Vikings Apparently Wanted Bears Playmaker
Dustin Baker
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The NFC North is evidently one big rosy family because 75% of the division wanted the same guy.
The Minnesota Vikings employ Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, Ty Chandler, and Kene Nwangwu at running back as of April 1st, but the club apparently tried to make a play for another free agent.
Vikings Apparently Wanted Bears Playmaker
He’s David Montgomery, formerly of the Chicago Bears but currently of the Detroit Lions. Montgomery was free to sign anywhere in the NFL when free agency opened three weeks ago, and the Vikings were reportedly interested in his services — even with Cook, Chandler, and Nwangwu committed to the team in 2023.
Mattison hadn’t reunited with the franchise at the time but has since returned for two years and $7 million.
The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs reported this week, “As I understand it, Montgomery had a number of suitors in free agency, including the Bears. Three-fourths of the NFC North was interested in signing him. The Bears, the Detroit Lions (where he landed) and Minnesota Vikings were all in the mix.”
“Montgomery scored an $18 million, three-year contract from the Lions, and what’s notable is the deal includes $8.75 million fully guaranteed and another $2.25 million is fully guaranteed if he’s on the roster on the third day of the 2024 league year. The Bears’ offer to Montgomery, according to a source, did not include any guaranteed money beyond Year 1 of the deal,” Biggs added.
Montgomery, who turns 26 this summer, has logged at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage and six or more touchdowns in each season since entering the NFL in 2019. He was the Bears RB1 during most of his tenure, but Chicago’s new leadership regime wasn’t in the mood to extend his stay beyond four years. Instead, Montgomery will play in Detroit, who lost Jamaal Williams to the New Orleans Saints in free agency, and the Bears will roll with a three-way RB combination of D’Onta Foreman, Khalil Herbert, and Travis Homer — if they don’t draft another running back in 3.5 weeks.
The Vikings alleged interest in Montgomery is noteworthy because it seems to signal a Dalvin Cook trade or release on the horizon. There’s simply no way the Vikings would pay Cook, Montgomery, Chandler, and Nwangwu if the Briggs reporting is correct. When the early part of free agency wound down, Minnesota settled on Mattison rather than Montgomery, with Cook’s status unclear.
Cook is scheduled to inflict a $14.1 million cap hit against the Vikings books in 2023, a number that never made too much sense for the Vikings analytics-focused front office. Accordingly, Cook has been the subject of trade rumors for about a month. A deal was reportedly close to coming together with the Miami Dolphins, but Miami ultimately re-signed its 2022 RB group.
While the Cook sweepstakes is ongoing, the Vikings are guaranteed to continue seeing Montgomery twice annually for the next two to three seasons.
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,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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