Vikings Free Agency: George Iloka Back To Bengals

First, the Minnesota Vikings were 'surging' for Ravens OL Kelechi Osemele. Osemele later signed a stupid money contract with the Oakland Raiders.

Next, they were 'in on' Bengals S George Iloka...who just a little while ago decided to stay with the Bengals:

For #Bengals and S George Iloka, it's a done deal. 5 years, $30M with $18M over the first 3 years. Cincy players often play them all out.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2016

So as free agency officially kicks off at 3 PM Central today, there are two big names that Minnesota was rumored to be interested in off the market. I think Iloka in purple would have been a good fit, and the money doesn't seem outrageous, but for the second year in a row a Bengals player that had played under Mike Zimmer flirted with the Vikings, but ultimately stayed home.

Keep in mind, it's not the end of the world, and free agency hasn't even officially started yet. And in recent years, the Vikings have sat out the 'mad money' first day, stayed patient, and found really good players at decent value a few days in, like Linval Joseph and Captain Munnerlyn, for example.

it will be interesting to see what direction the Vikings go in now, if any. They could wait for the draft, or they could target another safety, like Reggie Nelson or Tashaun Gipson, for example. The bottom line is that there are still plenty of options available, and I would be surprised if the Vikings don't get a safety as free agency unfolds.