Minnesota Vikings Free Agency: Breaking Down Their Potential Free-Agent Targets

As the Minnesota Vikings recover from their 3-13 record in 2011, there are plenty of holes that need to be filled on the team.

The Vikings will look to free agency to fill many of those holes and will hope to attract somebody big. By filling those gaps, the Vikings will try to make a quick jump back into contention.

The Vikings making that jump is one of the most far-fetched objectives you'll hear this offseason, but with the way the organization is talking, it has no intention of ripping the team down to the studs and building a solid foundation.

So, free agency will be an important time for Minnesota. And if the Vikings grab a big name or two, they could make that jump without having to string together successful drafts.

The team's window of opportunity may be much smaller, but the Vikings have a short-term goal, and attacking free agency is the way to reach it.

Despite teams using the franchise tag at a record level this offseason, there are still several players on the market that the Vikings could make a run for. Let's take a look at the potential free agents that would most help the Vikings.

Carl Nicks

At this time last week, it was assumed that the biggest story for the New Orleans Saints was going to be whether they would use their franchise tag on Drew Brees or Carl Nicks. Both have been incredibly important to the Saints' success, but only one of them could be tagged.

An extension could not be worked out with Drew Brees before Monday's deadline, so the Saints deemed (rightfully) that losing Brees would hurt a lot more than losing Nicks.

Now, Nicks will hit the free-agent market, and he has to be a guy the Vikings target. With Christian Ponder getting rammed into the ground like there was a bounty placed on his head (too soon?), the Vikings need to figure out how to protect their quarterback of the future.

Nicks would be a perfect option to solidify the offensive line. He is both an elite run-blocking and pass-protecting lineman that would be perfect on the left side next to...Ryan Kalil?

Combine that with Charlie Johnson possibly moving to right guard, and the Vikings may be close to solving their woes on the offensive line.

Vincent Jackson

The Minnesota Vikings tried to acquire Vincent Jackson back in 2010 when their Super Bowl dreams were starting to swirl down the toilet. Now, two years later, the Vikings will probably make a run at him again.

The Vikings still don't have a legitimate receiving threat past Percy Harvin, and they'll need to get some sort of passing game, especially if Adrian Peterson does not return to action from his torn ACL in time.

Jackson may be a bit of a headcase, but he's remained quiet throughout the 2011 season with the San Diego Chargers. A guy that can go deep would stretch the field enough that Peterson (or backup Toby Gerhart) would not have to face eight men in the box on every play.

Also, getting Jackson would give the Vikings more reason to take the only sure thing in the NFL draft not named Luck or Griffin in Matt Kalil.

There will be stiff competition (as the Chicago Bears will also be in the mix for his services), but the Vikings need to make a play and try to get Jackson to Minnesota.

Cortland Finnegan

The Vikings claim they are not rebuilding, but they need to completely rip their secondary down to the studs during this offseason. The first step in doing this would be to sign former Tennessee Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan.

The good news about Finnegan is that we know he will be available in the free-agent market because he told Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean that the Titans do not want to bring him back. Finnegan said:

"

My ultimate goal was to retire (in Tennessee), but I can’t control that. They wanted to move on, honestly. I don’t know why, and I don’t know what else a guy could do career-wise and in the community.

"

Perhaps the reason Finnegan was not franchised by the Titans was because of some of the incidents Finnegan had on and off the field, highlighted by a 2010 fight with Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson.

Despite some of these problems, acquiring Finnegan could be the first step in rebuilding one of the worst secondaries in NFL history.

Ben Grubbs

If the Vikings can't land Carl Nicks, they could go after Ben Grubbs.

Grubbs is very similar to Nicks in that he can protect the passer as well as be a bulldozer for Viking running backs.

Grubbs also has appeal in that he is very consistent at what he does, starting 70 games for the Baltimore Ravens in his NFL career. He's also very sound and could fit into whatever scheme the Vikings wanted to run.

Basically, any way to upgrade the offensive line is a good idea for the Vikings. If they want to spend some money on the line and can't get Nicks, Grubbs would be a great door prize.

Brandon Lloyd

Brandon Lloyd could serve as a mentor and temporarily fill a hole in the Viking receiving corps.

The bad news about signing Lloyd is that he is already 31 years old and would not be a long-term solution in filling the dearth at wide receiver.

The good news about signing Lloyd is that he is a late bloomer that has put up solid numbers in Denver and St. Louis over the last two seasons with sub-par quarterback play.

Any team that gets Lloyd isn't going to throw a seven-year contract away, but with the success the Detroit Lions had last season by shuffling in Nate Burleson as a stopgap for Titus Young, it might not be a bad idea to throw Lloyd into the mix.

Brandon Carr

As previously mentioned, the Vikings need to pump new blood into their secondary. If they want to contend, they'll need to sign a couple of free agents to shore up their pass defense. The good news is that Brandon Carr might have just fallen into their lap.

Carr didn't have his best season in Kansas City last year, and the Chiefs decided to upgrade with Stanford Routt instead of letting Carr work out his problems. Part of his problems could have been that Carr is better in a zone scheme rather than a man scheme.

That makes him a perfect fit for the Vikings. Antoine Winfield is starting to break down, and Carr's size and tackling ability could make him the guy to replace him.

Carr is not a plan B for the Vikings if they land Cortland Finnegan, as they could plug both into their rotation. But, the Vikings need cornerbacks, and Carr would be a lot more serviceable than some of the guys the Vikings ran out on the field last season.

Marques Colston

Whether it be by signing the other two previously mentioned wide receivers on this list or by drafting somebody like Justin Blackmon in the upcoming NFL draft, the Vikings will get a receiver.

What's unclear is if they would be willing to take a chance on Marques Colston.

Colston has had a very serviceable career, but there could be a chance that he is a system receiver. Throughout his time with the Saints, Colston usually lined up in the slot and got man coverage because of the way that Drew Brees spreads the ball around.

It begs the question that if Colston were to go somewhere else, would he have the same success he's seen in New Orleans (especially because Christian Ponder is no Drew Brees...yet)?

There's also the concern of durability with Colston. Not because he's missed a truckload of games over his career, but at age 29, Colston has had five knee surgeries. That doesn't sound good at all.

Colston comes with some risk, but he could provide a huge payoff for the team that takes a chance on him.

Pierre Garcon

Vikings GM Rick Spielman wants to add playmakers, so he may take one of the cogs of the Indianapolis Colts offense in Pierre Garcon.

While the Colts as a team were absolutely dreadful, Garcon still put together a solid season with over 70 catches and 900 yards receiving.

The only concern here is consistency. If Garcon can catch the ball on a regular basis, the Vikings could use him as a No. 2 receiver until they can develop another deep threat on the outside to help Percy Harvin.

He's a much safer pick than Marques Colston, but will he command too much money for the Vikings to make a play for him?

Stephen Tulloch

Sometimes, if you can't beat them, you sign them to giant free-agent deals.

The Vikings went 0-2 against the Detroit Lions last season, so it's possible that they could try and pick up one of their young studs on defense and plug him in.

Tulloch is just 26 years old and is coming off of a very good season with the Lions. Detroit will definitely try to sign him, but the Vikings could consider making a play. After all, E.J. Henderson is not getting any younger, and the linebacking core lacked some spark last season.

This move isn't very likely, but it's one that many Vikings fans would welcome with open arms.

Mario Manningham

Just to drive the point home one last time, the Vikings could really use some playmakers to help Christian Ponder. Why not take the guy who made the biggest catch of the NFL season?

Mario Manningham might not have the talent to be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL, but he can be a reliable target for a young quarterback.

While Manningham could decide to go back to the New York Giants, the defending Super Bowl champions will also have to pay Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz in the next several seasons. That doesn't seem like a good situation to bring Manningham back.

If he tests the free-agent market, the Vikings might give him a call to try and put him next to Percy Harvin.