Jan 01, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats wide receiver Tony Jones (6) cannot make a catch as he is defended by Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive back Darius Slay (9) during the second half of the game in the Gator Bowl at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

The Vikings already had plans to limit Winfield’s snaps going into the 2013 season and make him a part-time player with the anticipation that the trio of Chris Cook, Josh Robinson and AJ Jefferson would be in a battle to earn the two outside starting corner spots.

Both Cook and Jefferson are eligible to become unrestricted free agents after the 2013 season ends making the cornerback position an area that needs to be addressed either in the 2013 Draft/Free Agency or the 2014 off-season.

With the Vikings playing a zone-based scheme that emphasizes corners (ideally that are bigger with exciting speed) that can press/jam receivers OTL and attack ball-carriers out of the backfield.  This gives the Vikings the ability to not use a first round draft pick on a top flight “shut down” corner that would shadow elite receivers. Even though the fan base may want a cornerback in the first round to replace Winfield, who did play at a very high level in 2013, the need to “fix” the position group may not be that dire in the minds of the Vikings front office with the young, developing talent the roster current has in place.

Outside of the two 2013 NFL Draft picks the team has (#23 & #25) the Vikings have the 52^nd overall pick in the second round of the draft.  That pick or possibly the 83^rd pick in the third round of the draft could be used to build the depth of the position and even provide a challenger to replace any of the three top options currently on the roster.

The Vikings have the added benefit that the 2013 crop of draft prospect at cornerback is deeper than other positions. While players with the size/speed combo plus that ability to play in our scheme like UConn’s Blidi-Wreh Wilson or Dwayne Gratz, Boise State’s Jamar Taylor or Rutgers’ Logan Ryan could be available in the late second round I think that one of the “hot” names on draft boards could be our selection with the 52^nd overall pick.  That player is Mississippi State’s Darius Slay, who confirmed to me that he attended the Minnesota Vikings “Top 30” prospect event earlier this month at Winter Park.

Feb 25, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Darius Slay jumps to stretch his legs before he runs the 40 yard dash during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Slay (6’0, 192) broke out to a degree in his senior season, with five interceptions, six pass breakups and 40 total tackles on the way to earning All-SEC Second Team honors. He college teammate and fellow CB Johnthan Banks is the better known prospect in draft circles, it is Slay that took his improved senior season then blew up at the NFL Combine with the best 40-yard dash time among defensive backs (4.36 seconds).  His measurables and late-rising draft stock are eerily similar to 2012 third-round draft pick Josh Robinson (5’10, 199) who was an under-the-radar pick even after he ran a CB-best 4.33 forty at the NFL Combine.  Slay has both the quickness and straight-line speed that NFL teams covet and has a penchant for 50-50 balls.  Slay, like Robinson, has experience as a kick returner which the Vikings could use with the loss of Percy Harvin.   He needs to improve against the run and show more aggressiveness in that area but has shown a willingness to play the run.

While Slay is still a raw prospect with upside it seems I am not the only one that sees his potential with his attendance at the “Top 30” event.  It is worth noting that his college teammate and fellow CB prospect Johnthan Banks was not in attendance at the event per Slay.  Vikings GM Rick Spielman does seem to have an apparent affinity for drafting college teammates that play in the same position group (Notre Dame Safeties Harrison Smith & Robert Blanton and Arkansas Wide Receivers’ Greg Childs & Jarius Wright) Slay didn’t lead me to believe the Vikings are looking to add both CBs in the this draft but we all know how Spielman likes to be secretive and/or create smoke screens.  Regardless of if we get the college teammates, Slay’s ball skills and quickness make him a nice fit for Minnesota’s base Cover-2 scheme in round two or later of the NFL Draft.

“Antoine Winfield was a very tough decision,” Rick Spielman said of the news, via 1500ESPN.com. “It was a business decision as we move forward. Antoine is a great football player for us.”

Releasing Winfield, who was going into the last year of his contract, cleared up $7.25 million in cap space for the Vikings.

Nov 25, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield (26) reacts to being called for a penalty against the Chicago Bears during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier in the offseason, Vikings brass had approached Winfield about taking a pay cut in 2013, but after another very productive year with 100 tackles and three picks, the Winfield camp was less than enthused about a renegotiation for less money.

Winfield’s cap number of $7.25 million was very steep for a slot cornerback turning 36 in June and looking at what Leslie Frazier called, “a reduced role.” However, Winfield is undeniably the best run-stopping cornerback in the game, even at his age, and his leadership and talent will most certainly be missed in the Vikings secondary.

Spielman, ever in PR-mode, spewed a little of the company line for us, as well.

“We definitely want to keep the door open on his possible return, but at this time we had to release him in order to get him out into free agency.”

That’s great, but frankly, Winfield already turned down the idea of playing for less money.

It’s certainly possible he goes out into free agency and sees that the Vikings are willing to pay more than anyone else, but there’s always a team like the Redskins dying to overpay for free agents (and wouldn’t you know, they just released DeAngelo Hall.)

It’s also possible Winfield just isn’t willing to play for the amount he is offered around the league and decides to hang it up.

It will be interesting to see whom the Vikings pick up to take Winfield’s place or if they are content with Chris Cook, Josh Robinson, AJ Jefferson and maybe a draft pick.

Either way, I fear for our run defense next year.

Hmmm, I wonder if Kevin Williams knows the names of any of the Vikings cornerbacks now, either..

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Editor’s Note: There seems to be some discrepency about whether or not the Vikings asked Antoine Winfield to take a pay cut. I’ll just let those with the sources duke it out Twitter-style.

