Minnesota Vikings Free-Agency Tracker: Updated Signings, Rumors and Grades
As the free-agency period officially begins, the rumors have been flying faster this year than any other, though not much has happened on the Minnesota Vikings front.
We're keeping an updated tracker here for all the Vikings rumors, signings and more—and grading along the way.
Be sure to check in throughout the day to see the latest rumors and reports on your favorite team.
Minnesota Vikings Re-Sign OL Joe Berger
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The Minnesota Vikings have re-signed swing OL and likely backup Joe Berger to a two-year deal, per Chris Tomasson at the St. Paul Pioneer Press. At 33, Berger is near the end of his NFL life and may not even see the next year of his deal.
Earlier in the process, Tomasson reported Berger wanted to get "starter's money," which would be a big problem for a career backup like Berger. He figures to play that same role for the Vikings and because guards are hard to find in the NFL, even as backups, that's a good move in the abstract.
With the deal reported to be a two-year, $2.155 million contract and $800,000 in incentives, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today, it's not quite as drastic as what Berger's agent had people believe.
Berger is a smart player who knows the Vikings' blocking schemes, but is only "solid" as a backup guard, and not good enough to start. He has limited functional strength and agility, though has good awareness and technique.
Overall, the Vikings retained the services of a valuable player who can fill many roles, and did it for a somewhat high price—but nothing that would break the bank. The Vikings ideally would like to go younger and groom a backup, but until that happens, this is the best they can do.
Grade: B+
Minnesota Vikings Have Signed QB Shaun Hill
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The Vikings have signed quarterback Shaun Hill, per Ross Jones of Fox. Hill has previous experience as a quarterback for Norv Turner in 2006 and has played in a variety of offensive systems, which should give him some usefulness on the defensive side of the ball as well.
Because backup quarterbacks are deeply involved in game-planning and during games on the sideline, Hill can provide a lot of use for the Vikings from his experience alone. His play as a backup has been extremely solid, too, and in the five seasons he's had with at least 50 pass attempts, he's stayed within league averages for adjusted net yards per attempt and interception rate.
He can win a game that has already been won and he can take care of the offense for a few games if the primary quarterback is out, all things people want in a backup.
Though older, the 35-year-old Hill can be very valuable.
Grade: A
Minnesota Vikings Re-Sign LS Cullen Loeffler
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The Minnesota Vikings have re-signed Cullen Loeffler, who is coming off of a bad year where his snaps were consistently off-target and created issues for holder/punter Jeff Locke in both the kicking and punting game. Of note is Loeffler's gaffe against Miami, where a botched long snap led to the Dolphins winning the game on a blocked punt.
Long snappers are hard to find, and it's a one-year deal, according to Andrew Krammer of
1500ESPN.com. Expect Loeffler to receive competition in camp, as his spot won't be secure.
The Vikings didn't have much choice because there wasn't a market for long snappers other than Morgan Cox, formerly of the Ravens, who was injured last year. Still, until a plan materializes to replace the older Loeffler, who is 34, this should cause a little bit of worry.
Grade: B-
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Minnesota Vikings Re-Sign DT Tom Johnson
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A defensive tackle in rotation that wasn't expected to do much going into his fourth year in the NFL, Tom Johnson exploded with the Vikings and was their best defensive tackle heading into the middle of the season before starter Sharrif Floyd hit his groove.
Johnson doesn't have much tread on his tires even though he's turning 31 this year, as he spent the previous three years in semiprofessional football leagues and two years on the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad.
The Vikings needed defensive tackle depth with him becoming a free agent, so locking him down was a solid move. He's certainly one of the best backup defensive tackles in a league full of them, and even if he doesn't replicate his stunning six-sack performance, he'll likely be worth it.
The deal is three years, and worth $7 million, with $3 million in guarantees, according to USA Today's Tom Pelissero.
