What comes next for Anthony Harris and the Vikings?
By Dean Jones
Wait until 2021 for a resolution
There is the chance both parties adopt the “wait and see” approach and go for a resolution in 2021.
This would back the Vikings into a corner somewhat. If the franchise cannot strike a deal with Anthony Harris this offseason, then they will be in the same predicament as they were a few days ago and they may lose the player to a big free agency offer in 2021.
Harris can stack the deck further in favor of himself by playing well again in 2020. Anything like the sort of numbers he put up last season would see him on the lookout for even more money going forward.
Minnesota will not want him to acquire this sort of leverage and they have shown their unwillingness to be held to ransom with current roster members before. This is something they have found out to their detriment in the past by overpaying players who did not live up to expectations.
If Harris somehow has a down year, then the Vikings would be in a strong negotiating position. But the way he has trended upwards over the last three seasons, there is nothing to suggest this scenario is a likely one.
Both parties have such a fine margin for error that if they decide to go this particular route it may not end well. Harris could very well say that Minnesota does not deserve his services long-term if they did not have the faith in him from the outset of his free agency in 2020.