skrill
Fri-hals (146)
Feb 22, 2020
Valhalla
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Post by skrill on Mar 10, 2020 11:06:43 GMT -6
Some interesting takeaways from Ian Rapoport's podcast: - CBA agreement is holding up free agency/extensions/franchise tags, hence why it's so quiet right now
- Byron Jones will be the highest paid corner in NFL
- Trae Waynes will be paid a lot more than people expect him to be paid (literally Rapoport's words)
- Ant Harris was interviewed, from sounds of it there will be an auction for him. Out of our price range.
- Ross Blacklock (defensive tackle prospect late 1st/early 2nd grade) was asked where he thinks he will end up, literally called out Vikings
- Swing tackles Hal Vaitai (Eagles) and George Fant (Seahawks) expected to earn in region of $8-12m per year
So having seen Waynes post hinting at him and Rhodes leaving, Mack Alexander being discontented with how his injury was handled back end of last year - I don't see any of them coming back next year. I think we'd want Harris back, but if he gets offered upwards of $12m a year, which I think he will, he's not coming back. If backup swing tackles are going to make $8-12m a year, I can't see Reiff being cut. He's a serviceable left tackle and honestly his contract isn't that bad. The tackle market is highly inflated, everybody needs tackles and outside of the top four in this draft who will all be off the board by pick 15, there aren't many plug-and-play guys. Are we really going to gamble on cutting Reiff, drafting Austin Jackson or Josh Jones at #25 and starting them day one? I can't see it. I think we stick with Reiff, hopefully he's open to restructuring though. If we are looking at Ross Blacklock, it's very unlikely he makes it to pick #58. If the plan is to take a DT at #25, I think Linval becomes a cap casualty. We can't afford to pay $12m to a two-down run stuffing nose tackle. I'd love if we could restructure with him so he stays with the Vikings, as I'd rather we paired Linval with a pass rushing 3T like Blacklock, Gallimore or Madubuike than with Shemar as I still think he has some left in the tank. Regarding secondary needs - it's been hinted that Kris Boyd is ready to take up a bigger role this year so I could see him being in the rotation. Then we have Mike Hughes and Holton Hill, the latter kind of a liability given his off-field issues. Whether it's in free agency or the draft, we need an outside corner to pair with Hughes, who will be having his first full off-season with the Vikings. I could see Sendejo and Kearse being resigned to compete for the starting safety role next to Harrison Smith. If Waynes, who had a below average season last year, is expected to get paid 'a lot more than people think' it probably suggests replacing him isn't going to be cheap either.
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Norseman
Thegn (3,074)
Apr 21, 2018
Valhalla
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Post by Norseman on Mar 10, 2020 15:31:47 GMT -6
Yeah, I sincerely didn't know. They either have go with the franchise tag or pay market value. I don't think letting him walk is an option.
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Norseman
Thegn (3,074)
Apr 21, 2018
Valhalla
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Post by Norseman on Mar 10, 2020 15:36:08 GMT -6
I think we stick with Reiff, hopefully he's open to restructuring though. Then we have Mike Hughes and Holton Hill, the latter kind of a liability given his off-field issues. Are you saying a pay cut for Reiff or just a common restructuring to push cap space out? If the former, I doubt he cooperates. If the later, I don't think we need his cooperation. Also, as soon as the CBA is approved, we can pencil in Hill for the entire year. I'm still reading that game suspensions for pot have been abolished.
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Post by snotbubbles on Mar 11, 2020 9:43:26 GMT -6
Good news about the herb. Wish I coulda sat in ice tub with a cartridge after some of my competitions. What started as a racist tactic to jail more people of color had been perpetuated by alcohol and tobacco who just wanted the monopoly imo. We move slow in the States, but we TRY to get it right sooner or later. Another reason why we kick that ass and forget the damn names.
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OkieDokie
Surviving
Jarl (22,857)
Feb 5, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by OkieDokie on Mar 12, 2020 19:19:07 GMT -6
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Movikx
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Thegn (2,829)
Feb 8, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Movikx on Mar 13, 2020 12:47:29 GMT -6
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skrill
Fri-hals (146)
Feb 22, 2020
Valhalla
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Post by skrill on Mar 13, 2020 14:33:25 GMT -6
Since we're now approaching peak off-season time, here's my 'mock off-season'... I expect I'll be way off the mark but we'll see. All figures are rough guesses, not trying to be precise with these predictions just giving a rough idea of my thinking.
$40m -$35m (~$5m for depth/UDFA)
RESIGN: (-$35m~) * Waynes ($9m) * Griffen ($9m) * Weatherley ($3m) * Kearse ($3m) * Bailey ($3m) * Colquitt ($2m) * Sendejo ($2m) * Wilson ($2.1m) [RFA] * Ham ($2.1m) [RFA]
CUT: (+$18.6m) * Rhodes ($8.1m) * Joseph ($10.5m)
RESTRUCTURE: (+$20m~) * Hunter, Diggs, Reiff, Barr, Thielen all restructure candidates
DRAFT:
#25 - Ross Blacklock DT TCU - 3Tech with explosiveness, could be developed into a premier interior rusher under Patterson's tutelage. #58 - Matt Hennessy G/C Temple - Natural zone-blocking fit that played primarily as a center at Temple but can switch to guard. Upgrade on Elf. #89 - Darnay Holmes CB UCLA - Fluid cornerback with 4.4 speed and good ball skills. With Waynes and Hughes on the outside, Holmes can compete to start in the slot. More of a developmental prospect at this point but with high upside. #105 - Devin Duvernay WR Texas - Gadget type receiver that can play in the slot with 4.4 speed, very dependable hands and an ability to break tackles. Think Tarik Cohen with this one. I could see Kubiak falling in love with him as an option on misdirections and screens. #132 - J.R. Reed DB Georgia - A player I really liked at Georgia, not sure why his draft stock is so low. Makes a lot of plays on the ball. If he falls this far I think somebody's going to get a steal with Reed. R5-7 - Depth, depth and more depth! RS already has 3 7th rounders, will we even need to trade back in this draft?!
Depth chart:
QB: Cousins, ??, Browning HB: Cook, Matthison, Boone WR: Diggs, Thielen, Duvernay, Johnson TE: Rudolph, Smith, Conklin, Morgan RT: O’Neill, Udoh RG: Kline, Samia C: Bradbury, Jones LG: Hennessy, Elflein LT: Reiff, Collins FB: Ham
CB: Waynes, Hughes, Holmes, Hill, Boyd FS: Smith, Reed SS: Kearse, Sendejo ROLB: Barr, ?? MLB: Kendricks, Smith LOLB: Wilson, Gedeon LE: Griffen, Odenigbo RE: Hunter, Weatherley DT: Blacklock, Stephen, Johnson, Holmes, Watts
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greylock
Thegn (1,926)
Apr 30, 2017
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Post by greylock on Mar 13, 2020 14:55:11 GMT -6
RESIGN: (-$35m~) * Waynes ($9m)* Griffen ($9m) * Weatherley ($3m) * Kearse ($3m)* Bailey ($3m) * Colquitt ($2m) * Sendejo ($2m) * Wilson ($2.1m) [RFA] * Ham ($2.1m) [RFA] Think Kearse has made it rather clear he is not coming back. Waynes...save the money and spend it elsewhere. He has peaked and if he gets paid chances are he is following the same path that Rhodes went down.
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skrill
Fri-hals (146)
Feb 22, 2020
Valhalla
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Post by skrill on Mar 13, 2020 15:22:12 GMT -6
RESIGN: (-$35m~) * Waynes ($9m)* Griffen ($9m) * Weatherley ($3m) * Kearse ($3m)* Bailey ($3m) * Colquitt ($2m) * Sendejo ($2m) * Wilson ($2.1m) [RFA] * Ham ($2.1m) [RFA] Think Kearse has made it rather clear he is not coming back. Waynes...save the money and spend it elsewhere. He has peaked and if he gets paid chances are he is following the same path that Rhodes went down. Will have to agree to disagree on Waynes, but if he's not coming back I think we address it in FA rather than the draft. Regarding Kearse... I know he's been quite vocal in the past about not coming back, but I get the feeling if Harris isn't coming back and assurances are made to him, he'd come back. Time will tell though. I just think he has starting potential, and anyone playing next to Harrison Smith is going to look good which is why I wouldn't pay Harris silly money.
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Uncle
Berserker (7,565)
Feb 8, 2017
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Post by Uncle on Mar 13, 2020 17:49:07 GMT -6
Good writeup skrill....I may disagree with some of the decisions, but it's always fun when fans to read through the offseason plans...
I also think that we'll address a CB in FA prior to the Draft, and I'm hoping it's Darqueze Dennard who won't be that expensive at all and is a solid outside or inside CB. Harris, Alexander and Waynes will all be paid far more than we'll be able to afford this offseason so they're all gone, but at least signing Dennard doesn't force the Vikes into going DB early...
I think Colquitt, Baily, Hamm, Sendejo and Wilson are all solid bets to be back like you mentioned...
Griffin and Weatherly won't be back, and the reason is that solid 4-3 DE's aren't easy to find and tend to get overpaid in free agency...plus, you combine that with the lack of an EDGE/DE class this year and both will find much more lucrative offers outside of Minnesota this offseason....
Someone will offer Rashod Hill a low-end starting OT contract (more than a swing or backup OT position) and he'll be gone...
Kearse won't find the market he thinks he'll find, but he's made it clear he doesn't want to be back in purple so he'll sign elsewhere for comparable money to what Minnesota might offer him....
I don't think Barr, Hunter or Diggs are restructure candidates or even would be willing to restructure at this point. Barr just signed his deal last offseason and Hunter is among the best 4-3 DE's in the NFL....and Diggs might want out due to the run-first offense so there's no way he's willing to restructure to stay, even if they converted more of his remaining deal to upfront money...
As far as the Draft at this point, without knowing a bit more about free agency it's really hard to know what direction they go with in the early rounds. For instance, if it comes out that they are looking for more zone DB's, then you can find that in the middle rounds of the Draft. If they go hard after a 3T in FA, then you can take prospects like Blacklock & Elliott off the board early. And if they go hard an interior OL in FA, then they probably won't go interior OL in the Draft in the early rounds....
That being said, although I like the spot you targeted WR (4th Rd+), I don't like Devin Duvernay there. He has solid size, has good speed, good character and good genes (cousin is Kyler Murray), but I don't think his game fits in the Vikes play-action offense. The reason why Duvernay's #'s were off the charts in 2019 compared to prior seasons was the amount of catches he had on WR screens caught near or behind the line of scrimmage, and the Vikes don't do a bunch of WR screens. Kubiak used Demaryius Thomas on bubbles during his tenure with Denver in 2015, but that was more of P Manning reading defenses and having limited arm strength more than anything, and that isn't the case with Cousins who can push the ball down the field. Duvernay is more of an option in an offense that uses a more spread 'em out approach (maybe KC) vs play-action where you need WR's that can get open...and the worst part of Duvernay's game is his poor route-running. I'd rather take a KJ Hill or Quartney Davis in that spot (Davis especially since he's more of a Deebo Samuel type and our offense closely resembles the offense Sameuel's offense in SF).
JR Reed is someone I don't like either in the 5th; first, he's a box safety (not a free safety) and if we bring Sendejo back we already have both slots filled in Harry and Sendejo - we're looking to replace the free safety/single-high safety role. Second is that he'll be a 24-yr old rookie and with his limitations as a slower box safety, we can get younger and a potentially higher ceiling Safety prospect in the middle-to-late rounds - Reggie Floyd from Virginia Tech or Rodney Clemons from SMU. If we sign a CB in free agency, that also might allow us to not have to draft a CB in the early rounds and possibly target Virginia's Bryce Hall in Rd 3 w/ our comp pick who might be a real effective single-high S (more of a Grant Delpitt type) vs. the zone CB he was at Virginia - or be a combination of the two.
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Uncle
Berserker (7,565)
Feb 8, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Uncle on Mar 13, 2020 18:23:47 GMT -6
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skrill
Fri-hals (146)
Feb 22, 2020
Valhalla
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Post by skrill on Mar 13, 2020 18:24:46 GMT -6
Good writeup skrill....I may disagree with some of the decisions, but it's always fun when fans to read through the offseason plans... I also think that we'll address a CB in FA prior to the Draft, and I'm hoping it's Darqueze Dennard who won't be that expensive at all and is a solid outside or inside CB. Harris, Alexander and Waynes will all be paid far more than we'll be able to afford this offseason so they're all gone, but at least signing Dennard doesn't force the Vikes into going DB early... I think Colquitt, Baily, Hamm, Sendejo and Wilson are all solid bets to be back like you mentioned... Griffin and Weatherly won't be back, and the reason is that solid 4-3 DE's aren't easy to find and tend to get overpaid in free agency...plus, you combine that with the lack of an EDGE/DE class this year and both will find much more lucrative offers outside of Minnesota this offseason.... Someone will offer Rashod Hill a low-end starting OT contract (more than a swing or backup OT position) and he'll be gone... Kearse won't find the market he thinks he'll find, but he's made it clear he doesn't want to be back in purple so he'll sign elsewhere for comparable money to what Minnesota might offer him.... I don't think Barr, Hunter or Diggs are restructure candidates or even would be willing to restructure at this point. Barr just signed his deal last offseason and Hunter is among the best 4-3 DE's in the NFL....and Diggs might want out due to the run-first offense so there's no way he's willing to