Purple Rumor Mill: A New RB for Vikings, Brandon Powell, a Darrisaw Extension
VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s Vikings rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the July 6th edition.
Purple Rumor Mill: A New RB for Vikings, Brandon Powell, a Darrisaw Extension
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the purple team, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Here’s the first batch of the week.
Rumor: Cam Akers will be re-signed by the Vikings any day now.
Courtesy of the Pioneer Press, Charley Walters wrote last weekend, “If running back Cam Akers, recovering from Achilles surgery last November, passes an upcoming physical, look for the free agent to re-sign with the Vikings.”
Two more sources confirmed to VikingsTerritory that the Akers move is imminent, and soon, Minnesota will have enhanced running back depth.
The veteran runner turned 25 last month and has scored 12 touchdowns in 36 career games. Minnesota ranked 27th leaguewide per rushing DVOA in 2023, a disappointing finish after emphasizing ground-game improvement all last offseason. It’s time to improve once and for all.
Rumor: Brandon Powell will win the WR3 job outright.
Left up to Vikings fans’ predictions, Powell is the number-one-with-a-bullet suitor for the WR3 gig. We polled VikingsTwitter this week, and around 60% opined that Powell would win the job when the dust settles on the summer.
K.J. Osborn, the team’s WR3 from 2021 to 2023, left the club this offseason for the New England Patriots, where he’ll vie for a similar job. Osborn’s departure created a roster opening in Minnesota. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah signed no other high-profile WR3 candidates after adding Sherfield in free agency.
And if fans have it right, Powell is the odds-on favorite to seize the open WR3 job title.
Rumor: Although it’s a priority, the Vikings are in no rush to re-sign Christian Darrisaw.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis opined on the topic in an article this week, and while Minnesota will obviously prioritize the deal, there is no rush, generally speaking. “Darrisaw is eligible for an extension, and the Vikings certainly want to keep him around for the long haul. The question is: Can the two sides find common ground with two seasons still remaining on Darrisaw’s rookie contract? General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has explained that extensions after three seasons of a rookie contract are hard to come by,” he wrote.
Darrisaw’s representation and the Vikings’ front office have reportedly already begun the exploratory chats of an extension, and when the time arrives, the young lineman’s contract will probably be the largest for an offensive tackle in NFL history.
Lewis added, “The team and player must work through old money, new money and overall length. There is no rush here, like there was no rush with the Vikings in their extension for Jefferson. However, Darrisaw is now represented by superagent Drew Rosenhaus, who has an exceptional relationship with the Vikings.”
When the time comes, Darrisaw will fetch megabucks. But this thing will mirror Justin Jefferson’s extension — and become a 2025 thing, not a summer-of-2024 line of business.
Vikings Linked to Free Agent Defender
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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