Why Josh Freeman Is a Good Fit for the Minnesota Vikings

After one of the most interesting coach-quarterback feuds in recent memory, Josh Freeman has finally moved on from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and signed with the Minnesota Vikings, which was announced by Freeman’s agent, Erik Burhardt. The deal is reportedly a one-year contract worth around $3 million, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Freeman, who has had a tough year from a statistical standpoint, including an abysmal 45.7 completion percentage, is getting paid starting quarterback money with Minnesota.

Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier has said Freeman won’t start this Sunday against the Panthers, which was expected.

There has been growing speculation about the Vikings’ starting quarterback position, especially after Matt Cassell stepped in for an injured Christian Ponder and delivered a 34-27 win in London over the Steelers.

From a skill standpoint, Freeman notoriously has one of the strongest arms in the league, although he has always struggled with his accuracy.

According to this article by the USA Today, multiple NFL scouts believe Freeman has an immense amount of talent, but his resistance to coaching is hurting his development. The article also states that scouts noticed that Freeman’s intangibles, ranging from footwork to throwing location, continue to regress.  

Statistically, Freeman has outperformed his Minnesota counterparts. The following is a breakdown of Freeman, Cassel and Ponder’s stats since 2011, Ponder’s rookie season (statistics provided by ESPN).

Freeman

Year	Completion %	Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions
2011	62.8	3,592	16	22
2012	54.8	4,065	27	17
2013	45.7	571	2	3

Ponder

Year	Completion %	Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions
2011	54.3	1,853	13	13
2012	62.1	2,935	18	12
2013	59	691	2	5

Cassel

Year	Completion %	Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions
2011	59.5	1,713	10	9
2012	58.1	1,796	6	12
2013	64	248	2	0

Statistically, neither Cassel nor Ponder has been able to come close to Freeman’s production, although both have better completion percentages and are less turnover-prone.

The Buccaneers have a solid group of skill position players with Doug Martin, Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams, but it didn’t seem like Freeman could get on the same page with them, whether it was due to the coaching scheme or other chemistry issues. Also, Martin and Jackson are only in their second season with the Buccaneers, which shows Freeman did more with less thus far in his career.

Taking into account the reality TV-like storylines with Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano and his system, a system Freeman could never adjust to, it is easy to see why things didn’t work out with Freeman and the Buccaneers.

The Vikings have the best running back in football with Adrian Peterson, a developing offensive line and also have a solid group of position players such as Greg Jennings, Kyle Rudolph and Cordarrelle Patterson.

With a much needed change of scenery and the previously mentioned weapons, Freeman could be on track to resurrect what is left of his career. 

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After one of the most interesting coach—quarterback feuds in recent memory, Josh Freeman has finally moved on from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and signed with the Minnesota Vikings, which was announced by Freeman’s agent, Erik Burhardt. The deal is reportedly a one-year deal and worth around three million dollars, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Shefter.

Freeman, who has had a tough year from a statistical standpoint, including an abysmal 45.7 completion percentage, is getting paid starting quarterback money with Minnesota.

Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier has said Freeman won’t start this Sunday against the Panthers, which was expected.

There has been growing speculation about the Vikings’ starting quarterback position, especially after Matt Cassell stepped in for an injured Christian Ponder and delivered a 34-27 win in London over the Steelers.

From a skill standpoint, Freeman notoriously has one of the strongest arms in the league, although he has always had struggles with his accuracy.

According to this article by USA Today, multiple NFL scouts believe Freeman has an immense amount of talent, but his resistance to coaching is hurting his development. The article also states that scouts noticed that Freeman’s intangibles, ranging from footwork to throwing location, continue to regress.  

Statistically, Freeman has outperformed his Minnesota counterparts. The following is a breakdown of Freeman, Cassel, and Ponder’s stats since 2011, Ponder’s rookie season.

Freeman

Year	Completion %	Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions
2011	62.8	3,592	16	22
2012	54.8	4,065	27	17
2013	45.7	571	2	3

Ponder

Year	Completion %	Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions
2011	54.3	1,853	13	13
2012	62.1	2,935	18	12
2013	59	691	2	5

Cassel

Year	Completion %	Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions
2011	59.5	1,713	10	9
2012	58.1	1,796	6	12
2013	64	248	2	0

Statistically, neither Cassel nor Ponder has been able to come close to Freeman’s production, although both have better completion percentages and are less turnover prone.

The Buccaneers have a solid group of skill position players with Doug Martin, Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams, but it didn’t seem like Freeman could get on the same page with them, whether it was due to the coaching scheme or other chemistry issues. Also, Martin and Jackson are only in their second seasons with the Buccaneers, which shows Freeman did more with less thus far in his career.

Also, taking into account the reality TV-like storylines with Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano and his system, a system Freeman could never adjust to, it is easy to see why things didn’t work out with Freeman and the Buccaneers.

The Vikings have the best running back in football with Adrian Peterson, a developing offensive line, and also have a solid group of position players such as Greg Jennings, Kyle Rudolph and Cordarrelle Patterson.

With a much needed change of scenery and the previously mentioned weapons, Freeman could be on track to resurrect what is left of his career.