Is This the Vikings’ Greatest Offseason Spree?
The Minnesota Vikings are coming off a season in which head coach Kevin O’Connell was named the best in the sport. They won 14 games and helped Sam Darnold to position himself in line for a massive payday.
Is This the Vikings’ Greatest Offseason Spree?
Somehow, this offseason could generate even more excitement than that.
The reality is that the Vikings get to fully experience life without Kirk Cousins. The salary cap space possessed by general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is beyond massive. Minnesota has plenty of holes to fill, but they can go on a shopping spree like none other. They need to decide on key positions, but the ability to acquire talent has never been better.
Last offseason, Adofo-Mensah cooked with significantly less capital to deal with. This time, he may have too much money to know what to do with it.
Minnesota must fix the interior offensive and defensive lines. Those additions aren’t sexy, but they certainly will make a difference for J.J. McCarthy and the running game. They need to address a cornerback exodus. Those additions can be a bit more flashy.
There is also the possibility that they entertain a high-profile wide receiver. They definitely need to bring a running back into the fold. There are ways to get Kevin O’Connell new weapons, and Brian Flores should also be happy with his additions. Ultimately, a roster with a significant number of players hitting the open market should be substantially turned over.
This isn’t a bad thing. So much of where Minnesota is currently has to do with the desire to draft a rookie quarterback a year ago. For what Adofo-Mensah has failed at drafting, he has nailed the free-agent acquisitions, and that means giving him a sizable sum to work with gets unquestionably scary.
Unfortunately, we are again months from real football action. That said, there may be no more exciting offseason in the sport than the one Minnesota could potentially put together. If Adofo-Mensah is still angling for his contract extension, this is the time to earn it.
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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