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Tough Decisions Loom for the Vikings Front Office

by 13377llama | 2 years ago | 0 Comments

The Vikings offseason has officially begun, and after a exceeding expectations in their first year Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have some very difficult decisions to make. The list of Vikings free agents is staggering, and with only ~14 million in salary cap space, it's going to be impossible to re-sign them all. In this article we will take a look at the top Vikings free agents and discuss whether we here at the Skol Sports think they should be back again next year.

1. Alexander Mattison (HB) 

The young 25 year old Star performed well as Dalvin Cook's backup during his tenure with the Vikings, but he's at the point in his career where he's going to be looking for a real contract. He deserves a shot a starting for a team in the league and with Dalvin Cook putting in another solid year, we just can't see the Vikings Front Office resigning Mattison

Verdict: Free Agency

 

2. Patrick Peterson (CB)

The future Hall-of-Famer is having a career renaissance in Minnesota after having one of the best years of his career last season posting 5 interceptions and 15 pass deflections, making him one of the top 5 corners in the league. Peterson has been very vocal about his love for Minnesota's front office and the teams fans, and with all of the young DB depth behind him, resigning Peterson for another 1-2 years is a no brainer

Verdict: Resign

 

3. Zadarius Smith (OLB/DE)

On paper resigning Smith doesn't seem like a hard decision, after signing a one-year contract in the offseason, Smith had a great year with the Vikings, and paired with Danielle Hunter, made the Vikings pass rush one of the most difficult to deal with in the entire league. Given his performance on the field last year, and his veteran leadership in the locker room, any defensive coordinator would love to have him back, but it seems like this decision is going to be out of the Vikings hands and completely up to Smith on whether he wants to play in Minnesota. Given the coaching and scheme change after last year's disaster of a defensive season, Smith has been very non-commital on whether he wants to stay.

Verdict: ?

 

4. Irv Smith Jr. (TE)

After an early injury to Smith Jr. the Vikings managed to pull off one of the most surprising trades of the last five years with the Lions for TJ Hockenson, putting Smith Jr. in another similar situation to Mattison. He's a promising young star stuck behind a superstar. It's more likely that the Vikings resign Smith than Mattison, and while 2 TE sets are not something Kevin O'Connell historically has run, he did dabble with them when Smith came back from injury near the end of the season. Given the cap issues, and also Smith Jr's injury history, I think it's unlikely the Vikings resign him, but I don't think it's guaranteed that they don't.

Verdict: Free Agency

 

5. Dalvin Tomlinson (DT)

The solid anchor of the Viking D-line, Dalvin Tomlinson has been locked in at #1 on the depth chart since replacing Linval Joseph 2 seasons ago. With the Vikings scheme change back to 3-4 and their lack of depth at DT, it's a given that Tomlinson resigns. Expect to see an announcement of his new contract soon, our sources say this contract is basically finalized.

Verdict: Resign 

 

Honorable Mention. Andrew Depaola (TE)

Fan favorite 36-year old Long Snapper Andre DePaola is up for contract renewal this year coming off his first Pro Bowl seeason. The first long snapper in Minnesota Vikings history to be named to the Pro Bowl, DePaola is considering retirement according to our sources. Will DePaola retire at the top of his game and ride off into the sunset, or will he strap on the the cleats for one more season with the Vikings? I think I speak for most fans when I say I hope he returns for one more year!

Verdict: Resign

These are the top 5 most crucial free agent decisions that the Vikings are going to need to make this offseason, but the storylines don't stop there. Chandon Sullivan, Greg Joseph, Oli Udoh, Duke Shelley and Kris Boyd are all names that Vikings fans will recognize as starters or players that made major contributions to Minnesota's NFC North Championship season. Stay tuned to Skol Sports as we continue to track the Vikings offseason, and bring coverage of the 2023 NFL Draft!!