Bill Parcells once said, “If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries.”
The Hall of Fame coach’s influence over the Minnesota Vikings may be gone with Mike Zimmer’s departure a year ago, but the quote still rings true – especially when the mantra so far has been “Let Kwesi Cook.”
After a first offseason filled with getting settled and fulfilling an owner-driven mandate of being “super competitive,” Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has the burners on high, releasing Eric Kendricks, Adam Thielen and potentially more high-priced veterans in the coming days.
The moves create plenty of cap space for 2024, but the front office still needs to find a way to improve a team that won 13 games a season ago. With the Wilfs still hungry for a contender, here’s a look at some of the things Adofo-Mensah will need to find this offseason to satisfy their appetite.
Linebackers
The Vikings needed linebackers before the offseason began as Kendricks and Jordan Hicks – who is a candidate to be released in the coming days – were trailing opposing running backs in coverage all season long.
With new defensive coordinator Brian Flores looking to attack in as many ways as possible, getting younger and faster should be a priority. The Vikings could be halfway there by inserting Brian Asamoah into the starting lineup, but they still need someone who can play beside him in a 3-4 scheme.
Free agency has some interesting options including Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush. The 10th overall pick in the 2019 draft dropped some hints about his next destination on social media, saying that his new team would be coached by a former NFL player.
Kevin O’Connell fits that description and Bush also has a connection with Flores, who was the linebackers coach in Pittsburgh last season. While Bush has been a disappointment with a career-high 62.9 Pro Football Focus grade coming in his rookie season, his $3.5 million valuation from Over The Cap could fit into the Vikings’ budget.
There are other former Flores pupils that could be had in free agency such as Dolphins linebackers Duke Riley and Elandon Roberts, but both are 29 years old and the Vikings could be looking for someone younger and cheaper.
This could lead them back to the draft, where the Vikings could take a linebacker in the middle rounds. Iowa’s Jack Campbell could be a target after 9.61 relative athletic score (RAS) at the combine, but so could Drew Sanders of Arkansas, Tulane’s Dorian Williams or Cincinnati’s Ivan Pace Jr.
Wide Receiver
Receiver jumped toward the top of the list after Thielen’s release this week, but you can argue that it was a need even before the offseason started. Both Thielen and K.J. Osborne recorded 1.08 yards per route run in 2022 and the Vikings would like to get someone that can stretch the field.
The bad news is that there aren’t many options in a weak draft and free agency class.
D.J. Chark is one name to monitor, but he could get a larger-than-expected contract despite mediocre production (30 catches, 502 yards 3 TD) with the Detroit Lions last season. The same goes for Jakobi Meyers, Allen Lazard and Juju Smith-Schuster.
One free agent that could make sense is Odell Beckham Jr. After the Vikings attended a workout for the free-agent wide receiver on Friday, the connections between the 30-year-old and his fellow LSU alum Justin Jefferson will spark rumors, but that connection didn’t lead to a deal when the Vikings were reportedly interested last season.
This could lead the Vikings to the draft, which unfortunately isn’t looking much better. Jordan Addison and Jaxon Smith-Njigba could be good fits, but they’re unlikely to be there when the Vikings are on the clock with the 24th overall pick.
There is one more way that the Vikings could make a splash and that’s by trading for DeAndre Hopkins. The 31-year-old would be more of a stopgap for Minnesota’s dilemma at receiver, but he posted 1.98 yards per route run last season and could come cheap as the Arizona Cardinals have made it public that they’re looking to trade the star wideout.
Cornerback
If we’re talking about a meal, cornerback should be the main course. Vikings’ corners were torched repeatedly throughout the past season and with the release of Cam Dantzler and Patrick Peterson hitting free agency, the secondary is a top priority this offseason.
The Vikings figure to hit the free agent market to add at least one veteran corner to the mix and Philadelphia’s James Bradberry and Pittsburgh’s Cameron Sutton should be on their radar. Baltimore’s Marcus Peters or Rock Ya-Sin of Las Vegas also profile as man-heavy corners that would fit into Flores’s new scheme.
Even if the Vikings add a cornerback or two in free agency, it would be wise to get some more in the draft. Devon Witherspoon of Illinois, Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez and Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. are candidates to go in the first round, but so is Alabama’s Brian Branch, who profiles as a hybrid safety/nickel corner – especially if Harrison Smith is released.
The rest of this year’s rookie class is littered with talent at cornerback, which could mean a couple of developmental picks in the later rounds to fill out the secondary.
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins will likely start in 2023, but he’s the NFL’s equivalent to Taco John’s. Sure, he’s better than what you could have, but you could also have Taco Bell (or Patrick Mahomes).
Even if they agree on a contract extension with Cousins, it would be wise for the Vikings to do their homework on a future signal caller.
The Vikings are reportedly doing their due diligence on the quarterbacks in this draft. KSTP’s Darren Wolfson reported that the Vikings met with Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, while Kentucky’s Will Levis also revealed he met with the Vikings in a unique way.
Trading up for a quarterback would be a surprise considering the Vikings’ lack of draft capital, but it could also be recouped if Cousins demands a trade over a refusal to play out the last year of his contract.
Cousins would have to approve of any deal that would send him out of Minnesota, but perhaps he could finally fulfill the NFL’s longest-running bromance by uniting with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. Such a deal could also bring Minnesota native Trey Lance in return but there’s no guarantee that he’ll blossom into the franchise quarterback the 49ers thought they were getting when they selected him third overall in the 2021 draft.
Either way, the Vikings can’t create the meal they want without an elite quarterback.
