4 things we learned about the Vikings this offseason
By Dustin Baker
What did we learn about the Minnesota Vikings this offseason?
The Minnesota Vikings strutted into the 2020 offseason low on cash and confident in their scouting department. No jaw-dropping signings were made and that’s probably because the salary cap vault did not have that many gold bars in it.
Most notably, the Vikings wooed nose tackle Michael Pierce away from the Baltimore Ravens. Just days prior, the team divorced fan-favorite Linval Joseph and got out from underneath his hefty 2020 contract option.
Stylistically, Pierce is clone-like to Joseph and he comes at a price tag of nearly four million dollars per season less. Who knows, maybe will be the Pierce the steal of a lifetime? EA Sports is certainly a believer as they just anointed him the third-best player on Minnesota’s 2020 roster with a player rating of 91 in Madden 21.
The Vikings also traded moody wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills back in March. In return, Minnesota manufactured the Diggs trade into former LSU receiver Justin Jefferson, a fourth-round pick in 2021 from Buffalo, another fourth-round pick in 2021 from the Chicago Bears, a fifth-round pick in 2021 from the Baltimore Ravens, and former Michigan State defensive end Kenny Willekes from the seventh round of this year’s NFL Draft. That’s a lot.
Let’s not waste any more time and go over some of the things we learned about the Vikings from their actions (and lack thereof) this offseason.