Minnesota Vikings: 5 Perfect Free-Agent Fits for the Vikings
Hey Vikings fans, how do you think Dez Bryant would look in purple?
As we enter the second week in January, it's dreaming season for the 24 NFL teams who are no longer in the hunt for the Super Bowl.
That includes the Minnesota Vikings, who are coming off a 7-9 season and will certainly be looking to bolster their roster via free agency. The negotiating period doesn't officially begin for NFL free agents for two months, so now is the time to dream big.
OK, not that big. Bryant won't be wearing No. 88 for the Vikings next season. If you think Jerry Jones is going to let Bryant play for anyone but the Dallas Cowboys, you haven't been paying close enough attention.
While nobody expects the Vikings to spend extravagantly this offseason, they should have plenty of money to play with as they assess where to improve their roster.
According to OvertheCap.com, Minnesota currently sits roughly about $10 million under the expected salary cap, which is between $138.6 and $141.8 million, per ESPN Pro Football Insider Adam Schefter.
The league cap number may rise as much as $10 million once revenues from the 2014 season are totaled, according to Schefter.
So where does that leave the Vikings when it comes to what is expected to be one of the best free-agent classes ever?
Minnesota has plenty of needs, from the offensive line and wide receiver on offense, to linebacker and secondary help on defense. While it's probably a long shot that the Vikings will go after a top-10-type free agent, they may go after a starter or two like they did last offseason when they signed both Linval Joseph and Captain Munnerlyn.
Here we give you five free agents who would be perfect fits for the Vikings. We'll also analyze who else they may be looking at for each position and what the odds are that they'll pursue a free agent at that position.
Wide Receiver: Michael Crabtree
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The guess here is that the cream of the wide receiver free-agent crop will all stay home and sign extensions with their current teams.
Nobody thinks Dez Bryant is going to leave Dallas. The same goes for Demaryius Thomas in Denver and Randall Cobb in Green Bay. Jeremy Maclin will be looking for superstar money, and we'll see if Chip Kelly thinks he's worth it, but either way, he'll be too expensive for the Vikings.
After those four players, the wide receiver pool drops down a bit to players like Michael Crabtree, Torrey Smith, Kenny Britt, Eddie Royal and Hakeem Nicks.
While none of those guys makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck, Smith probably has the biggest upside and is the closest thing to a true No. 1 receiver in the group. He caught just 49 passes this year, but his 11 touchdowns will probably vault him into a pay range the Vikings don't want to venture into with a guy who isn't a sure thing.
Minnesota probably feels a little burned when it comes to free-agent wide receivers. It signed Greg Jennings to a five-year, $45 million dollar deal in 2013 that just hasn't payed off. Jennings is the 10th-highest-paid receiver according to OvertheCap.com, but his 742 receiving yards ranked just 58th in the league this year.
The Vikings are set to pay Jennings $11 million in 2015, with $6 million of that being dead money, so they may have their purse strings tied a little bit when it comes to receivers. Minnesota does have the option to cut Jennings after June 1 and save $9 million in cap money, per OvertheCap.com.
One intriguing option for Minnesota would be Crabtree, who would bring experience in a body that's four years younger than Jennings. Crabtree is a very similar player to Jennings but still might be a viable No. 1 receiver, where Jennings is not.
The problem with Crabtree is that he might be looking for No. 1-type of money, and he hasn't earned that.
Highly touted out of college, Crabtree has never gained elite status after being the 10th overall pick in the 2009 draft. He has just one 1,000-yard season in his six years with the 49ers, but his 85-catch, nine-touchdown season in 2012 showed what he's capable of.
At 6'1", 214 pounds with great hands, Crabtree is still only 27 years old, and a change of scenery might do him some good. One would think that leaving a division that includes terrifying defenses in Seattle, Arizona and St. Louis would be appealing to him.
With the 2014 rookie class of wide receivers proving once and for all that it's not impossible to jump right in and be a dominant player at the position, the Vikings may be hoping to land a wideout in the first two rounds of the draft.
All we know for certain is that the Vikings receiving corps wasn't good enough in 2014. How Minnesota moves forward has several mitigating factors. How far away is Cordarrelle Patterson from being legitimate? What's the ceiling for Charles Johnson? How valuable might Jennings be to the maturation process of Teddy Bridgewater?
If Minnesota does go after a free-agent receiver like Crabtree, you could assume it would be looking to cut Jennings after June 1.
Likelihood the Vikings Sign a Free-Agent Receiver: 50 percent.
Left Guard: Mike Iupati
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Would the Vikings like to add Mike Iupati to their offensive line?
Well duh.
The 6'5", 330-pound left guard is the jewel of this year's free-agent offensive line pool, and he's going to get paid big money. The three-time Pro Bowler is one of the best run-blocking guards in the NFL, and it's pretty tempting to dream about what could happen if Minnesota were able to bring back Adrian Peterson and also add Iupati to the mix.
The hesitation in going after Iupati, of course, is the money. He's going to cost a lot. If you sign Iupati, you're probably not going to sign any significant players on defense.
But you can certainly make the case that he'd be worth it.
Doug Williams of NBCBayArea.com writes the following about Iupati, and when you read it, just imagine how it would work with him and Adrian Peterson together:
"Iupati, just named to another Pro Bowl, has been a big part of the San Francisco success story since 2011. He’s been hailed as one of the best run-blocking guards in the NFL, and he’s a huge (6-foot-5, 331-pound) and agile athlete who can pull and get outside the tackles to spring running backs for big gains.
