In a development that should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody. . .with the possible exception of Troy Williamson. . .the Beloved Purple have given the former South Carolina product permission to seek a trade:
"It's a phenomenal situation, I'm really happy about it," Canter said of gaining the ability to seek a trade for Williamson. "I wanted it, I pushed for it. I talked about it obviously towards the end of the season. I thought it was pretty obvious it was going to happen.
Hang on. . .wait just a damn minute here. Eight to ten teams have expressed interest in acquiring Troy Williamson? Our Troy Williamson? THIS Troy Williamson?
Photo courtesy of ESPN.com
Honestly, I'm not sure who the heck Canter thinks he's fooling here. There is absolutely, positively no way that a quarter of the teams in the NFL are interested in giving anything up for a guy that everyone knows the Vikings are probably going to end up cutting. I've said before numerous times on this site that I like Williamson, and I was really hoping that things were going to work out for him in Minnesota. . .but with his performance thus far, it would be hard for anyone to justify giving up a draft pick or a player or anything else for him at this point.
How bad has he been? In 3 NFL seasons, he has 79 catches for 1,067 yards and 3 TDs. By contrast, Dwayne Bowe, who as a rookie played in a relatively abysmal offense in Kansas City, had 70 catches for 995 yards and 5 TDs in 2007 alone. Sadly, Troy Williamson probably couldn't catch herpes during a night out with Paris Hilton. . .if we somehow manage to get any sort of return for him, Rick Spielman should be considered for sainthood.
So, it appears as though we're going to be going after a receiver in free agency. Who's it going to be? Rotoworld.com is saying that it may be (soon to be) former Chicago Bear Bernard Berrian. Or it may not be, if part of this report is true.
Minnesota's No. 1 target last offseason was Kevin Curtis. Berrian's fantasy stock would take a big hit if he lands with the Vikings. Caplan says Berrian wants a deal averaging $8 million a year, but is unlikely to get it.
Don't get me wrong. . .Bernard Berrian could possibly be a nice addition to this team. Bernard Berrian at $8 million per is a freaking disaster waiting to happen. There are very few receivers in the National Football League that are worth $8 million a year. . .and you sure as hell won't find the name "Bernard Berrian" on that list.
The other free agent wide receiver that the Vikings have been connected to is Jerry Porter, he of the Oakland Raiders. He's talented, but he also happens to be a nutbar. I'm not sure if Brad Childress would have him here, but we'll have to see what happens.
By this time next week, we should know if Minnesota has made any significant signings in free agency. If they don't, don't panic right away, because I'm sure they will. . .lord knows they CAN. I, for one, am excited to see where this off-season is going to take the Beloved Purple.
That's all for tonight, folks. We'll see you with more over the weekend!