Winfield released

[Eli]

Could be worse. They can still cut Kevin Williams.

[HardcoreVikesFan]

Could be worse. They can still cut Kevin Williams.

If this team cut Kevin I would be pissed. I can live with Winfield and Harvin, but Kevin is my favorite player of all time next to Randy Moss.

[Mothman]

Or it's two steps backwards and falling into a lava river filled with fire crocodiles.

That's definitely possible but at some point, a GM has to make these tough decisions and losing long-time favorites is never going to sit well with us fans. I certainly don't want to see Winfield go but this could easily be a case of the Vikings doing what the Patriots often do so well and releasing a player at just the right time. Winfield was great last season but the season he delivered was also a bit of a surprise. He had missed 17 games over the previous 3 seasons. Did he defy the odds last year or can he repeat his performance?

From Spielman's point of view, Winfield was probably only going to help the team for one more season, maybe two. If he can go out and find a really good DB that will help them for the next 4+ years, that's a net win for the Vikings.

[dead_poet]

Could be worse. They can still cut Kevin Williams.

It's not even 3 p.m. yet. Plenty of time for that.

[HardcoreVikesFan]

It's not even 3 p.m. yet. Plenty of time for that.

Please... Don't even say that..

[Just Me]

Or it's two steps backwards and falling into a lava river filled with fire crocodiles.

I don't know that I agree with you, but that made me laugh!

At the rate we're going, Peterson will be gone by the end of the day!

[Eli]

At the rate we're going, Peterson will be gone by the end of the day!

If he doesn't take a pay cut.

[dead_poet]

If he can go out and find a really good DB that will help them for the next 4+ years

That's a big "If" in my book. Antoine will be extremely tough to replace. Our rush defense will surely suffer and unless there's a surprise signing I don't see how our pass defense isn't going to be worse, it may be only a matter of degree. Look no further than what our defense looked like without Antione in the lineup the last couple of seasons. It was abysmal. Granted he was getting older but he was still the best corner on our team by far (which might say something about our other corners as much as it does Antoine's skill). Emotion aside, as things stand now (Percy/Antione) our short-term doesn't look very promising.

[PacificNorseWest]

My favorite Viking.

[Mothman]

That's a big "If" in my book. Antoine will be extremely tough to replace.

True, but replacing him was a step they had to take sooner or later. It's all part of building and managing a team. It's not easy and losing long-time favorites (or even troublesome stars like Harvin) is often a part of it. Look at the choices the Bears, Ravens and Patriots face with Urlacher, Reed and Welker for example.

Our rush defense will surely suffer and unless there's a surprise signing I don't see how our pass defense isn't going to be worse, it may be only a matter of degree. Look no further than what our defense looked like without Antione in the lineup the last couple of seasons. It was abysmal. Granted he was getting older but he was still the best corner on our team by far (which might say something about our other corners as much as it does Antoine's skill). Emotion aside, as things stand now (Percy/Antione) our short-term doesn't look very promising.

Agreed but the key word in that sentence is "now". The team obviously looks weaker without Harvin and Winfield but there will be a lot of moves made between now and September. They won't all work out but we're not looking at anything close to a finished roster right now.

BTW, nice use of Droopy!

[mansquatch]

Much love for Winfield.

My knee jerk on this move is that it indicates that the Vikings are taking a long view on building a team and may indicate that upper management considers last season’s 10-6 record to be more of an unexpected surprise. At this point I’m not sure I agree with that take, but that seems to be where they are going.

This move frees up a ton of cash, but it also makes Secondary depth a big concern. What will come in 25 minutes?

[jackal]

WTH winfield was getting it done last year ?

Kevin Willams was far less effective than Winfield was I expected him to be cut before
Winfield to be honest ..

They better do something with those picks or Free Agency now

[Mercy Percy]

Asmougha just got released ?! ANYONE?!?!?

[smoothoperator]

sean smith > nmandi. nmandi is a horrendous tackler

[dead_poet]

Asmougha just got released ?! ANYONE?!?!?

Nnamdi Asomugha - DB - Free Agent
Eagles released CB Nnamdi Asomugha.

It's fascinating to examine where Asomugha ranks among the biggest free-agent busts in NFL history. He's awfully high up there. Signed to a five-year, $60 million contract in 2011 that made him the league's top-paid cornerback, Asomugha gave Philly one season of mediocre play and another of truly putrid performance. An easy burn victim in 2012, Asomugha came away with 55 tackles and one interception. Going on age 32, Asomugha's recovery speed and confidence seem to have evaporated. There were rumors in Philadelphia that he's also lost his passion for the game.
Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter