Vikings Free Agency Preview: 5 Players Minnesota Should Aggressively Pursue

On Tuesday, March 13, at 4 p.m. EST, the feeding frenzy known as the NFL free-agent signing period begins, and football fans everywhere will be constantly checking their computers, phones, televisions and tablets to see who has signed where.

For the Minnesota Vikings, like every team in the league, this period can bring both good news and bad news. It's a chance to make your football team a lot better in a short time, but teams must keep in mind that nothing about it is free.

On the one hand, signing on new players is exciting and brings with it the hope of an improved roster, but in the blink of an eye, teams can also suffer the gut punch of losing a player they thought they would certainly re-sign.

For the Vikings, the 2012 free agency period should be a lot more encouraging than discouraging. None of their free agents would be crucial losses, and anyone they sign on would almost certainly be an upgrade over what they had during the 2011 season.

The Vikings opened up a lot of cap room on their roster Saturday by cutting loose veterans Steve Hutchinson, Anthony Herrera and Cedric Griffin, clearing up over $14 million in salary and leaving the team more than $20 million under the expected salary cap for 2012.

With that in mind, here's a look at some of the top free agents the Vikings should go after starting Tuesday afternoon.

Carl Nicks, G, New Orleans Saints

In 2006, the Minnesota Vikings signed free-agent guard Steve Hutchinson to the richest contract ever given a guard, paying him $49 million over seven years.

On Saturday, the Vikings cut Hutchinson after five great seasons and one mediocre one.

The Vikings should replace Hutchinson by repeating history and offering Carl Nicks the new richest contract ever offered a guard. The New Orleans Saints' massive guard will hit free agency on Tuesday afternoon, and after Peyton Manning, will probably be the most sought after player available.

He won't come cheap.

In order to land the 6'5", 340-pound road grater, some team is going to have to pay Nicks probably more than the $8.5 million currently being made by New England's Logan Mankins, the highest-paid guard in football.

Nicks turns just 27 years old in May and is just entering his prime. Adding Nicks and probable first-round draft pick Matt Kalil would instantly turn one of Minnesota's biggest weaknesses into a strength.

New Vikings GM Rick Spielman might see the Nicks price tag as being too high, and considering that he's more than likely assured of adding a blue-chipper to the offensive line, he may choose to use the lion's share of his free-agent money at some other position.

The Vikings need to fill holes everywhere, so Spielman will have to determine if he's better off adding one huge fish like Nicks, or adding a couple of players at other positions.

Other guards the Vikings might consider that would come much cheaper than Nicks would be Ben Grubbs and Evan Mathis.

LaRon Landry, S, Washington Redskins

When healthy, LaRon Landry is one of the better strong safeties in the NFL. 

The problem is, he hasn't been able to stay healthy over the course of his five-year career.

The 6'0", 220-pounder was the sixth-overall pick in the 2007 draft and was an immediate impact player for the Washington Redskins, known for his big hits and game-changing plays. Through the first half of the 2010 season, Landry was in the mix for NFL Defensive Player of the Year before an Achilles injury derailed his season.

Landry only played in eight games in 2011, suffering through a tight hamstring and his re-occuring Achilles tendon problems.

His injury-prone past is certainly a bit of a red flag, but on the bright side, because of his injury history, he can't command the type of salary that would be commensurate of the type of player he is when he's on the field.

Still just 27 years old, Landry should be entering into his prime as a player, and if he can stay healthy, will be a complete steal to whichever team signs him on.

For the Vikings he would be a massive upgrade over any safety they've had for the past half-a-dozen seasons. They should think of him as a bigger version of Antoine Winfield that could anchor their back end on defense. 

Vincent Jackson, WR, San Diego Chargers

The Vikings are in desperate need of a No. 1 receiver.

Vincent Jackson is a No. 1 receiver and the best one available in the 2012 free-agent class.

With quarterback Christian Ponder heading into his crucial second season, the Vikings have to put some better pieces around him to get an honest evaluation of Ponder going forward. We know the offensive line is going to be at least a little bit better, and with Kyle Rudolph having a year under his belt and Percy Harvin continuing to be one of the best slot players in the league, the Vikings have to add a top-level deep threat to keep defenses more honest when game planning for Ponder.

The 6'5", 230-pounder has had an enigmatic run in San Diego, but there's no doubt that when his head is in the game, he's one of the best receivers in the league. Jackson has put together three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for the Chargers and made two of the last three Pro Bowls.

Even though Jackson has clashed with the Chargers brass several times in his career, it would surprise no one if he re-signed with San Diego, so the Vikings have to have their eyes on some other receivers as well.

Marques Colston seems to be the next best option for the Vikings, but he might carry an inflated price tag for someone who has had the luxury of playing with Drew Brees in the Saints system during his career.

Pierre Garcon could be an intriguing option for Minnesota as well, and although he hasn't yet played up to his asking price of around $7 million per season, his stellar play last year on an awful Colts team proved that Garcon may be on the cusp of superstar status.

Brandon Carr, CB, Kansas City Chiefs

The Vikings corners are bad. The Vikings corners thought Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries had a pretty good marriage; that's how bad they are.

We know it, they know it, everyone everywhere knows it at this point.

The Vikings will draft a corner who they have to hope will be able to step into the starting lineup. In the back of their minds, they also have to be hoping that Chris Cook is cleared of domestic assault charges and able to resume his football career.

They also have to sign a starting corner in free agency.

Of those available, the cream of the crop appear to be Cortland Finnegan and Brandon Carr. Carr certainly brings a better attitude than Finnegan and is a couple of years younger. While adding either of them would be a monstrous upgrade over what the Vikings have had, signing Carr might be a bit cheaper and with a bit of a brighter future than Finnegan.

Carr was a fifth-round pick out of Grand Valley State in 2008 and has gotten better every year in the league. At just 25 years old, his best years are ahead of him.

Both Carr and Finnegan will get plenty of offers, so the Vikings will probably also be ready with offers to some second-tier corners like William Middleton, Richard Marshall and Dwight Lowery.

Curtis Lofton, MLB, Atlanta Falcons

Curtis Lofton is the player that E.J. Henderson might have been.

Henderson was a warrior in his time with the Vikings, but too many knee injuries kept Henderson from being the type of player he could have become.

Lofton is a lot like Henderson, a hitter who excels against the run. While he isn't great in pass defense, he isn't a huge liability either. Lofton is at the top of this year's class of inside linebackers, at just 25 years old. Lofton is coming off of a 147-tackle, two-interception season.

While Lofton and Stephen Tulloch might both cost more than the Vikings are willing to spend, Minnesota might also have their eyes on David Hawthorne of the Seahawks and Dan Connor of Carolina. 

While linebacker may be the least of the Vikings worries when it comes to free agency, the hope among Vikings fans is that the team re-signs Erin Henderson on the outside and finds someone who can play in the middle, either Jasper Brinkley, a free agent or someone in the draft.