Vikings Fans Overwhelmingly Want 1 Free Agent Back in 2023
After re-signing defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga and offensive line Blake Brandel last weekend, the Minnesota Vikings have 16 free agents scheduled to hit the open market in two and a half weeks.
There are those men:
Kris Boyd (CB)
Garrett Bradbury (C)
Jonathan Bullard (DL)
Andrew DePaola (LS)
Ben Ellefson (TE)
Bisi Johnson (WR)
Greg Joseph (K)
Alexander Mattison (RB)
Nick Mullens (QB)
Patrick Peterson (CB)
Austin Schlottman (C)
Duke Shelley (CB)
Irv Smith (TE)
Dalvin Tomlinson (DT)
Chandon Sullivan (CB)
Oli Udoh (OT)
The list may seem humongous, but it’s actually standard operating procedure in the NFL. When players and coaches say a particular team is special or unique, they’re typically inferring that they know the squad the following season will look markedly different.
Vikings Fans Overwhelmingly Want 1 Free Agent Back in 2023
Some players on the list above will return, while others hit open free agency. And left up to Vikings fans, one player is overwhelmingly desired to return — Duke Shelley.
We polled Vikings fans this week with “big-name” free agents, and Shelley stood out like no other. 57.4% chose Shelley as their foremost free agent to rejoin the 2023 Vikings.
The poll was unscientific, and 4,881 people responded.
Shelley joined the Vikings in September on the team’s practice squad, a cast-off from the Chicago Bears, leaving fans to wonder, “Who’s the guy with the cool name?” For a while, Shelley was “just a guy” signed to the practice squad who’d play if cornerback depth dwindled to slim pickings. Indeed, Shelley was needed because of injuries to Andrew Booth, Cameron Dantzler, and Akaylev Evans — and he absolutely thrived.
The 6th-Round draft pick by the Chicago Bears began experiencing playing time versus the Buffalo Bills — in one of the wildest NFL games anyone will ever witness. Before that opportunity, Shelley played a handful of special teams snaps but evidently wasn’t trusted on the field for defensive duty.
Well, he became trusted — real fast — and was a defensive saving grace for the 2022 team. Shelley snagged his first career interception out of the sky against his former team in Week 18. He tweeted about the Bears after the Week 18 win, “They had to feel how disrespected I felt when they cut me.”
When it was all said and done in 2022, Shelley was classified as the NFL’s fourth-best cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus, tallying an 82.9 grade. Only Sauce Gardner (87.9, NYJ), Patrick Surtain (86.8, DEN), and Jalen Ramsey (86.4, LAR) outperformed Shelley.
On his free agency, Shelley should be available to the Vikings at an affordable rate, making the likelihood of a 2023 reunion feasible. He assuredly is not a household name and will use next season to prove his staying power. Some still consider the Kansas State alumnus a “flash in the pan.”
Left up to Vikings fans, though, he sure as hell better be back. Fans already struggle watching former purple kicker Daniel Carlson excel in Las Vegas with the Raiders. Imagine Shelley dominating somewhere else in 2023 on a cheap contract.
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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