Which teams should the Minnesota Vikings emulate if they retool?
By Luke Parrish
Denver Broncos
An alternative route to getting back to the playoffs would be to follow the lead of the Denver Broncos. Denver decided, even with a decent record this season, to go ahead and move their franchise leader in Von Miller as they prepare for the future. The Vikings have some veteran pieces that could be moved in a similar manner this offseason.
Harrison Smith is set to make a lot of money over the next three seasons unless he is cut before the next season begins. The Vikings could let the veteran safety search for a championship as a free agent or trade him to someone that has the money to take on his contract. With Cam Bynum and Xavier Woods handling the safety spots well in Smith’s absence, the Vikings could survive without him.
Denver has done an excellent job of adding talent at wide receiver to make their quarterback play a little less important. Teddy Bridgewater has kept that team competitive thanks to an exciting group of playmakers that the Vikings could replicate.
With Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Tim Patrick dominating on the outside, the Broncos can create a ton of mismatches. Noah Fant is another chess piece at tight end that has a very bright future in the NFL.
The Vikings have Jefferson, Thielen, and Irv Smith Jr. already on the roster. If they wanted to be dangerous, they could invest more draft picks into the receiving core to have a deep rotation in the passing game until they find their next quarterback.
A roster with Jefferson, Thielen, and Ohio State’s Chris Olave would be fun to watch, especially if a young quarterback joins the fold soon.