5 players the Minnesota Vikings gave up on too soon

Tyler Conklin, tight end

The Minnesota Vikings’ decision to move on from Tyler Conklin rather than bring him back to the team when his rookie contract expired had to be a difficult call for the team’s general manager to make.

Minnesota still wanted to see what they had in former second-round draft pick Irv Smith Jr. and likely felt comfortable with Johnny Mundt being his backup instead of paying extra to bring Conklin back.

It would have been expensive to match or beat the 3-year, $20.25 million contract the New York Jets gave him to be their starter but things worked out okay for the Vikings since they traded for T.J. Hockenson and moved on from Smith.

The Vikings probably would have been okay with Conklin as their starter but have a higher-potential player now in Hockenson. However, there is no denying that Conklin is a quality player who still has a lot left to give on the field.