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Hey look, the Vikings actually kept someone!
After learning that Percy Harvin was dealt to Seattle yesterday and the news broke that the Bears are targeting tackle Phil Loadholt today, it's refreshing to hear that a Vikings player is going to stick around for another year.
Even if that player had a disappointing 2012 campaign.
Insert your "he would have signed earlier, but he kept on dropping the pen" joke here, but the Vikings have agreed to another one-year deal with Jerome Simpson according to professional news breaker Adam Schefter. The specifics of the contract haven't been released yet, but we'll update this post when the numbers become available.
I know, I know, keeping Simpson instead of Harvin wasn't the way that any of us wanted or expected this to play out. But I do kind of like this move, assuming that Simpson signed another relatively affordable contract.
Of course the Vikings need someone to suit up at wide receiver next year. The cupboard was already bare after the departure of Harvin so keeping a wide receiver that has experience with Minnesota's system and Christian Ponder was crucial.
But familiarity means nothing if you can't hold onto the damn ball, right? Simpson admitted that he played poorly and lacked the necessary focus to excel last year. There's nowhere to go but up with how he performs next year. His accountability is a positive sign, and the guy is still a freak athlete. (No seriously--a freak.) If he can start to consistently combine his athleticism with some football fundamentals, there's still a chance that he can be the receiver we hoped he would be when the Vikings gambled on him last year.
And remember, not all of Simpson's shortcomings last season were on him. There were multiple times when Simpson got open down field but Ponder just flat out missed him. It's going to take improvement across the board to replace the void the Harvin left.
Are the Vikings set at wide receiver now that the re-signed Jerome Simpson? As Marsellus Wallace said in Pulp Fiction, not by damn sight. But Simpson might just surprise us and be an integral part of an offense that's sure to look different one way or another in 2013.