Grade: A
Minnesota Vikings Re-Sign RB Matt Asiata
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Running back Matt Asiata drew a lot of ire from fans last year for starting ahead of the more exciting but younger Jerick McKinnon. Asiata had been derided as a plodder without much upside, and his 3.5 yards per carry didn't help matters.
But Asiata can be useful in specific situations. He has hands and the versatility to play fullback as well as halfback and can provide some degree of consistency due to his vision. He did, after all, rank sixth in success rate last year, per Football Outsiders. The deal is for less than $1 million and contains quite a bit in incentives, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
So long as he isn't the starter going forward and is used in limited circumstances (if Adrian Peterson returns, his success rate has often been much lower than Asiata's has been), he can be a good signing.
Grade: B+
Minnesota Vikings Tender Offer to OT Mike Harris
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According to ESPN's Ben Goessling, the Vikings have tendered an offer to restricted free agent offensive tackle Mike Harris, which allows other teams to offer him a contract, but gives the Vikings the rights to match and keep him.
As a backup offensive tackle, it's hard to expect too much in terms of performance from him, but it still doesn't seem like a good signing. It's low-risk, however, and if the Vikings enter training camp with competition at his backup spot, that's a good thing.
Harris has been slow to react to opposing defensive linemen and hasn't been able to leverage his tools into effective on-field play. He's improved from his time as an undrafted rookie, where he was starting tackle for Norv Turner's San Diego Chargers team, but unless he shows continued improvement, his spot should be at risk.
If he meets his potential, then he will be a very good backup.
Grade: B
Minnesota Vikings Lose out on Guard Clint Boling to the Bengals
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The Minnesota Vikings were interested in Bengals guard Clint Boling, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. That ended when he re-signed with the Bengals, per Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network.
Boling would have been a great signing for the Vikings, and not because Boling gets to see Mike Zimmer again. Boling has been consistent throughout this career as an above-average pass-blocker and functional run-blocker. This past year he's said to have improved that part of his game, though whether that's because of a random variation in his play, genuine improvement or a change in offensive scheme remains to be seen.
He still would have been an upgrade over the recently departed Charlie Johnson, whose inconsistency as a pass-blocker and run-blocker have caused issues for the Vikings for years. While Johnson may have been good as a pulling blocker—perhaps better than Boling—it doesn't make up for the consistent pressure given up through the left side from his assignments.
There's some thought that an improvement at left guard will help Matt Kalil at left tackle, but if Kalil improves next year, it will likely because of a change in the quality of his own play, not the left guard's. Still, it would have been good to sign Boling at a position where "good enough" means the world.
Minnesota Vikings Interested in DE Michael Johnson
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The Minnesota Vikings are hosting defensive end Michael Johnson, who was recently cut from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to Chris Tomasson at the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Johnson, of course, has experience working with head coach Mike Zimmer and in Zimmer's system. He has a close personal relationship with Zimmer as well, and may be attracted to the Vikings on that basis alone.
The former Bengals defensive end had a poor year in Tampa Bay, not just notching a mere four sacks but adding to it very little in terms of quarterback pressures, with only 28 this year. Per Pro Football Focus, Johnson put pressure on the quarterback just less than eight percent of the time, which ranks as 32nd among all 4-3 defensive ends that qualified.
Minnesota defensive end Everson Griffen ranks sixth in the metric, and Brian Robison ranks 15th.
Those are career lows for Johnson, who in 2013 had pressures on over 11 percent of snaps and 10.8 percent in 2012.
Johnson's strength isn't even rushing the passer; it's stopping the run. He had the sixth-highest run-stopping grade in 2012 and the second-highest such grade (both per Pro Football Focus) in 2013 in Mike Zimmer's scheme, and added to that the ability to bat down passes (leading the league with seven in 2013).
He's stout, assignment-sound, and extremely athletic for a player of his size and age at a position that is supposed to be stacked with high-end athletes. He would enter the rotation as the team's best run-stopping end, and a nickel defensive tackle when need be. He can drop into coverage even better than Robison and Griffen did last year and is savvy, if not entirely as productive, at rushing the passer.
