Report: Vikings won’t use Franchise Tag to solve quarterback situation

Hat tip to the folks over at The Viking Age for seeing this one before we did.

With the date that teams can start using the Franchise and Transition Player tags quickly approaching, there have been rumors that the Minnesota Vikings would use one of those tags on quarterback Case Keenum in an effort to solve their problem at the position. Now we have a report saying that the Vikings won’t tag Keenum after all. Nor will they tag anyone else.

Arthur Arkush of the recently revamped Pro Football Weekly is reporting that the Vikings aren’t going to be using the Franchise Tag on any of their quarterbacks.

Obviously, we’ve reached the point of the NFL offseason where there are just as many rumors and innuendoes flying around as there are actual facts, but if the Vikings think they can solve their quarterback problem without using the tag, it might mean that they think they can get one of their quarterbacks under contract before the free agency period starts at a lower price.

As it stands now, the value of the Franchise tag is approximately $23.2 million for one season. If the Vikings aren’t looking to give Keenum that sort of money after his outstanding 2017 season, they might think they can get him for less. . .or they might think that they’re ready to hand things back to Teddy Bridgewater. . .or they might be thinking of jumping on the A.J. McCarron bandwagon, a move that would cause this writer to vomit like the puppet from Team America: World Police.

If they’re not looking to pay “franchise” level money for a quarterback, you would think that might take them out of the Kirk Cousins derby. . .unless, of course, they think they can get Cousins to sign for less than his market value would probably be to come to Minnesota. Perhaps they’ve already talked to him and know he’s coming to Minnesota. (Dun dun DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!)

Actually, I doubt they’ve already got something worked out with Cousins, but I’m sure the conspiracy theory will be floated at some point, so we could just as well do it. But with as hot as Cousins is going to be in the free agent market, he’d be crazy not to shop himself around a little bit.

Do you think the Vikings will use the tag on any of their quarterbacks when they have the ability to do so?