Are the Vikings in the Midst of a Quarterback Shuffle?
Joe Oberle
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Vikings Territory Breakdown:
NFL free agency continues apace, and the Vikings are still engaged. They continued to make moves this past week, and it doesn’t appear they are quite done yet. Head coach Kevin O’Connell tapped a couple of his former players from the Los Angeles Rams in wide receiver Brandon Powell and linebacker Tony Reeder, and both moves should help fill a couple roster holes before the draft and give GM Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah a little more flexibility to choose the best player available—when he finally makes his first pick.
We don’t yet know when that pick will take place, as there has been plenty of speculation as to what Kwesi will do come draft day. Plenty of steam still emanates from Lamar Jackson’s camp about his desire for a trade, and the Vikings have been mentioned as a potential trade partner.
But the Vikings also restructured Kirk Cousins contract, and, according to the Star Tribune, Cousins offered to negotiate and add a couple more years, but the Vikings declined, going for the $16 million in cap savings instead. What effect that will have on the QB-coach relations, the Vikings willingness to trade for/draft a QB or the price of unleaded gas remains to be seen (it probably won’t affect gas much, but those other things . . . ).
Speaking of a “homeboy” signing, the Vikings resigned longtime fullback and Minnesota’s own C.J. Ham to a new contract. Many folks (including yours truly) thought he was gone, but the Duluth native signed for two more years. Although he wasn’t used that often on offense last season, he is a valuable special teams player, and clearly, the Vikings thought enough of him in those two roles to bring him back.
And speaking of the Star Tribune, longtime Viking and NFL writer from that great paper, Mark Craig, will be on hand to analyze it all with Joe Oberle from vikingsterritory and purplePTSD on the VT Breakdown podcast. The Vikings are in the process of dramatically reshaping their roster to the vision of Kwesi and KOC, and we are here to break it all down. Tune in and check it out.
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