Which members of the current Minnesota Vikings roster may not be a part of the team when they take the field for the first regular season game of 2018?
Each and every NFL offseason is packed full of surprises. It’s one of the many reasons why covering and following the league has pretty much become a yearlong activity.
This offseason looks to be no different, especially when it comes to the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have a number of important decisions to make and some of them could have to do with players that are still under contract for 2018.
Minnesota has had a few surprise departures in offseasons of the recent past (John Sullivan, Alex Boone, Gerald Hodges, Antoine Winfield) and they may have a couple more this year.
Which members of the Vikings who are signed through 2018 may not actually be on the team’s roster come next season?
Brian Robison, DE:
A rare breed in this day and age of the NFL, Robison has spent his entire 11-year career as a member of the Vikings. He’s never had the so-called “elite” statistics, but the defensive lineman has come up with a number of big plays and emerged as one of the top leaders for Minnesota during his time with the team.
Robison is still under contract for another season, but it’s quite possible that he could call it a career and retire from football this offseason. After the recent Vikings’ NFC Championship loss, the defensive lineman said he would talk to his family and the team’s front office this offseason and then decide whether or not he would come back for one last run at a Super Bowl.
Originally, Robison’s plan was to retire after 2018 when his contract ran out. But NFL seasons are incredibly draining and he may just want to move onto some of his other interests that are a little less stressful on his body.
Sharrif Floyd, DT:
Since Week 1 of the 2016 NFL season, Floyd has not been able to play in a game for the Vikings. He underwent knee surgery in September 2016 and has been dealing with complications from the procedure ever since.
Floyd’s surgery actually damaged a nerve that affects how his quadriceps properly functions. It’s very possible that his career with Minnesota and in the NFL could already be done with.
The Vikings did exercise Floyd’s fifth-year option in 2016 and he was not active at any time in 2017 so his contract did indeed toll into next season. Minnesota can release him this offseason, but him being injured still at the time of the transaction would make his 2018 salary guaranteed.
It’s likely that the Vikings will attempt to move on from Floyd this offseason. Whether or not they will have to pay him in 2018 is something that could possibly come down to a judge’s decision.
Laquon Treadwell, WR:
This has already been brought up recently, but the Vikings should at least look into what they could possibly get in exchange for Treadwell this offseason.
After Minnesota selected him in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, the receiver’s play has been underwhelming to say the least. Of the first 11 wide receivers drafted in 2016, Treadwell is the only one without a touchdown catch.
He doesn’t seem to be a fit with the Vikings, but there are plenty of coaches around the NFL who are always looking to see what they can do with teams’ failed projects. If Minnesota can get a fourth-round draft selection in exchange for Treadwell this offseason, that is a trade that should be made immediately by the Vikings.
Andrew Sendejo, S:
Last season was by far the best of Sendejo’s eight-year NFL career. In 13 games with the Vikings in 2017, the safety finished with 77 total tackles, two interceptions, an seven pass deflections.
Despite his improvement, let’s not act like Sendejo doesn’t have a number of flaws in his game that have come back to haunt Minnesota in the past. The best part about his play last season may actually be that there were not a ton of complaints in comparison to previous years.
Sendejo still has two years remaining on his current contract, but here’s the interesting part. The Vikings can release him this offseason and not owe him a single penny ever again.
This is not a scenario that seems too likely just yet (so settle down). But if Minnesota signs a high-priced safety in free agency this year or selects one early in the 2018 draft, things could get very interesting regarding Sendejo’s future with the team.
Latavius Murray, RB
Due to the terms of his contract, it was unclear how long Murray would remain with the Vikings after signing with the team last offseason. He signed a three-year, $15 million deal with Minnesota, but the team has the option of releasing him before March 16 and only enduring a $1.2 million cap hit in 2018.
While the Vikings do stand on the favorable side of this scenario, there seems to be a pretty good chance that Murray will be back with the team next season.
Jerick McKinnon is a free-agent this offseason and has already said he wants to find a team that will give him a bigger role than Minnesota. Dalvin Cook is coming off an ACL tear last year and there’s really no guarantee to him staying healthy in 2018 either.
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With McKinnon basically out the door and the uncertainty surrounding Cook, it would be wise for the Vikings to bring back Murray next season. Plus, the combination of him and Cook in Minnesota’s backfield could make the team’s rushing attack in 2018 even better than it was last year.