Kwesi Went Crazy for the Vikings
To say that NFL free agency is a fun time would be putting it lightly. The problem for the Minnesota Vikings, at least in recent seasons, has been that they have little room to operate.
Kwesi Went Crazy for the Vikings
With Kirk Cousins looking to extract every last dollar from his contracts, cap space has often been at a premium.
This time around, Minnesota had some of the most flexibility across the entirety of the league. While players went off the board left and right to open the legal tampering period, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah sat back and picked his spots.
He was able to add a starting cornerback and bring back his first-time Pro Bowl selection in Byron Murphy Jr. He added a Pro Bowl center and standout guard. He added a pair of Pro Bowl defensive tackles. To say that the shopping list wasn’t absolutely crazy would be underselling it.
The Minnesota Vikings had plenty of holes to fill. They lost a significant number of players this offseason. It’s hard not to argue that they aren’t a better team right now. Of course, it comes down to the quarterback position and Kevin O’Connell’s belief in youngster J.J. McCarthy.
If Sam Darnold showed us anything, though, it’s that the Vikings turned him into something more by being capable of getting the most out of whatever talent has to offer. If McCarthy can hold that same water level or prop it up even further, then Minnesota just became one of the best teams in the entire league.
Free agency doesn’t actually open until the new league year on Wednesday. The Minnesota Vikings shouldn’t expect to be done, either. They could add an additional wide receiver, and they still need at least one other quarterback to round out the room. It remains to be seen what Harrison Smith decides, but the safety position remains a question as well.
No matter what, the flurry of moves to open the day on Tuesday morning was nothing short of exceptional. That couldn’t have happened had Minnesota spent a boatload on Darnold, and it hasn’t happened because they were spending a boatload on Cousins.
This is what it feels like to be in the driver’s seat regarding talent acquisition. The Vikings not only had the funds, but players had the desire to be here as well.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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