‘It’s going to be a great deal for us:Good news for Minnesota Vikings
Vikings Have a Crucial NFL Offseason Before Contract Talks with Justin Jefferson
The Minnesota Vikings are in the worst situation possible as they stand at a crossroads.
The team isn’t the best, but it’s not bad either. Yes, with a 13-4 record last season, the Vikings won the NFC North. However, after winning 11 games by a single score, where there is a large annual variation, the roster needs to be revised.
Furthermore, the best young player in the organization is a wide receiver rather than a quarterback. However, Minnesota needs to make every effort to hold onto Justin Jefferson and allow him to continue being the team’s face for as long as feasible.
Minnesota is essentially in the middle. It’s more likely that the Vikings will falter in the near future than make it to the Super Bowl. In the process, there will probably be a lot of turnover, beginning this offseason.
Let the alarm go out—the purge has already started.
The Vikings cut veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen on Friday. Acquired as an undrafted free agent, the two-time Pro Bowl selection caught 534 passes for 6,682 yards and 55 touchdowns in nine seasons. The move frees up an additional $6.4 million in salary-cap space, according to Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Despite this, the team will forfeit $13.6 million of his prior cap amount. Furthermore, he was the offense’s second-best receiving threat, so his departure creates a void.
Eric Kendricks, a linebacker, was placed on the trade list four days ago. With a team-high 137 total tackles in the previous season, the 31-year-old defender was the team’s leader. In fact, over the past eight seasons, he has led the Vikings in tackles seven times. $9.5 million was cleared when he left.
It could be Za’Darius Smith who goes next. The veteran edge defender requested his release after ranking second on the team with 10 sacks the previous season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. After just one season, Smith essentially said goodbye on Twitter by thanking his supporters and teammates. According to Rapoport, the Vikings may be forced to let go of the three-time Pro Bowler, but they have no intention of doing so.
Darren Wolfson of SKOR North reports that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was also contacted by teams regarding running back Dalvin Cook (via Dov Kleiman). According to Sporac, the Vikings are still losing money before the new league season starts, despite the changes they have already made. That $7.9 million is saved for the team by a possible Cook trade.
Jordan Hicks, a linebacker, and Harrison Smith, a safety, both 34, will eventually be seen as deeper cuts in June.
The personnel changes, starting with Jefferson’s contract extension, suggest that a quick turnaround is anticipated at this particular moment.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Adofo-Mensah told reporters, “The job is to build a championship team within the time window.” “So, no, I can’t look back and say, ‘Hey, look at all those people I drafted,’ if I get fired in four years and all of my picks end up playing well after that. My responsibility is to integrate everything within the same time frame and scope.”
There isn’t just one correct way to do things; rather, there are a lot of different lessons that I’ve learned from my various studies to kind of put it together. It’s just a lot of deliberate, astute choices that you make.”
Jefferson’s retention must be the ultimate objective. As the NFL’s current leader in receptions (128) and receiving yards (1,809), he is a remarkable talent. Through his first three seasons, the 2020 first-round draft pick already has the most receptions (324) and receiving yards (4,825) in NFL history. When he eclipsed Randy Moss this past season to record the most yards by a Vikings receiver in a single season, he even gained entry into the exclusive realm of Minnesota royalty.
Now that Jefferson has completed three full campaigns, it is his first time negotiating a contract extension. The transaction will most likely reset the wide receiver market, with Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins and Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders signing deals worth an average of $30 million annually and $140 million overall, respectively.
Adofo-Mensah declared, “I don’t want to be the Vikings’ general manager without that guy on our team.” Thus, it has top priority. Given all of the other decisions we need to make, we obviously need to make sure we complete it in the fastest possible order.”
The cost will be extremely high, and it will have an impact on every player on the roster. In light of the current market, which surged last offseason, Jefferson, 23, and his representatives ought to demand $150–160 million in order to outbid those who are already at the top.
The organization’s top priority is still his resignation, but in the upcoming years, things will most likely change.
The Vikings’ best free agents are immediately put on the back burner. Running back Alexander Mattison, tight end Irv Smith Jr., center Garrett Bradbury, defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson, and cornerbacks Chandon Sullivan and Patrick Peterson ought to be given the chance to look elsewhere and test the market. Minnesota just does not have the resources to replace the majority of them.
The company will then find itself ensnared in the Kirk Cousins vortex once more. While Cousins is a good starter, he is not the best in the league. Still, he’s competent enough to guide a victorious team and carry out the offense as planned. Throughout his career, Cousins has been incredibly successful at pressuring teams into giving him large contracts. In 2023, the Vikings will have a contract year, so they will have to decide.
Should it stick with the 35-year-old quarterback for the upcoming campaign or, at last, go with a less expensive, younger, and more physically gifted alternative? Cousins’s run of outwitting front offices should come to an end given what the Vikings will have to pay Jefferson. The franchise will then be weighed in Jefferson’s favor.
“It takes more than just having a top player. I believe that people may or may not recognize the talent. Every day, witnessing the human being up close is even more delightful,” the general manager continued. “All he wants is to triumph. He’s attempting to elevate the Minnesota Vikings. His goal is to take home the title. When someone like that is inside your building, you will do everything in your power to keep them inside.”
Cousins is an elite target in his prime who can relieve pressure and give the offense instant credibility, so whoever follows him will know that.
“As crazy as it sounds, leading the league in yards and receptions, I really think he and I have really just scratched the surface of where we want to go as an offense—and particularly with him as our premier receiver,” Kevin O’Connell, our head coach, said during the combine
Even though the Vikings aren’t exactly sure where they’re headed yet, they do know that Jefferson will guide them in that direction. As a result, when the squad arrives, it will most likely look very different.
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