Though Johnson's numbers haven't been stellar, he would be a good signing that can do exactly what Zimmer wants him to do.
Minnesota Vikings Rumored to Be Interested in S Taylor Mays
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According to Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune, the Minnesota Vikings have reached out to safety Taylor Mays, who has worked with head coach Mike Zimmer in the past in Cincinnati, where Zimmer was a defensive coordinator. Mays had one of the best combine performances in history, especially for a safety, but he is not a good player.
An intelligent, charismatic worker who plays and studies with a lot of effort, Mays has never turned his athletic talent into on-field success, though if he transitions into a hybrid safety/linebacker role like he did at the back end of his career in Cincinnati, he may find his home there.
Regardless, he's not a bad depth option, but if the Vikings end up starting him at safety, where they have a big need, he'll either need to improve in massive ways or the Vikings really are lost there.
The Vikings are competing for him with the Oakland Raiders, Washington Redskins, Cincinnati Bengals and St. Louis Rams, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Minnesota Vikings Rumored to Be Interested in CB Patrick Robinson
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The Vikings have shown interest in Patrick Robinson, along with four other teams, according to Scott Brown at ESPN.
Robinson struggled for much of his time with the New Orleans Saints, but his 2014 showing should give anybody signs of optimism for the young, athletic defensive back. Another Florida State alum, Patrick Robinson is built more like former Central Florida alum Josh Robinson rather than Florida State standout Xavier Rhodes.
A smaller cornerback who's stoutly built and very fast, Robinson is more potential than talent and that's fine, given who the Vikings have coaching the secondary—head coach Mike Zimmer and defensive backs coach Jerry Gray.
On the other hand, Patrick is the opposite of Josh: he plays better in the slot than on the outside. In the NFL, he doesn't seem to play as physically as he did at FSU, and though that would be a big problem, especially for his size, on the outside, it's much less of a problem in the slot, even though the NFC North has big players perfectly willing to line up there.
He can be instinctive there and uses his agility well, and he had high-level technique in college even if it seemed to be lost in the NFL.
Robinson is a ball of potential with a lot of upside, and the Vikings may be in place to unlock it, and very cheaply as well.
Minnesota Vikings Rumored to Be Interested in DE George Selvie
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Cowboys defensive end George Selvie has drawn the interest of the Vikings, per Ben Goessling of ESPN. The Vikings need a better rotation at defensive end after Corey Wootton's disappointing year (and departure). Even with the development of Scott Crichton, Mike Zimmer does not like to have his starting defensive ends play over 950 snaps each, having rotated much more in previous years.
Selvie wouldn't be a "steal" in the sense of finding a hidden gem, but he certainly would be useful. He was a good starter for Dallas in 2013 and last year was supposed to be a backup before he was forced into the starting rotation again.
Though he had a disappointing season this last year, his overall body of work would suggest that this would be a good signing in the rotation.
Minnesota Vikings Rumored to Be Interested in DE Adrian Clayborn
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Though plagued by injury throughout his career, the Vikings' rumored interest, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, in Adrian Clayborn makes a lot of sense. Clayborn, a former first-round pick, showed a lot of promise for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a rookie, but has spent two of his four seasons there on the injured reserve list.
If he can recover from injury, the 280-pound defensive end from Iowa seems like a perfect fit in the Zimmer scheme, and can feature as a run-stopping end in defensive subpackages or with good play could supplant Brian Robison's spot on the roster as the starter.
He figures to be cheap, but still has a lot of talent.
Minnesota Vikings Don't Land A.J. Hawk
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The Vikings had reached out to another former Packer, per Ben Goessling of ESPN. This time it was linebacker A.J. Hawk, who was released by the team across the border recently. The Vikings didn't seem to make a strong play for Hawk, and he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, per ESPN.
Drafted in the same class as Chad Greenway, A.J. Hawk played the same position for the Packers defense (though with different designations because the Vikings ran a 4-3 under) before Green Bay switched to a 3-4. He would likely have taken over that bubble linebacker spot had he joined the Vikings.
