The Minnesota Vikings reportedly made an offer to Nick Foles before the quarterback signed with the Chiefs.
With Taylor Heinicke on the shelf for several months and Shaun Hill possibly nearing the end-of-the-road as an NFL player, it would be understandable if the Vikings cast around during camp for some more quarterback depth.
And it looks like the Vikings did cast a net for a quarterback, but failed to snag him.
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com, the Vikes touched base with a man who recently became a free agent after requesting his release from the Rams:
FA QB Nick Foles agreed to terms with the #KCChiefs, per @MikeGarafolo, and I'm told he also had offers from the #Cowboys & #Vikings.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 4, 2016
It is interesting but not at all surprising that Minnesota made an offer to Foles before he signed with Kansas City.
Clearly, the Vikings planned on letting the veteran Shaun Hill and the young QB Taylor Heinicke duke it out during camp for the #2 job. But that plan went poof the second Heinicke decided to slice his foot up on a broken window while breaking into his friend’s locked apartment.
Heinicke would be kicking himself right now except he can’t because he’s got a cast on his leg.
With Heinicke out of the picture, Foles would have had a chance to come in and bump off Hill for the #2 job. Given Hill’s age and the fact that he hasn’t looked in great shape since joining the Vikings, Foles may very well have beaten him.
The Vikings however were likely unwilling to offer Foles a very large contract. Hill is set to make $3.2 million this year and I’m certain Foles would not have gotten anywhere near that.
So with Foles now unavailable and Heinicke laid up, can Shaun Hill breathe a sigh of relief?
Maybe, maybe not.
If the Vikings stick with their current three QBs, Hill would seem to be pretty safe. I don’t think Joel Stave has enough to win a backup QB job at this point in his development.
Next: AD passes injury baton to McKinnon
If the Vikings elect to look around and bring in another free agent QB, then Hill might be in some trouble.
Folks can throw out names of backup-level QBs they’d like to see the Vikings bring in. Hey, how about Christian Ponder?
Joking.