2016 Vikings Free Agency Thread (News, Rumors, Transactions)

[dead_poet]

#Vikings gave Rhett Ellison a $100K bonus on 1-year, $1.75M deal. $790K tied to per-game active bonuses. Can earn $500K incentives.

[dead_poet]

Drat.

The #Raiders will re-sign LT Donald Penn today, source said. He was scheduled to fly to the #Giants today, but he'll never get on the plane

[halfgiz]

Drat.

Penn was asking for quite a bit of money. The retirement contract from what I was hearing.
But he would have been another nice addition.
Thanks for the update DP!

[halfgiz]

Cardinals agree to contract with Evan Mathis. So where does that leave Smith?
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... van-mathis

[dead_poet]

Cardinals agree to contract with Evan Mathis. So where does that leave Smith?
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... van-mathis

Not sure that changes much. Mathis is a guard.

[halfgiz]

Not sure that changes much. Mathis is a guard.

I was just wondering if they have enough cap room for both positions.

[Crax]

Asiata is re-signed
http://www.vikings.com/news/article-1/V ... sf22685470

Sounds like a 1 yr deal

Chris Tomasson ‏@christomasson 3m3 minutes ago
Source says it's a one-year deal for Matt Asiata.

[HardcoreVikesFan]

Master post updated. Four team free agents remain. Very interesting offseason so far.

Thanks to jeg067 for pointing out that Blanton is a FA (I missed that in my original post).

[HardcoreVikesFan]

Andre Smith - OT - Vikings

Minnesota has signed FA OT Andre Smith to a one year deal. Deal has a base of 3.5 million - with a possible 4.5 million dollar pay-out.

Source: NFLN

[Raptorman]

One thing these signings have done is make it easier for the Vikings come draft day. If the right player falls to 23 they can pretty much take any position a this point. Agree?

[Mothman]

One thing these signings have done is make it easier for the Vikings come draft day. If the right player falls to 23 they can pretty much take any position a this point. Agree?

Not really. They've added more questions marks to an o- line full of question marks but other than Boone, who should be good, it's not clear if they've added any solutions and for that unit, 2017 still looks like the Great Unknown. I think drafting OL remains a priority unless the talent's just not there to justify it. I have a feeling Spielman won't agree though..

[PurpleKoolaid]

Hopefully they think like you Jim, its how I feel as well.

[mondry]

One thing these signings have done is make it easier for the Vikings come draft day. If the right player falls to 23 they can pretty much take any position a this point. Agree?

Agreed, any BPA that's a LT, LB, DT, WR, TE, RB, C, or S would make a lot of sense. Don't have to force anything, get the most talented guy.

[fiestavike]

Not really. They've added more questions marks to an o- line full of question marks but other than Boone, who should be good, it's not clear if they've added any solutions and for that unit, 2017 still looks like the Great Unknown. I think drafting OL remains a priority unless the talent's just not there to justify it. I have a feeling Spielman won't agree though..

I agree it will be a mistake to not to address the offensive line in the draft, but I think Raptorman's view is what Spielman is trying to do...open up the possibility to go in any direction in the draft. I think their approach is to try to get difference makers/playmakers in the first 2-3 rounds and wait to get OL until later, and I don't think that's going to be different in this draft. I'm not totally on board with that approach, but at this point its what I expect.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Not really. They've added more questions marks to an o- line full of question marks but other than Boone, who should be good, it's not clear if they've added any solutions and for that unit, 2017 still looks like the Great Unknown. I think drafting OL remains a priority unless the talent's just not there to justify it. I have a feeling Spielman won't agree though..

I disagree. I think offensive line should be drafted in rounds 2-4 somewhere but not at #23. This is a VERY weak WR class. If we pass on or miss out on Treadwell, Doctson, or even Coleman, our WRs will be in some serious serious trouble. I know this isn't the way to go by it, but I am dead set on WR at 23. There is nobody left in FA and there are a bunch of wait and see/developmental WRs after those big three.

It's great we are getting protection for Teddy but you need to give him some weapons at the same time. I think this could be why we are loading up on OL in FA. Because we want to go elsewhere early in the draft. We haven't TOUCHED WR. We were supposedly sniffing around Andre Holmes but he's back in Oakland and isn't the answer regardless. I think Zimmer is starting to realize that his defense wasnt the problem. He has a lot of the pieces he needs. I can't see us going with safety because we will let Griffen and Sendejo compete and I can't see us going LB if we re-sign Greenway. We will let him compete with Lamur. We load up on OL in FA AND re-sign Harris. All signs point to WR when you look at it.

I personally think that Zimmer knows they need one and knows that this is a weak WR class so they need to assess some positions of need in FA and go WR at 23.