Vikings on Another ‘Loser’ List for FA
Dustin Baker
|
The Minnesota Vikings lost Cameron Dantzler (CB, Commanders), Eric Kendricks (LB, Chargers), Patrick Peterson (CB, Steelers), Adam Thielen (WR, Panthers), Dalvin Tomlinson (DT, Browns), Duke Shelley (CB, Raiders), and Irv Smith (TE, Bengals) since free agency began on March 13th.
The franchise added Josh Oliver (TE, Ravens), Marcus Davenport (EDGE, Saints), Byron Murphy (CB, Cardinals), Dean Lowry (DT, Packers), Brandon Powell (WR, Rams), and Troy Reeder (LB, Chargers).
Vikings on Another ‘Loser’ List for FA
And for the men coming aboard, some folks, including oddsmakers, were evidently not impressed. The 33rd Team called out “losers” from free agency this week, and the Vikings were one of three teams to make the bad list.
Minnesota has +4000 odds, per sportsbooks, to win Super Bowl LVIII, a relative longshot for a roster containing Justin Jefferson. The 33rd Team wrote, “All the sportsbooks agree that despite having quarterback Kirk Cousins, running back Dalvin Cook, and receiver Justin Jefferson on the roster, this Minnesota Vikings team is a 40-1 shot at best to win the Super Bowl.”
“It was always going to be hard for the Vikings to make an impact in free agency because they have the least cap space in the NFL, but what they have done so far is mind-boggling. Giving edge Marcus Davenport a one-year, $13 million contract was insane, given he just had his least-productive NFL season,” the NFL think-tank site continued.
The Vikings faced tough decisions this offseason involving longtime veterans like Adam Thielen and Eric Kendricks, needing to trim bloated contracts for salary cap compliance. After enacting such moves, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah slid under the salary cap and added TE Josh Oliver to start free-agent festivities.
But The 33rd Team predictably didn’t like that either, “They also gave former Baltimore Ravens tight end Josh Oliver a three-year, $21 million contract. Oliver has caught 26 balls for 230 yards and two touchdowns at age 25. The only way the Oliver signing makes sense is if they were to make a miracle run at Lamar Jackson, but that seems unlikely.”
The +4000 probability of winning the championship in 2023 is shared territory with the Green Bay Packers, who will presumably be led by Jordan Love at quarterback, and the New York Giants, the club that knocked the Vikings out of the postseason 2.5 months ago.
Like all free-agent musings, especially in March, folks’ grades or loser lists don’t mean much until the regular season starts. Many pundits decried the Vikings plan to retain Kirk Cousins with a new general manager in place at this time later — and Minnesota responded by winning its first division title in five years.
The next step in the offseason? The NFL draft on April 27th.
The Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens were also called free-agent losers by The 33rd Team.
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.