally overspend on quarterbacks inside the annual quest to snatch the next Patrick Mahomes.
There are surer bets in the 1st Round of this draft, but we fully support the Vikings “hedging” their quarterback plan with a youngster like Willis.
Q: Doesn’t it seem like the only real big difference in 2022 will be the absence of Mike Zimmer?
A: Yes.
Every move the Vikings have made with the current roster suggests they believe Mike Zimmer — seemingly by himself — was the problem in 2021. Because in mass fashion, the same players are returning. The Vikings tied the NFL record for most games decided by eight or fewer points last year, so Kwesi Adofo-Mensah must firmly believe Kevin O’Connell could’ve won more of those close games than Zimmer.
Otherwise, the roster change would be more significant by now. Alas, it is not.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. His YouTube Channel, VikesNow, debuts in March 2022. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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