restructure to stay, even if they converted more of his remaining deal to upfront money... As far as the Draft at this point, without knowing a bit more about free agency it's really hard to know what direction they go with in the early rounds. For instance, if it comes out that they are looking for more zone DB's, then you can find that in the middle rounds of the Draft. If they go hard after a 3T in FA, then you can take prospects like Blacklock & Elliott off the board early. And if they go hard an interior OL in FA, then they probably won't go interior OL in the Draft in the early rounds.... That being said, although I like the spot you targeted WR (4th Rd+), I don't like Devin Duvernay there. He has solid size, has good speed, good character and good genes (cousin is Kyler Murray), but I don't think his game fits in the Vikes play-action offense. The reason why Duvernay's #'s were off the charts in 2019 compared to prior seasons was the amount of catches he had on WR screens caught near or behind the line of scrimmage, and the Vikes don't do a bunch of WR screens. Kubiak used Demaryius Thomas on bubbles during his tenure with Denver in 2015, but that was more of P Manning reading defenses and having limited arm strength more than anything, and that isn't the case with Cousins who can push the ball down the field. Duvernay is more of an option in an offense that uses a more spread 'em out approach (maybe KC) vs play-action where you need WR's that can get open...and the worst part of Duvernay's game is his poor route-running. I'd rather take a KJ Hill or Quartney Davis in that spot (Davis especially since he's more of a Deebo Samuel type and our offense closely resembles the offense Sameuel's offense in SF). JR Reed is someone I don't like either in the 5th; first, he's a box safety (not a free safety) and if we bring Sendejo back we already have both slots filled in Harry and Sendejo - we're looking to replace the free safety/single-high safety role. Second is that he'll be a 24-yr old rookie and with his limitations as a slower box safety, we can get younger and a potentially higher ceiling Safety prospect in the middle-to-late rounds - Reggie Floyd from Virginia Tech or Rodney Clemons from SMU. If we sign a CB in free agency, that also might allow us to not have to draft a CB in the early rounds and possibly target Virginia's Bryce Hall in Rd 3 w/ our comp pick who might be a real effective single-high S (more of a Grant Delpitt type) vs. the zone CB he was at Virginia - or be a combination of the two. When I say restructure, I don't mean take a straight pay cut, just a restructure in the sense of converting salary to bonus to push it back. I'm sure if these guys want to win this year, they'll be more flexible about it. Of course none of these guys would accept a pay cut and rightly so. I think we can afford Waynes (or Alexander) if RB can work his magic. Griffen and Weatherley, I'm not so sure they'd get much more than what I've predicted above. Would Griffen want to take $3-4m more to relocate? I doubt it, but we'll see. Weatherley I don't care as much about. Griffen needs to come back. Hill I agree on, Kearse I think would need convincing but you never know if we offer him a starting job here he may be more open to it. I don't think we'll able to afford a top end 3T defensive tackle in the draft, hence the Blacklock pick over a corner. The same with an interior lineman, I think they'll all earn top dollar in this market right now. You're right about the Vikings not using a lot of WR screens as the majority of screens went through Cook, but it'd be nice to have a different option for screens as I don't see any of our current WR's as the type to break tackles (maybe Diggs, but putting him in the line of fire doesn't make a lot of sense to me). I also like KJ Hill as a slot receiver, but I feel he'll be off the board by that point. The same with Tyler Johnson and Van Jefferson. I haven't seen much of Davis, other than reading of some injury concerns. We will definitely have some choices if we do choose to address it in the 3rd, and I really think we should. As with JR Reed, I think he'd be a decent backup to Harrison as a SS if he's there in the later rounds with potential to develop. I just like the idea of pairing Kearse with Harrison, as I do think he's flashed potential with the limited opportunities he's been given. In that scenario if we did draft Reed it wouldn't make a lot of sense to bring back Sendejo, but if he's cheap and reliable and can play in the nickel, it's really a win-win given our current cap situation.
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skrill
Fri-hals (146)
Feb 22, 2020
Valhalla
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Post by skrill on Mar 13, 2020 18:35:07 GMT -6
That's a shame, as I do rate him. Time to burn bridges there then. There does seem to be quite a few safeties hitting the market in this FA, which could land us with someone on an affordable deal, or as you say maybe we target one in the mid rounds of the upcoming draft.
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Post by Viking Horn on Mar 14, 2020 14:29:05 GMT -6
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Post by Viking Horn on Mar 14, 2020 15:55:49 GMT -6
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