Who are some of the top players that were added to the Minnesota Vikings’ roster during each offseason’s free agency period?
Throughout the history of the Minnesota Vikings, the some of the franchise’s best players have been added during the NFL’s annual free agency period. Of course, they have had their fair share of free-agent flops as well (cough, Greg Jennings, cough).
Some could even argue that adding players through free agency has more of an immediate benefit for a team’s upcoming season than adding players through the draft. Due to their experience in the league, free-agents are normally able to adjust to their new team’s schemes much quicker than a rookie would be able to.
Minnesota has signed a variety of players through free agency over the years including a few aging quarterbacks, a handful of defensive linemen, a bunch of overrated wide receivers, and a number of veteran offensive lineman. But who were the team’s absolute best signings in terms of those players who actually lived up to their contract value?
7. Jeff George, quarterback (1999)
His time with the Vikings did not last very long (just one season), but George definitely was worth the veteran’s minimum the team signed him for during the 1999 offseason.
He won nine of the 12 games he started for Minnesota, including a 27-10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys during the Wild Card round of that year’s playoffs. His 234.7 passing yards per game with the Vikings still ranks as the fourth best average in the team’s history.
6. Mitch Berger, punter (1996-2001)
The fact that there is a punter on this list should tell someone all he or she needs to know about Minnesota’s luck in free agency.
Berger landed with the Vikings in 1996 and spent a total of six seasons in Minnesota. For his efforts during the 1999 season, he was voted to his first career Pro Bowl and named a First Team All-Pro by the Pro Football Writers of America and the Sporting News.
While in Minnesota, Berger ranked inside the NFL’s top 10 four different times when it came to his single-season yards per punt average.
5. Visanthe Shiancoe, tight end (2007-2011)
Despite only catching 35 passes in his first four NFL seasons with the New York Giants, the Vikings saw something in Shiancoe during the 2007 offseason and signed him to a five-year deal.
After a rough first year in Minnesota that saw him finish the season with just 27 catches, the tight end hauled in 145 passes and 20 touchdowns during his next three years with the Vikings. After Kyle Rudolph’s impressive 2016 season, Shiancoe now ranks third all-time among Minnesota tight ends with 208 career catches.
4. Ben Leber, linebacker (2006-2010)
Many Minnesota sports fans of today likely know Leber from his current role with KFAN, the state’s local radio station.
But for five seasons, Leber spent his time on the football field as a linebacker for the Vikings. After spending his first four years in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers, Leber bolted for Minnesota and signed a five-year, $20 million contract.
His contributions on the field during his time with the Vikings helped the team’s defense rank as the NFL’s top unit against the run in both 2007 and 2008.
3. Steve Hutchinson, offensive guard (2006-2011)
Before Minnesota had a bunch of revolving doors on the offensive line, there was once a time when they had players that could actually block. Hutchinson became one of those players after he signed a seven-year, $49 million deal with the Vikings during the 2006 offseason.
While in Minnesota, Hutchinson helped the team rank as one of the league’s top 10 rushing offenses during four of his five seasons.
2. Antoine Winfield, cornerback (2004-2012)
Over the past 30 years of Vikings football, the team’s secondary has consistently ranked as one of the franchise’s weakest defensive units. So in the 2004 offseason, Minnesota made a big effort to improve their skills in pass coverage by getting Winfield to agree to a six-year, $34.7 contract.
The cornerback quickly became a staple of the Vikings’ defense and is regarded by some as one of the best to play the position in the franchise’s history. In 119 games with Minnesota, Winfield registered 729 total tackles, compiled 21 interceptions, and forced 11 fumbles.
Since the 2000 season, no member of Minnesota’s defense has had more pass deflections during their time with the team than Winfield’s total of 73.
1. Brett Favre, quarterback (2009-2010)
He was not exactly ever a legitimate free-agent during the 2009 offseason considering he was supposed to be retired. But he un-retired and was without a contract just long enough for the Vikings to sign the quarterback to a two-year deal.
Favre’s first season in purple was a magical one as he was able to help lead Minnesota all the way to the NFC Championship. It also turned out to be one of the quarterback’s best statistical years of his career as well.
Next: Vikings not expected to re-sign Munnerlyn
In 2009, Favre completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 4,202 yards, 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. His second season with the Vikings was definitely not one to remember, so we will just leave that for someone else to talk about.