Re-grading the Vikings decisions during the 2019 offseason
By Chris Schad
What can be learned heading into this offseason?
If you haven’t picked up the pattern, the Vikings’ offseason spending spree of 2019 isn’t aging too well.
With the anticipated impact of Anthony Barr returning and whatever they were expecting from Shamar Stephen, Minnesota basically set money on fire for the sake of paying up for what they were familiar with rather than trying to find a better replacement through the draft or free agency.
To compound the problem, the Vikings handed out a pair of contract extensions they didn’t have to. While Adam Thielen could still produce as one of the elite receivers in the NFL, Kyle Rudolph’s extension is the ultimate head-scratcher and it’s a wonder to try and figure out what Minnesota’s plan is to free up money down the road.
These decisions have caused a massive headache and they might require a drastic move like trading Stefon Diggs to overcorrect the problem.
With the Vikings having several key pieces such as Anthony Harris, Everson Griffen, Trae Waynes, and more hitting free agency, it’s curious why they decided to spend their limited funds on expendable pieces rather than try to improve the roster.
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Of course, these things don’t get better unless you learn from your mistakes and if Minnesota pulls a similar stunt in 2020 (such as extending Kirk Cousins or Dalvin Cook), they could be stuck in salary cap hell for a long time.