Vikings should re-sign Chad Beebe for the 2021 NFL season
By Adam Carlson
When looking at the roster of the Minnesota Vikings, there are a lot of glaring holes. Some positions need starters to fill them while others need some depth and competition to make them better. The wide receiver corps is one of those situations.
Past Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson, there isn’t much depth. To highlight the issue, those two pass-catchers accounted for 164 catches for 2,325 yards and 21 touchdowns while the two other receivers who caught passes only had 34 catches for 390 yards and two scores.
Chad Beebe was one of those other receivers who caught passes last season. He had 20 catches on 30 targets for 201 yards and two scores in 2020 including one redeeming game-winning touchdown grab.
Filling out the depth chart of the Vikings might be a bit of a task this offseason with so many other needs for the team and limited resources to do so would be a huge challenge. At least one or two of the players on the current roster are likely to return in 2021.
Should Chad Beebe return to the Minnesota Vikings in 2021?
Of all the receivers past Thielen and Jefferson in Minnesota, Chad Beebe should be one that the Vikings focus on to come back with a new contract. Ben Goessling reported on Twitter that the team is interested in retaining his services but added that there are some conditions regarding their interest.
A couple #Vikings free agency updates: They want WR Chad Beebe back, but likely won’t place a RFA tender on him, since he was an undrafted free agent and the low tender ($2.1M) doesn’t come with comp pick. Source also said there’s a decent chance QB Sean Mannion returns.
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) March 13, 2021
Tendering Beebe to make him a restricted free agent with no compensatory pick attached to it and the team could only use a Right of Refusal Tender on him would make no sense. In addition, the $2.1M salary that comes with that type of tender would be a hefty raise from his previous contract that saw him make an average of $570K per year over three years.
Minnesota will have to let Beebe test free agency and see what other teams see as his value. While that means the Vikings will likely have to pay more than the league minimum for his services, they should be able to work something out.
While some fans will be singing “I want my Beebe back, Beebe back, Beebe back” others will likely be ready to move on from Chad. For now, the Minnesota Vikings should use a small amount of their salary cap to hold on to the 26-year-old pass-catcher and focus on more pressing needs with the rest of their resources.