The Minnesota Vikings still have some moves they could make in free agency, but there are some players who shouldn’t be on their radar.
Free agency is always a gamble. Teams like the Minnesota Vikings can invest millions of dollars in a player and have that investment blow up in their faces when they end up being a bad fit or not playing up to their past potential.
On the other hand, a play for an underrated free agent that thrives in a new environment can be the kind of move that helps to turn a good team into a contender and makes a general manager look like an absolute genius.
Deciding which players to roll the dice on and which ones to make a play for is a tough call, but there are some indicators that a player might not be the right addition for their team at this particular time.
Let’s take a look at five of the NFL’s remaining free agents who look like they could help the Minnesota Vikings during the 2021 NFL season but might be best left off the team’s roster moving forward.
Geno Atkins, defensive tackle
Lately, rumors have been swirling that a reunion between Geno Atkins and former Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer could bring the 32-year-old defensive tackle to the Minnesota Vikings. While that sounds great, there are some reasons the team shouldn’t pursue the 11 season veteran too hard in free agency.
Atkins excelled in the NFL for quite a long time. He racked up 71 sacks in his first nine seasons in the league, averaging a little under eight quarterback takedowns per season. However, his last two years have seen that production grind to a near halt, notching only 4.5 sacks in those 24 games while missing time in 2020 due to a shoulder injury.
With a previous salary of $16.3M per year on his four-year deal with Cincinnati, having someone on the wrong side of 30 years old who is showing a decline doesn’t make sense as a situational pass-rushing defensive tackle behind Dalvin Tomlinson in Minnesota.
Since cap space is tight for the Vikings and there are some young, talented players Minnesota can plug in on obvious pass situations, the value of bringing in Atkins isn’t there. While it would be a great story to reunite him with Zimmer, it’s not one that makes sense on the football field.
Kawann Short, defensive tackle
Hammering home the point about another defensive tackle being more of a luxury than a necessity for the Minnesota Vikings, there has been some support for bringing former Panthers defender Kawann Short among fans.
Short is another player with a nice-looking resume. Two Pro Bowl appearances, an All-Pro Second Team nod, and 32.5 career sacks are enough to raise at least a small amount of interest in the big man. But the interest should stop there.
Even though Short would be much more affordable than Atkins, the fact he missed 14 games in 2019 due to a rotator cuff injury and another 13 games in 2020 with a shoulder ailment should scare many teams from investing in him unless the salary is much lower than his agents would like it to be.
When factoring in current defensive tackles for the Vikings who have looked good at times such as Armon Watts and James Lynch, it would be best for Minnesota to pass on Kawann Short for the time being.
Eric Fisher, offensive tackle
This is the one that is bound to ruffle the most feathers on this list due to the need for talent on the offensive line. The release of Riley Reiff leaves a pretty big hole at left tackle and it is unclear at the moment who will fill that role for the Minnesota Vikings in 2021.
There are some options who are already on the roster for this job. They could try Ezra Cleveland in that role or slide Brian O’Neill over from right tackle and give that a whirl. There is also the 2021 NFL Draft, which would be another great place to find a new face for a blindside blocker for Kirk Cousins.
The salary cap is dwindling for the Vikings and they are running out of creative ways to free more money. Finding the money to pay a talent like Eric Fisher who has been a top-tier offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs since 2013 will be tough, but that’s not even the biggest concern for a cap-creative team like Minnesota.
Fisher tore his Achilles tendon in the AFC Championship game and that is worrisome. This is the same injury that effectively ended the seven-year career of former Vikings right tackle Phil Loadholt. Unlike other injuries, an Achilles injury is a hard one to bounce back from and needs to be taken seriously. Investing in a dancing bear at left tackle would be hard if there was a chance he wasn’t the same player he was before.
Instead of putting a boatload of money in front of Fisher hoping he can be the player he was in Kansas City, expect the Minnesota Vikings to look for answers with their current roster or the draft for their need at left tackle.
Everson Griffen, defensive end
There is no denying the Minnesota Vikings could use some assistance when it comes to a pass rush. Last year’s team sack leader for the purple and gold was Yannick Ngakoue, who was only with the team for six games before being traded to Baltimore.
A returning Danielle Hunter should help that cause immediately, but past him, the options at the other side of the line are Stephen Weatherly, D.J. Wonnum, Jalyn Holmes, and some other players who need to prove themselves before being taken as a serious starter.
Everson Griffen has a lot of starting experience that would make his addition an interesting one, but all it took was one bad day on social media to firmly close the door on any chance of him coming back to the Vikings.
Talking bad about the team’s starting quarterback on social media is a great way to make sure you’re not welcome in the locker room even if you have an interest in playing football there. Interestingly enough, his six sacks from playing with the Cowboys and Lions should have put him on a fast track for a job with some NFL franchise, but his mental health has to raise some major red flags that can’t be overlooked.
Sean Mannion, quarterback (kind of)
Can you really be considered a quarterback if you’ve played in 13 games with two starts and have never thrown an NFL touchdown? That is the question that has to be asked about former Minnesota Vikings backup QB Sean Mannion.
74 pass attempts have been made by Mannion since entering the league in 2015 and the results haven’t been pretty. Completing 60.8 percent of his throws for 384 yards, three interceptions, and zero touchdowns isn’t the ugliest stat line in NFL history, but it is really, really bad.
If Minnesota values what Mannion brings to meetings and practices, hire him as an assistant coach and make the backup quarterback position available for someone who has a chance to win a game if something happens to Kirk Cousins or at least a player with the potential to get the purple and gold a win.
Mannion has never won a game as a starter (0-2) and has never thrown an NFL touchdown in his five NFL seasons. He is likely to sit in free agency for a while before any team considers bringing him into their locker room. Hopefully, that locker room won’t be at U.S. Bank Stadium.
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Do you think the Minnesota Vikings should avoid these players in free agency? And which other free agents should the team pass on this offseason? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.