With an offense built around a power running game, Iupati has been a perfect fit.
"
Gulp. Yes, please. If the Vikings are interested in seeing their offense take the huge step forward that their defense did in 2014, getting Peterson back and adding Iupati might just do the trick.
You can certainly make the argument that adding those two would be more valuable to Bridgewater's growth than adding a receiver.
Going even further, the addition of a presence like Iupati might do wonders for the career reset that's needed with left tackle Matt Kalil. Lining up next to a Pro Bowl guard would only help Kalil's resurgence.
Other free-agent guards the Vikings might have interest in (for less money) include Clint Boling, Orlando Franklin and James Carpenter.
Likelihood the Vikings Sign a Free-Agent Guard: 70 percent.
Linebacker: Rey Maualuga
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The Vikings have needed to upgrade at middle linebacker for a few years now.
It only makes sense that the Vikings might make a move for one of head coach Mike Zimmer's former players in Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga.
There are certainly red flags with Maualuga, though. He's never quite been the difference-maker many thought he'd be when he was drafted out of USC in 2009.
He had a career-high 122 tackles in 2012 but hasn't made over 100 in any other of his six seasons. Maualuga played in 12 games this year and made 59 tackles while making $3.8 million. Jasper Brinkley made 75 tackles for the Vikings while making just $830,000.
We'll admit that the Vikings need help at linebacker, but we're not entirely sure that Maualuga is enough of an upgrade over Brinkley to justify a much bigger salary. Having said that, nobody knows Maualuga's intangibles better than Zimmer, so if the head coach thinks he's worth it, the Vikings will make a play for him.
The Vikings have a budding star in Anthony Barr on the outside, along with a couple of good depth players in Gerald Hodges and Audie Cole. The jury is still out on whether Minnesota will bring back Chad Greenway at a reduced rate.
Minnesota certainly wants to upgrade at linebacker, but it's not a very scintillating free-agent class at that position. The Vikings aren't going to drop huge dollars on an outside guy, and the most promising inside player might be Rolando McClain of the Cowboys.
Zimmer will more than likely be the one calling the shot here, especially it they consider Maualuga.
Other linebackers the Vikings might consider would be McClain and Brandon Spikes.
Likelihood the Vikings Sign a Free-Agent Linebacker: 60 percent.
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Cornerback: Byron Maxwell
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While the Vikings secondary was vastly improved in 2014, there's still room for more talent.
Second-year man Xavier Rhodes has locked down the top spot at cornerback for Minnesota, but neither Captain Munnerlyn nor Josh Robinson has shown enough to be a certain starter at the other spot.
Munnerlyn was signed as a free agent last offseason in the hopes that he would be the guy, but he had a disappointing 2014 season with only four passes defensed to go with his two interceptions. That's just not enough in a division as pass-happy as the NFC North.
Minnesota isn't going to spend huge dollars for a top cornerback, so you can cross off the biggest names like Darrelle Revis, Brandon Flowers or Chris Harris.
What it might be willing to do, though, is pay a guy like Seattle's Byron Maxwell to come in and start opposite of Rhodes and use Munnerlyn in the slot and Robinson as a depth guy.
Maxwell had two interceptions and led the Seahawks with 12 passes defensed in 2014. He might be looking to escape the shadows of Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor.
Maxwell has been with the Seahawks for four seasons after being a sixth-round pick out of Clemson in 2011. He's a player on the rise. He has clearly learned from the Pro Bowlers around him and should have his best days ahead of him.
Other cornerbacks Minnesota might have its eyes on are Chris Culliver, Perrish Cox and Patrick Robinson.
Likelihood the Vikings Sign a Free-Agent Cornerback: 50 percent.
Safety: Nate Allen
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Vikings safety Robert Blanton probably took more heat for his play in 2014 than anyone who's ever notched over 100 tackles in NFL history.
The reasons are pretty simple. Blanton not only doesn't make enough plays against the pass, but he gave up a couple of deep balls that stick in everybody's memory.
Nothing can get a fanbase to turn on a player more quickly than a touchdown pass given up and the slow-motion replays that follow.
"How can he not make a play on that ball?!" is a refrain heard all season long in every NFL city. It's not quite as easy as it looks.
Every team would love to sign a Devin McCourty or a Tashaun Gipson this offseason. It's just not reality, though. McCourty will be too expensive, and Gipson, a restricted free agent, will be staying in Cleveland.
One possibility for the Vikings is Nate Allen, who had four interceptions for the Eagles this season. Allen isn't near the aggressive tackler that Blanton is, but he'd certainly be an upgrade in the passing game.
Allen is just 27 years old and has 10 interceptions in his five seasons in Philadelphia.
The problem with the Vikings safety corps right now is that Harrison Smith seems to be the only one who can defend the pass. Blanton and Andrew Sendejo play more like linebackers.
Only the Vikings coaches know what they have in Antone Exum at this point. Exum was primarily a special teams player during his rookie season, but he's a converted cornerback from college and might be given more opportunities in 2015.
Other safeties Minnesota might be looking at are Marcus Gilchrist, Chris Conte and Da'Norris Searcy.
Likelihood the Vikings Sign a Free-Agent Safety: 45 Percent.
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