The Minnesota Vikings acquired left tackle Cam Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars last October, snagging Robinson and a 7th-Rounder from Jacksonville for a conditional 5th-Round pick.
Vikings Free Agent Could Join the Champs
Robinson was considered a “rental” offensive tackle to help salvage the 2024 season when Vikings LT Christian Darrisaw tore his ACL and missed the rest of the season.
Minnesota is set at OT with Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill for the long haul, so it seems unlikely for Robinson to return with the Vikings on a fat contract. And if he departs via free agency — he probably will — Pro Football Focus claimed this week that Robinson could land with the Kansas City Chiefs.
“The Chiefs entered 2024 hoping to replace the void at left tackle left by Donovan Smith with either rookie Kingsley Suamataia or Wanya Morris. However, neither option proved reliable, eventually forcing the Chiefs to shift guard Joe Thuney to left tackle,” PFF’s Zoltán Buday explained.
“Morris struggled, earning a 53.0 PFF overall grade—71st among 81 qualifying tackles—while Suamataia’s 37.9 PFF overall grade would have ranked last had he played enough snaps to qualify.”
Robinson played decently as a Darrisaw replacement, encountering some up-and-down moments, including penalties, but generally filled in admirably.
Buday added, “As a result, Kansas City’s left tackles combined for a 48.1 PFF overall grade, the lowest of any team in the NFL. While the Chiefs don’t necessarily need an elite left tackle, given the talent they have elsewhere on the line, they must upgrade the position. Robinson could be a strong candidate, as his 77.2 PFF pass-blocking grade ranks 25th among 68 offensive tackles who have logged at least 1,000 pass-blocking snaps over the past four regular seasons.”
Robinson can likely earn a contract worth $15-$20 million per year, and the Vikings obviously don’t have that lying around for a backup offensive tackle. Without Robinson, Minnesota will return to Darrisaw and O’Neill as its OT starters, with Walter Rouse and free agent David Quessenberry likely returning in 2025.
Here’s Robinson’s Pro Football Focus resume to date:
- 2024: 64.7
- 2023: 65.4
- 2022: 67.2
- 2021: 67.4
- 2020: 61.7
- 2019: 54.8
- 2018: 63.4
- 2017: 52.4
At the time of the trade for Robinson, Minnesota considered itself a Super Bowl contender, and while some Vikings fans decried the deal as too short-term, Robinson did help lock down quarterback Sam Darnold’s blindside for half a season.
If it’s not the Chiefs, as predicted by PFF, Robinson should have a decent free-agent market, as productive left tackles aren’t easy to find.
Robinson will turn 30 next fall.
Pro Football Network ranked the Chiefs’ offensive line the fifth-best in the league in 2024. The Vikings checked in at No. 10.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.