Rick Spielman left a massive mess for the Vikings in 2022
By Luke Parrish
Rick Spielman gave the Minnesota Vikings quite the parting gift on his way out.
There were a lot of signs pointing towards the end of Rick Spielman’s run as the General Manager of the Minnesota Vikings long before it actually happened. With no playoff success despite going all-in on Kirk Cousins in free agency, the clock was ticking for Spielman and the rest of the front office.
His tenure in Minnesota was marked by a lot of good draft picks and equally as many busts, some big-ticket free agents, and a number of questionable signings. For every stellar move that Spielman made, he made just as many mistakes.
In his final years, Spielman put the Vikings in a very tough spot financially. Whether you want to debate the reality of the salary cap, there are tidbits within that number that stick out when building a roster. The Vikings have backloaded a lot of contracts and tied a lot of money into aging veterans.
To make matters worse, they also have a lot of money poured into non-impact players and players with a low level of positional value. There were so many mistakes made at the end of Spielman’s run that are now left for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the new staff to sort out.
What kind of mess did Rick Spielman leave behind for the Minnesota Vikings?