Aaron Rodgers
After a lot of discussion over the last couple of months, Aaron Rodgers officially announced via The Pat McAffee show that he will be coming back to Green Bay. This is not precisely what Vikings fans had hoped for. For nearly two decades, Aaron Rodgers has been a menace in the NFC North. Vikings fans were filled with hope that his reign of terror would come to an end.
In other Packers news, Davante Adams was franchise tagged today. This means that in 2022 the Vikings will once again have to deal with both of them. How do the Vikings deal with it? Does this impact their decisions for the offseason?
The Vikings’ plan for the offseason is not decided solely by the actions of the Packers. However, you would be remiss to think that what actions a divisional opponent takes doesn’t impact your thought process. You are guaranteed to play them twice per year and the outcome of the games weighs heavily on playoff seeding. Therefore you must build a team that can match their style of play.
Many mock drafts have the Vikings taking a cornerback. This is no surprise, as the team needs to add three cornerbacks this offseason. With Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams in mind, this might change which cornerback and how much the Vikings are willing to pay.
One name to watch for is JC Jackson. He is the best cornerback on the market, with a PFF grade of 82.7 in 2021. To top it off, he is not expected to be tagged by the New England Patriots. Although, the Patriots might try to work out a long-term deal. If they do not, he will be a free agent and can begin negotiations on March 14th.
If the Vikings were to land Jackson, it would be an instant upgrade at cornerback. A cornerback like Jackson would fit perfectly into the Vikings scheme. He is excellent in man-to-man coverage, which is exactly what Ed Donatell will expect from his cornerbacks.
The Vikings appear to be in a bad cap position. However, there are several things they can do to alleviate the cap. One of the most likely scenarios is a Kirk Cousins extension. Although, getting his extension before free agency opening will be a challenge.
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Without a Cousins extension, look for the Vikings to restructure numerous contracts, including Harrison Smith and Dalvin Cook. They could also restructure Danielle Hunter’s contract and then work out a long-term deal with him over the summer.
Whatever the Vikings decide to do, you better believe they will do it with the understanding they are competing against Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams. Making a splash signing like Jackson would help to address this issue.
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