The Vikings Must Make Big Decisions — like Now.
So far in free agency, the Minnesota Vikings have extended Kirk Cousins by an extra year, signed defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and linebacker Jordan Hicks, allowed Xavier Woods and Mason Cole to walk away for other ventures, and tendered kicker Greg Joseph.
If the franchise wants to do more than that, it must make difficult decisions — and soon.
NFL teams have until 3:00 pm Wednesday (CST) to be cap compliant. Sportrac lists the Vikings at $2.4 million under the cap as of Wednesday morning. That is not enough money to sign more impactful free agents.
And as each hour goes by, more coveted free agents join other teams.
Ergo, within a matter of hours, the Vikings have to restructure existing veterans’ deals to create more cap space. Otherwise, Minnesota will miss out on free agents as they fly off the board to teams that actually have cap space.
Mainly, the men to watch with the cap-compliance deadline approaching are Danielle Hunter, Adam Thielen, Eric Kendricks, Harrison Smith, Dalvin Cook, and Anthony Barr.
Hunter could be traded — although that is probably a longshot — or the team can renegotiate his contract. He’s in a sticky spot, missing three-quarters of all football games in the last two years. His cap hit in 2022 is $26 million, so he is bees-to-honey for wiggling the numbers around.
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Thielen will likely restructure. He’s never indicated a desire to trek elsewhere. And earlier this week, Amari Cooper was traded to the Cleveland Browns for an underwhelming 6th-Round pick. Trading Thielen for something similar would be wasteful for the man’s impact on the Vikings.
Kendricks, 30, has a $13 million cap hit and could be approached to restructure, too. On Tuesday, the Vikings signed Jordan Hicks to presumably become Kendricks’ running mate in the middle of Ed Donatell’s defense. A Kendricks trade likely would’ve happened by now.
Jot Harrison Smith down as renegotiation material. Dalvin Cook, too. Those players likely aren’t departing. And if they remain, wanting to contend for the playoffs and Super Bowl, their collective money might have to be shoved into the future.
Finally, Anthony Barr is probably departing the franchise. He almost left three years ago but reneged at the last minute. If he does not, Minnesota will spend a lot of money on linebackers in Kendricks, Hicks, and Barr — which isn’t necessarily terrible. Yet, when the regular season ended, Barr sounded like a man who played his last game in Minnesota.
Something’s gotta give if the Vikings want to sign more players — they need cornerbacks, offensive linemen, and pass rushers — and the big decisions should hit your smartphone at any minute.
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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