4 free agents the Vikings should have signed this offseason
By Adam Patrick
Haha Clinton-Dix – S
One of the most surprising decisions made by the Vikings this offseason was when they opted to use the franchise tag on safety Anthony Harris.
Most assumed Harris was going to be too expensive for Minnesota to bring back and then they went and used the tag on him. Now if he remains on the roster for next season, he’ll cost the Vikings more than $11 million.
Instead of using their franchise tag, Minnesota could’ve saved their money and signed a free-agent safety in Haha Clinton-Dix who is not only younger than Harris, but he has plenty of experience as a starter and playing in the NFC North.
After spending last season with the Chicago Bears, Clinton-Dix signed a one-year, $3.75 million contract with the Dallas Cowboys. His cap hit for 2020 is also only $2.25 million, which is more than $7 million less than what the Vikings will be paying for Harris next season.
The difference in talent isn’t that big between the two safeties, which makes Minnesota’s decision to tag Harris this year even more of a head-scratcher.