Vikings May Wait To Sign Michael Floyd

A couple of days ago, we talked about the Minnesota Vikings reportedly having interest in wide receiver (and Minnesota native) Michael Floyd. Floyd, who was released late in 2016 by the Arizona Cardinals after legal issues but latched on with the New England Patriots, is an unrestricted free agent, and there is apparently interest on both sides.

According to the folks at Pro Football Talk, the interest between the teams is still there, but there’s a date on the calendar that may dictate when the Vikings (or anyone else) signs Floyd to a deal. That date is 9 May, which is this coming Tuesday.

The reason for that is the NFL’s compensatory pick rules only take into account those signings that take place before 9 May. Any signings that come after that are not taken into account when the league doles out compensatory picks prior to each year’s NFL Draft.

As it stands right now, with their free agent activity this offseason, the Vikings are projected to receive three compensatory picks in the 2018 NFL Draft by the folks from Over the Cap. They are expected to receive a pair of sixth round selections (one for the loss of running back Adrian Peterson and one for the loss of offensive tackle Andre Smith) and one in the seventh (for the loss of linebacker Audie Cole). Given that the Vikings rarely ever receive compensatory picks, that’s a pretty significant haul, even if they are later round picks.

Knowing how much Rick Spielman likes his late-round picks, it makes perfect sense that the team might be waiting to sign Floyd until after that 9 May deadline. The article from PFT says that Floyd expects to have a deal by late next week, but there’s no word on which team, be it the Vikings or anyone else, could potentially be the favorites to sign him.