Vikings Free Agency: Vikings 'Surging' For Kelechi Osemele

With the NFL 'Legal Tampering Period' underway, the rumors about the Vikings and who they might or might not be pursuing are starting to ramp up. Whether it's almost everyone on the Cincinnati Bengals defense or Browns G Mitchell Schwartz, the Vikings rumor mill has been slowly picking up steam all day.

Well, consider the rumor mill officially ON FIYAH. NFL Network reporter Rand Getlin tweeted this out just a short while ago:

In addition to the #Raiders, I'm told the #Vikings are surging for OG Kelechi Osemele. Expect his deal to land well in excess of $10M per.

— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) March 8, 2016

Whoa.

Not sure what surging means, and this could very well be a strategic plant by someone in Osemele's camp to drive up the price on the Raiders or another team. Still, based on the Vikings needs on the offensive line, Osemele would be a huge get for the Vikings, and admittedly, somewhat out of character for the Vikings and free agency in recent years.

And for argument's sake, let's just assume the money numbers Getlin is reporting are, and the Vikings do sign Osemele. With Matt Kalil due an $11 million bonus in a couple days, you would really have to think that an Osemele signing would be bad news for Kalil staying on the team, at least with his current contract. But we'll see how it plays out over the next couple days.

Osemele has played all but four games at guard for the Baltimore Ravens, but it was expected that if the Ravens re-signed him it would be as their new left tackle, as he filled in and started the last four games as their LT in 2015. Osemele is generally considered the best offensive lineman available in free agency, and he would be a massive upgrade for the Vikings offensive line, whether he played guard or tackle.

So it looks like the Vikings are legally tampering like a boss, and we'll wait and see how it all plays out.