The Minnesota Vikings will have some interesting calls to make as they complete the process of retaining their own players and begin dipping into free agency.
The Vikings have already made a couple of moves ahead of Wednesday’s opening of free agency. This weekend, the team reportedly re-signed DT Kenrick Ellis and S Andrew Sendejo to new contracts. It’s also been reported that the team has offered RG Michael Harris a new two-year deal.
Of the moves made so far, the Sendejo one is the most controversial among fans in that it seems to suggest the Vikings will now not pursue a top-drawer free agent safety. It has been revealed that Sendejo’s reported 4-year, $16 million contract is not quite what it appears, so it’s hard to say for sure what impact if any the move will have on the Vikings’ plans regarding the safety position.
Perhaps the Vikings’ hardest calls concern their own players. Some big deadlines are coming up this week, and millions of dollars are on the line.
As of right now, the Vikings have about $23 million in cap space and could free up more cap space via cuts and re-negotiations.
With all this in mind, let’s briefly break down five moves I think the team should and will make in the coming days.
1. Cut Matt Kalil if he won’t re-do his deal
The Vikings can’t seriously consider paying Matt Kalil $11.1 million for 2016, so that means Kalil will have to negotiate a new contract if he wants to return.
Despite Kalil’s struggles last season, I’m fine with Minnesota bringing him back on a reasonable contract and continuing to start him at left tackle. While he’s far from a Pro Bowl-level player, he is a legitimate starter and it’s not like there are a lot of better options just waiting out there anyway.
All that being said, if Kalil plays hardball on the contract thing, then I think the Vikings should absolutely cut him and let him enter free agency. If Matt Kalil thinks he can get a better deal on the market than whatever the Vikings are willing to offer him? Then good luck to him.
Of course if you do cut Kalil then you are left without a starting left tackle for 2016. What’s the backup plan if Kalil isn’t the starter? Do you flip T.J. Clemmings from right tackle to left and put Phil Loadholt back at right tackle? Do you draft a left tackle? Do you sign someone in free agency?
All I know is that it doesn’t make sense to pay Matt Kalil $11 million for one season.
2. Re-sign Chad Greenway and Terence Newman
The cool thing about the culture Mike Zimmer has built in Minnesota is that veteran players want to be part of it, even if they know they won’t have the same role they had in the past.
Chad Greenway knows his days as a major defensive contributor are over yet he wants to come back and provide whatever leadership and on-field value he can still muster at this advanced stage of his career.
Terence Newman knows he likely won’t beat out Trae Waynes for a starting cornerback job in camp yet he still wants to return and be a part of what his old buddy Zimmer has built.
It’s fantastic that both Greenway and Newman appear to want to come back to Minnesota and play backup roles for cheap and see if they can make a run at a Super Bowl with Zimmer. I say the Vikings should accommodate them and I believe the Vikings will.
3. Pick up another safety
The big question after the Andrew Sendejo signing is, will the Vikings still go out and sign another safety?
I think the answer is maybe. But I think if they do chase a safety in free agency, it likely won’t be George Iloka or Eric Weddle. Knowing Rick Spielman, it was unlikely the team was ever going to pursue those players even before Sendejo re-signed.
Who might the Vikings pursue? Perhaps they go after a player like Tashaun Gipson, a solid coverage safety. Or maybe they bring back our old pal Husain Abdullah, another good coverage player. Or perhaps David Bruton from Denver, another player who grades out well in coverage.
The point here is, if the Vikings do go after a safety, it will likely be someone whose skills complement those of Andrew Sendejo. We know Sendejo is good in run support but not so good in coverage. Mike Zimmer would probably like a safety he can use in certain situations who is better at playing deep coverage, so Zimmer can blitz more with Harrison Smith or maybe cut Smith loose to freelance and try to make big plays.
4. Re-negotiate with Mike Wallace
We were talking before about veterans who want to come back to the Vikings and contribute. Mike Wallace is another older player who could still have a role with the Vikings but must be willing to come back at the right price. Unlike Chad Greenway and Terence Newman, Wallace to my knowledge has not expressed a desire to return to Minnesota. However, Mike Zimmer has said nice things about Wallace and indicated he would like to have Wallace back.
Given Wallace’s relatively feeble 2015 production, it’s easy to say the Vikings should just cut him and his huge cap number and move on. But what do you do if you cut Wallace? Stefon Diggs is a nice player but is he really someone defenses respect? If you draft a player like Josh Doctson or Laquon Treadwell, is there any guarantee they will be able to come in and provide Teddy Bridgewater with the “weapon” everyone thinks he needs?
Dipping into free agency to replace Mike Wallace frankly isn’t all that attractive an option. With Alshon Jeffery now off the table, the best available free agent receivers are people like Marvin Jones, Rishard Matthews and Travis Benjamin. There just isn’t much out there.
I say Minnesota should bring back Mike Wallace if he wants to come back, pay him a reasonable amount of money and continue to use him any way they can. Perhaps Teddy Bridgewater doesn’t throw a consistent enough deep ball for the Vikings to ever get a lot of big plays out of Wallace. So what? Wallace still has great speed, still commands respect from defensive backs and by all accounts was a good teammate last year.
For the right price, Mike Wallace still has value to the Vikings.
5. Sign an offensive lineman
If the Vikings do intend on making a splash in free agency, I believe it will happen on the offensive line. The one player everyone has been zeroing in on in recent days is Baltimore Ravens tackle/guard Kelechi Osemele.
It’s easy to see why the Vikings might be intrigued by Osemele. He is a top-notch guard who showed last year that he is able to play tackle. That kind of positional flexibility is very valuable. If the Vikings decide not to keep Matt Kalil, they could sign Osemele and play him at left tackle. If they decide to keep Kalil, they could play Osemele at left guard.
Osemele seems to have everything you could want in a free agent target: He provides potential value at multiple positions, he does everything well, he provides an immediate upgrade at a position of tremendous need. The Vikings will have to shell out some cash to sign Osemele, but it’s a move they might have no choice but to make.
If they don’t sign Osemele, the Vikings could target former Buffalo Bills player Richie Incognito, a guy who played for Tony Sparano in Miami. Or they could go after Steelers guard Ramon Foster, a young player who appears to be on the rise.
Personally, I would be shocked if the Vikings don’t make some kind of move to bring in a guard or tackle in free agency. Osemele would be the splashiest signing by far.