It's good that the Vikings' interest wasn't very serious, as Hawk would be a disappointing signing, with the exception that it would have been made with depth or platooning in mind and not as an every-down starter. An exceedingly poor run defender, Hawk knows his assignments and sticks to run fits, but does not wrap up or get to the ball-carrier easily despite occasionally playing with strong enough defensive linemen to take on blockers.
As a coverage defender Hawk has been pretty good but not great. For the most part, he's a better coverage linebacker than other linebackers who play off the line of scrimmage, but that difference is worth bringing him in.
The Vikings are better for not having pursued Hawk very hard.
Minnesota Vikings Rumored to Be Interested in RB Stevan Ridley
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As reported by Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Vikings have inquired about Stevan Ridley, which would be a great move if they are forced to part ways with Adrian Peterson. Ridley will likely come cheaper than Mark Ingram's $4 million-per-year contract with the New Orleans Saints, but will come with starting quality talent.
Ridley is a good between-the-tackles runner that can complement Jerick McKinnon if the Vikings feel he isn't a fit for inside running. Ridley is a phenomenal pass-blocker and very good catcher as well, and should do quite a bit to keep the offense on schedule.
The former Patriot plays with a lot of power and relishes contact, while at the same time running with vision and intelligence. He knows how to press lanes or take on contact with the right leverage and is good at moving the pile or breaking arm tackles.
He would be a great fit for the offense.
Minnesota Vikings Rumored to Be Interested in LB Andrew Gachkar
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According to Mike Garafolo of FoxSports.com, the Vikings have been connected more than once to Andrew Gachkar, a linebacker and special teams ace from the San Diego Chargers.
Gachkar comes with an interesting story. As a freshman at Mizzou, he had thoracic outlet syndrome and needed multiple surgeries to remove blood clots. He was not expected to return to football, but after putting on the necessary weight to recover he was able to contribute to the Tigers defense as an impact starter.
A subpackage player for the Chargers, Gachkar has seen a couple of starts. Though he comes from a 3-4 system, he would likely fit in Chad Greenway's spot as the "Will" linebacker. At 234 pounds, there are not a lot of other spots he could fit in. He's a good special teams player, too, and should be expected to contribute there.
Minnesota Vikings Rumored to Be Interested in CB Chris Culliver
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According to ESPN's Ben Goessling, the Minnesota Vikings have expressed interest in cornerback Chris Culliver, who played last year for the San Francisco 49ers. A very talented cornerback, Culliver is a little more well-known for his off-field headlines than on-field.
During the media day for the 2013 Super Bowl (for the 2012 season), Culliver indicated that a gay person would not be welcome in the San Francisco locker room. He apologized for those comments later.
In March of last year, Culliver was arrested on charges of a felony hit-and-run and weapons possession after he reportedly hit a bicyclist with his car and fled the scene. Afterward, he was alleged to have threatened with brass knuckles a witness to the incident who followed him and blocked him. The charges have since been reduced to "felony possession of brass knuckles, misdemeanor hit-and-run and misdemeanor driving on a suspended license," according to KTVU.
He also spent the entire 2013 season on injured reserve.
Despite all that, he's a well-regarded on-field player and is considered a valuable free agent this year. With San Francisco this last year, he grabbed four interceptions and only allowed 50.7 percent of passes thrown his way to be caught, per Pro Football Focus.
Culliver is a combination of incredible athlete and some precision, making him a player who isn't raw but still has upside. He has the physical profile that the Vikings look for in a cornerback and plays with physicality that head coach Mike Zimmer is a fan of.
He allowed the sixth-best passer rating among cornerbacks in the NFL this last year (again, per Pro Football Focus) and he does it with a combination of awareness and burst. He's a good zone cornerback that has flashed good play in man coverage. It would be a good signing for the Vikings because he is likely to be undervalued, but they will have to resolve those off-field concerns.
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