Questions Answered: Most Likely Free Agent Signing, the Hot Seat, Vikings’ Record through 5 Games
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the July 1st edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: Most Likely Free Agent Signing, the Hot Seat, Vikings’ Record through 5 Games
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Q: If you had to pick one free agent or position that the Vikings will target before the start of the reason, what would that be?
Answer: Stephon Gilmore, a cornerback.
A four-time Pro Bowler, Gilmore awaits his 2024 marching orders. He played for the New England Patriots from 2017 to 2020, crossing paths with Brian Flores in 2017 and 2018. Gilmore started all 17 games for last year’s Dallas Cowboys, registering a wonderful 74.4 Pro Football Focus grade for his troubles. If he signed with the Vikings — or almost any other team — it would represent five teams in five seasons for the 33-year-old.
He was also responsible for a commendable 82.7 passer-rating-against in 2023, which would’ve been wonderful by Vikings cornerbacks’ standards. For now, Minnesota has playable CBs in Byron Murphy, Mekhi Blackmon, Akayleb Evans, Andrew Booth, Shaquill Griffin, and rookie Khyree Jackson on the roster. Adding Gilmore could enhance the group.
We’ll lean into the Brian Flores connection here and predict Gilmore if Minnesota adds any big-name free agents at all.
We also believe Cam Akers will return to the Vikings, but we have predicted that for a couple of months.
Q: Do you consider Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell on the hot seat in 2024?
Answer: No.
The only way seats will get toasty for Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell is if the season becomes utterly rotten — to the tune of a 3-14 or 4-13 record. This season is very similar to 2014, where the Vikings much show optimism for the future. In 2014, Minnesota finished 7-9, but it was an exciting 7-9 because Teddy Bridgewater was just getting off the ground.
Both leaders need time to see through the J.J. McCarthy era, and tossing them on the hot seat now seems dumb.
Q: What do you think the Vikings’ record will be through five games?
A: 2-3.
The Vikings will beat one of the New York teams in the first five games and find a way to chip off the Houston Texans at home. The defense will carry the enterprise, and folks will quickly warm up the Sam Darnold patchover experiment.
Overall, we have the Vikings pegged for a 7-10 or 8-9 record.
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 MIN 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.
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