7 free agents under 25-years-old the Vikings could sign in 2020
By Dean Jones
Maliek Collins – DT
Maliek Collins is another good option for the Vikings this year at a possible position of need. The defensive tackle has a tremendous ability to get after the quarterback from the interior. If Minnesota releases Linval Joseph to ease salary cap concerns this offseason, Collins is an option worth exploring.
Although he does need some work on his run-stuffing, Collins does not turn 25 until April and he has a very high ceiling going forward. The Dallas Cowboys will probably not want to lose a player of his ability given his scope to improve further.
The former third-round pick out of Nebraska made just over $2 million in the final year of his rookie deal last season. He started all 16 games with Dallas in 2019 and he was on the field for 71 percent of their defensive snaps.
This resulted in four sacks and 20 total tackles for a Cowboys unit that vastly underachieved at times last season. This is no slight on Collins though, who is going to earn himself a good payday in the coming weeks once free agency gets underway.
Whether somewhere in the region of $5 million annually will be enough to acquire someone with the potential of Collins is debatable. He should generate significant interest from multiple teams looking to improve their pass-rush from the interior of the defensive line.
Joseph counts $12.88 million against the Vikings’ salary cap in 2020. Letting him go would free up more than $10 million for Minnesota, which makes his release almost inevitable.