Vikings as Tankers for Caleb? One Man Recommends It.
Dustin Baker
|
The Minnesota Vikings will not ‘tank’ on Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s watch.
The young executive already said expressly he has no interest in that team-building strategy and did so quite emphatically.
Vikings as Tankers for Caleb? One Man Recommends It.
“People always talk about, ‘Just tank,’ and in this sport, I think it’s kind of unconscionable to do it for what these players put on the line for our sport,” Adofo-Mensah said at the 2023 NFL Combine.
So, if Vikings fans desire the team to tank, they’re either mixing and matching what they want to happen with reality — or Adofo-Mensah’s words at the NFL Combine were a ruse. There is no in-between.
In truth, Adofo-Mensah believes in a ‘competitive rebuild’ for his team, transforming a roster peppered with aging, expensive veterans into an enterprise with youth and salary cap flexibility. The philosophy was front and center this offseason when Adofo-Mensah said goodbye to Adam Thielen, Eric Kendricks, Dalvin Cook, and Patrick Peterson, among others, in exchange for starters’ jobs belonging to Jordan Addison, Brian Asamoah, Alexander Mattison, and Byron Murphy, for example.
Still, some ignore the on-the-ground happenings and suggest Minnesota should tank. One such personality is Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski. He published a piece this week outlining six teams that should mail it in this season in preparation for the budding Caleb Williams sweepstakes.
Williams is already the consensus first-overall pick in next year’s draft — yes, without even seeing a 2023 NCAA season.
Sobleski explained, “In a world where the quarterback position evolved into what an individual can add beyond what’s scripted, Cousins is a throwback. He can do enough for a team to compete and even win a division crown. Yet his teams have never gotten further than a divisional playoff contest.”
Oddsmakers project the Vikings to win eight or nine games in 2023, which would put the club in line for the 14th or 15th pick in the 2023 draft — far beneath the Williams spot.
“Furthermore, Cousins and the Vikings are approaching a crossroads, since the quarterback is a free agent after the upcoming season. Adofo-Mensah should expedite the process and enter a full-blown rebuild by moving on from Cousins sooner rather than later,” Sobleski concluded.
Vikings fans can debate until smoke releases from their ears whether the franchise should tank for Williams. If they want him, they’ll have to ship a Carolina Panthers-like package to the team owning the first pick — or ‘hope’ Cousins is injured and the team just surrenders with Nick Mullens or Jaren Hall. Those are the only viable options.
But Williams in purple is a fun theory; it just won’t occur via tanking.
Sobleski also recommended a tank job for the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Washington Commanders.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.