Suddenly, the Vikings Are ‘Open for Business’
Dustin Baker
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As Minnesota Vikings fans debate whether the franchise is embarking on a full rebuild because of Adam Thielen’s and Eric Kendricks’ releases or merely subtracting expensive contracts possessed by aging players, NFL free agency begins on Monday.
As of late Sunday night, the Vikings are over the cap by $7.4 million and must be cap compliant by Wednesday at 3:00 pm CST.
Suddenly, the Vikings Are ‘Open for Business’
To get under the cap, an annual Vikings tradition in the last half-decade, more outright releases, contractual restructures, and trades are on the way. And according to ESPN, the emphasis may be heavy on the trade portion because the Vikings are reportedly “open for business.”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on free agency’s eve, “The Vikings are open for business as well. They’ve released three veteran players thus far — including legacy player Adam Thielen — and multiple teams believe Minnesota has had trade talks centered around running back Dalvin Cook.”
‘Open for business’ doesn’t mean, in this case, that Minnesota will merely sign a couple of free agents and call it good. It also doesn’t predict a few more players will be released.
It means the Vikings are picking up phone calls about trade requests.
In all likelihood, Dalvin Cook is at the top of the ‘open for business’ list, as credible rumors arose last week about this availability. Cook is slated to inflict a $14.4 million cap hit against the Vikings books in 2023, and that sum may be too much for a team that ran the ball the third least last season. Too, increasingly around the NFL, general managers are starting to understand employing an expensive bellcow running back doesn’t lead to Super Bowl trophies — like ever.
Cook could be shopped between now and the NFL draft, but he’s not the only trade candidate. Outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith proclaimed a goodbye on Twitter this week — out of nowhere — while the Vikings were quick to suggest they had no plans of releasing the 30-year-old. If Smith truly wants out of Minnesota and the Vikings have no appetite for an outright cut, he may be dealt to a team like the San Francisco 49ers — a franchise whispered to be interested in his services.
Of course — to the elephant in the room, Kirk Cousins.
NFL insider Mike Garafolo tweeted Sunday, “The Vikings and Kirk Cousins have had talks about a contract extension but nothing is imminent and Cousins playing out the last year of his contract and heading toward free agency once again feels quite possible right now.”
If Cousins is not extended, it would signal Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s desire to move on from the 34-year-old now or after his contract terminates at the end of next season. Nobody can know for sure, but if the Vikings have decided internally that Cousins and his financial demands are not congruent with the team’s future, they could consult Cousins about a trade as early as now and ship him elsewhere. He’d have to sign off on the deal because of a no-trade clause. Trade partners might be skimpy — the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, New York Jets, or San Francisco 49ers aren’t insane ideas — but Adofo-Mensah could find some way to cut ties with Cousins.
Overall, open for business doesn’t mean just frolicking in the open free agent market. It’s a nod to player movement via trade. We shall see in the coming days if Fowler is correct.
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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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