Read somewhere #Vikings didn’t approach Winfield about a pay cut. Yes, they did. But there also was no dialogue for weeks after the combine.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 13, 2013

Winfield may not have been willing to restructure his contract. But he was never formally asked to do so.

— Dan Wiederer (@StribDW) March 13, 2013

Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

The 2012/2013 season has been more than most Vikings fans could have ever hoped for after an abysmal 3-13 2011 season. There have been ups and downs throughout this season, and at one point or another we’ve all had some doubts about how this team would finish out the regular season and if our team would get a chance to make it to the postseason for the first time since 2009. Fortunately for our well-being and our dedication, the Vikings were able to squeeze their way into the playoffs after an improbable run of four-straight victories against quality opponents.

There’s no telling what could happen in the postseason and that’s what is most exciting about the playoffs – every team has a shot.

Regardless of how the Minnesota Vikings finish out what has already proved to be one of the more exciting seasons in recent memory, the following notes outline some things that ownership and leadership can do to help make the case for the upcoming season being the year of the Minnesota Vikings.

1) Determine the viability of Percy Harvin’s long-term future in Minnesota.

This one is a touchy subject for some as Harvin has quickly become a fan-favorite among Vikings fans. Recent reports have indicated a rocky relationship between Harvin, his coaches and his teammates. Other unconfirmed reports have indicated that while an MRI was negative and he was given the okay to play, Harvin refused and was subsequently placed on the Injured Reserve list – effectively ending his season.

While these reports could simply be a case of the media trying to stir things up (something that they’re surprisingly good at), the fact that so many similar accounts of instability between one the Vikings’ most explosive weapons and the coaching staff has to be concerning.

While the situation is certainly troubling for Vikings fans, it should be comforting to know that the Vikings hold a great deal of leverage in this situation. Harvin will be entering the final year in his contract and is owed a relatively light $1.55 million. This gives the Vikings the opportunity to do a couple of things. They can either extend his contract or cut ties with him completely by putting him up on the trading block.

With such a minimal value remaining on his contract and his extremely high upside, Harvin is an enticing proposition for teams hungry for wide receivers and kick returners. While I understand the love for Harvin coming from the fans (and I, myself, am a huge Harvin fan), I’m not sure if there’s any better way for the Vikings to secure a top-flight, true number one receiver without trading away Harvin. Unless the Vikings can extend Harvin’s contract and resolve their issues before the beginning of next season (as to avoid any unnecessary midseason drama), trading him away would make the most sense.

2) Add depth to the cornerback position through draft

Though the play of the cornerbacks has vastly improved over previous years, it’s been obvious how thin the Vikings are behind Chris Cook and Antoine Winfield. As much of a proponent as I am of Winfield’s abilities over the next couple years, he’s not going to last forever in this league. Other than Josh Robinson, Marcus Sherels and the aforementioned duo, the rest of this CB group is disposable this offseason. I like the choice by leadership to keep Marcus Sherels on the roster as a special teamer and a situational corner, but his size limits his ability to lineup against top-tier wide receivers in the NFL, so other options should be considered. With the Vikings’ poor track-record of bringing in veteran cornerbacks (apart from Winfield, of course), the best strategy to bolster the group is to build young and draft a cornerback.

3) Add a true number one wide receiver through free agency or a trade

I’m sure this sounds like a broken record at this point, but this is where I see Harvin being a huge asset. With a huge contract either on the way for Harvin or finding use from him on the trading block, the Vikings should expect and desire to use a sizeable portion of their available cap space on securing both a top-tier wide receiver (with emphasis on size) as well as adding depth to this underperforming group.

I actually like what I’ve seen from Jarius Wright thus far, and I think he has a place in this offense and while Devin Aromashodu and Michael Jenkins have both been underwhelming to say the least, I also think that they are serviceable members of the wide receiver corps. (albeit, lower on the depth chart than they are now). Best case scenario in my mind is picking up a player like Larry Fitzgerald through a trade of Harvin and adding another role-player like Dwayne Bowe should the cap space permit (Bowe might be available for a relatively fair market value come free agency).

Of course, these scenarios are assuming that the Vikings decide to part ways with Harvin in the first place and go all-in on rebuilding the wide receiver position, but as I said previously, it might be for the best.

Looking at the list of 2013 free agent wide receivers, it won’t necessarily require a trade to add depth and bring in a stud, but the Vikings will have to dedicate big money to secure a true number one receiver as well as pay for Harvin’s contract extension should they decide to retain his services.

I could list all my desires for wide receiver lineups that would probably never happen, but it is clear that this team’s number one necessity this offseason is to add talent that can get open for a young quarterback that is still developing. We’ve seen how effective some of the wide receivers have been like Jarius Wright and Michael Jenkins (as of late), and they can still play an important role. Regardless, no team is going to fear the Vikings passing game until we get a receiver that can burn a secondary regularly or at least out-muscle them downfield.

Positive Outlook

We’ll have to wait and see what happens this offseason. A surprising amount of the Vikings’ future relies on the resolution of the situation with Percy Harvin and this should be the first order of business for Leslie Frazier and Rick Spielman. There’s a fairly flexible amount of cap space available for the Vikings, but they need to focus on solving whatever issues have arisen with their prized receiver. Either way, Vikings fans should look at the situation with Harvin as an incredible opportunity to better this team for years to come – whether he is used as a bargaining chip or is signed to a long-term deal. Here’s hoping for big things this postseason and for the positive future this franchise has ahead.

Follow Greg Jensen on Twitter – @JensenGregory