Report: Zac Kerin to return to Minnesota Vikings for 2017 season
By Adam Carlson
The Minnesota Vikings made another move to lock down an offensive lineman for the 2017 season before free agency after being an exclusive rights free agent.
Preparing for the upcoming season can always be a struggle for NFL teams. While teams are evaluating players, preparing for free agency, and getting ready for the NFL draft, squads like the Minnesota Vikings need to also be looking at their own players.
Deciding whether or not to retain a player can be difficult. The Vikings have their hands full with decision on players like Jeff Locke, Matt Kalil, Captain Munnerlyn, Cordarrelle Patterson, and others, but the squad made sure to get one restricted free agent under contract.
According to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press, Minnesota is expected to announce the signing of offensive lineman Zac Kerin to a one year deal. The source in the piece explained the report came in on Monday and will be valued at $615,000.
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Kerin is listed as a center on many depth charts, but can also be played at guard. In the last two seasons he has seen action in 13 games, getting on the field 9 times in 2016.
While he has yet to start a game, Kerin should be seen as a capable backup who could be plugged in if needed on the interior of the offensive line.
With the start of free agency’s legal tampering period underway and the official signing period starting on Thursday, March 9, 2017, the Vikings would be smart to get some of these other contracts out of the way in order to focus on potential new faces or returning players to the team.
Next: Vikings should bring Matt Kalil back
As of this publication, Zac Kerin’s deal with the Minnesota Vikings has not been confirmed. However, considering the solid track record of reports, there is little reason to doubt that Kerin will return for the 2017 season.