6 free agents the Vikings need to re-sign for the 2021 season
By Adam Carlson
Eric Wilson – LB
The Vikings asked a lot from Eric Wilson in 2020. He was made a starter along with Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks after Minnesota used the transition tag on him to keep him on the team for one more season, costing them approximately $3.3 million for the year.
Wilson made the most of this opportunity, playing in all 16 games for the Vikings and leading all Minnesota tacklers with 122 takedowns (62 solo) as the last linebacker standing from the starting group since Barr was placed on IR after just two games and Kendricks only played in 11 contests.
In addition to his tackle total, Wilson also finished the 2020 campaign with nine quarterback hits, three sacks, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble.
There is a chance Wilson might have played well enough to get a look from another team in need of a versatile starting linebacker this offseason. If this ends up being the case, the Vikings are unlikely to win a bidding war for his services due to the tight salary cap situation they are expected to have this year.
Still, it would be great to see Wilson return to Minnesota to provide consistency. If they can bring him back for about $5 million per season, it would be a nice start for the Vikings to get back to having a respectable defense in 2021.