The Minnesota Vikings have made plenty of moves in free agency this year. What are their most surprising ones?
Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is through the first wave of NFL free agency for the 2023 offseason.
This is his second go-around in the free agency market since being named the Vikings general manager a year ago, and he isn’t sitting on his laurels. He’s been extremely active, cutting longtime players, re-signing current players, and finding new faces who can help the Vikings take the next step in 2023.
Some of the moves that he’s made haven’t been shocking. He cut some aging veterans like Adam Thielen and Eric Kendricks, who had big paydays coming, and went out and addressed need areas like cornerback, and defensive line.
Other moves that he’s made have been a bit more surprising. These moves could involve players who were expected to be let go, but were re-signed instead. Others involve keeping players who perhaps had some value in the trade market.
Whatever the case may be, here are five surprising moves Minnesota has made in NFL free agency this year.
Signing a blocking tight end first
Of all the needs the Vikings had, a blocking tight end wasn’t one that was close to the top of the list. The Vikings were expected to bring in a veteran cornerback, a defensive lineman, and perhaps even a wide receiver. No one had signing a blocking tight end as the first move on their Vikings free agency Bingo board, but that is exactly what happened.
This move has nothing to do with the quality of player that Josh Oliver is. He’s apparently not just a good blocker but has underrated pass-catching ability with good overall speed. It’s just that the Vikings had bigger needs to fill and not much budget to put into other, less important needs. He could end up being a huge get and really help the Vikings’ ground game if they choose to actually stay committed to the run in 2023.
This move was surprising because, with T.J. Hockenson, Johnny Mundt, and Nick Muse already on the roster, tight end seemed like a need that would only be addressed with either a late-round choice or an undrafted rookie free agent. When Kwesi made his first signing of 2023 a tight end, obviously, a lot of confusion and surprise ensued.
A high number of returning players
Prior to the start of free agency, it was expected there would be a mass exodus of longtime Vikings as Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell truly begin making this roster theirs. In a shocking turn of events, a large portion of Vikings are actually returning to the team, even if their play wasn’t that great in 2022.
The first one that was a surprise was the team restructuring Jordan Hicks. He was very poor in coverage a season ago, but decent against the run. The team apparently prefers Hicks over a bargain veteran. Maybe Flores has plans for him that don’t exploit his weakness in pass coverage.
Other players who were expected to be gone but were re-signed were; kicker Greg Joseph, center Garrett Bradbury, offensive tackle Oli Udoh, tight end Ben Ellefson, running back Alexander Mattison, and center Austin Schlottmann. Joseph was shocking because he wasn’t very good last year, and there were plenty of viable options on the free-agent market.
Alexander Mattison staying around was also a surprise as the team just didn’t use him much, and it was assumed he’d look to be a starter somewhere else. Perhaps that’ll be in Minnesota if the team ends up dealing Dalvin Cook.
The Vikings will have some new faces in 2023, but there will also be many more familiar faces on the roster than initially assumed when free agency began.
Lack of trades
During the first week of free agency, a lot of trade rumors were swirling around the Vikings. Dalvin Cook being moved was one that had been rumored, and there were plenty of rumblings that a pretty hot market was developing for him.
Za’Darius Smith getting moved was also rumored, as he said goodbye to the fans on social media prior to free agency starting, and put his house on the market. He also was due a large roster bonus, so the thought was he would be traded before that hit, as it would free up cap space.
It’s been almost a week since those trade rumors were flying rampant on the internet, but nothing has happened. This is surprising because, number one, the team could use more draft picks.
The Vikings only have five choices after getting a compensatory sixth-rounder a few weeks ago, and adding a few more would give them a chance to find a potential starter and add quality depth to thin positions on the roster.
There was speculation that Cook could garnish maybe a fourth this year and a late-round pick in 2024. Smith was thought to be worth as high as a third-round choice in 2023.
The other reason it was surprising to not trade either player is the fact it would have freed up money to spend on some other free agents. Instead of making room, the Vikings ended up giving more money to a player who wants to be gone, and another who may not be here more than one more season.
These deals could still be forthcoming, but the fact they didn’t take place during the first wave of free agency when the top talent was still out there to be had was a bit head-scratching.
No contract extensions
One thing that was basically considered a lock to happen once free agency started was getting Justin Jefferson locked up long-term. He’s become the best receiver in the NFL and is coming off a historic season where he hauled in 128 receptions for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns.
Many figured the Vikings would get him signed and in Minnesota for the next five years or so with a massive contract extension, but it hasn’t happened yet. They are freeing up cap space for 2024, so maybe the extension is coming during the 2023 season.
T.J. Hockenson is another player the Vikings were expected to extend in the offseason. He’s still on his rookie contract and is just 25 years old. The thought was the Vikings would rework his deal, saving cap space in the interim while giving him a massive chunk of money to keep him in Minnesota for the foreseeable future. Like Jefferson’s deal, that has not happened yet, but it is likely to come at some point in the coming months.
Ezra Cleveland was another player who some thought could get extended. He has proven to be a solid player on the left side. The Vikings could’ve looked to get him at a team-friendly cost, but now if he has another good season, that price tag is likely to go way up.
Again, some of these extensions could still happen, but it is a bit surprising that not a single one has yet to occur.
Team friendly contracts
One thing that has been surprising about the Vikings’ free agency is the team-friendly contracts Kwesi has been able to sign these players to. Even if one doesn’t agree with the signing, or thinks that it’s a player the team should have moved on from, when the contract numbers are released, it’s hard to be upset when seeing how cheap these players are being brought in at.
Some of the overall numbers are pretty staggering. Josh Oliver’s 2023 cap hit was just $3.5 million, and Byron Murphy‘s was just under $5 million. Even guys returning like Garrett Bradbury, who some likely weren’t happy about, count just $2.69 million against the cap, and if he reverts back to his old ways, the Vikings can get out of the contract after the first year by paying just $5 million.
The Vikings had a shoestring budget to work with, and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Rob Brzezinski are doing a bang-up job making their limited resources not just work for 2023, but set them up to have a ton of room in 2024.