Dec 29, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen (69) celebrates a sack during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The Vikings have to be kind of nervous entering this offseason. They are losing a lot of stars, young talent, and role players to free agency. Although there is a lot of time left for the team to sign some of these players back, odds are that Minnesota will lose most of the names on this list to other teams that bid higher or offer better situations.
Here is the current list of unsigned free agents and their statuses:
Name Position______Status Age
| Jared Allen | DE | UFA | 31 | |||
| Kevin Williams | DT | UFA | 33 | |||
| Charlie Johnson | G | UFA | 29 | |||
| Matt Cassel | QB | UFA | 31 | |||
| Jerome Simpson | WR | UFA | 27 | |||
| Josh Freeman | QB | UFA | 25 | |||
| Fred Evans | DT | UFA | 30 | |||
| Chris Cook | CB | UFA | 26 | |||
| Toby Gerhart | RB | UFA | 26 | |||
| Desmond Bishop | OLB, LB | UFA | 29 | |||
| Everson Griffen | DE | UFA | 26 | |||
| Seth Olsen | G | UFA | 28 | |||
| Joe Webb | WR | UFA | 27 | |||
| J’Marcus Webb | RT, T | UFA | 25 | |||
| Marcus Sherels | CB | RFA | 26 | |||
| Joe Berger | C | UFA | 31 | |||
| Marvin Mitchell | OLB, LB | UFA | 29 | |||
| Larry Dean | OLB, LB | RFA | 25 | |||
| Matt Asiata | FB | ERFA | 26 | |||
| Justin Trattou | S | RFA | 25 | |||
Matt Cassel is on this list because his contract can be voided after this year of if both sides choose to extend the deal, there is an option to add an addition year onto his deal.
Dec 22, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Toby Gerhart (32) rushes the ball during pre game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati Bengals beat the Minnesota Vikings by the score of 42-14. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowksi-USA TODAY Sports
But there are several players on this list that will have big impacts if they don’t get signed back. There are some starters on this list (Allen, Williams, Johnson and several others), solid backups (Evans, Gerhart, Griffen, Sherels), and role players on special teams that the Vikings could be without if they fail to sign them back.
The Rick Spielman philosophy is to bring in young guys and let them compete for positions, however, a turnaround this dramatic could signify another rebuilding year rather than “reloading” year.
Who should be at the top of the Vikings priority list to sign back and who should the Vikings decide to let walk? While many people will have different opinions on this, one thing is for certain: there will be a lot more fresh faces on the team this preseason.