Vikings Off Season Plan v5.0

Don’t quit my day job!

By MarkSP18 Feb 22, 2020, 6:53am CST

This plan will not be very popular!

Time for another plan before the combine and possibly the new CBA. I am doing this plan with the possibility of no new CBA being ready by the time free agency starts. If this occurs then the 30% rule comes into effect. Here is the 30% rule explained ...

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/26073422/nfl-cba-quirks-a-big-effect-2020-offseason

The ‘30 percent’ rule

Article 13, Section 7 of the CBA mandates that “no player contract extending into a season beyond the Final League Year may provide for an annual increase in salary ... of more than 30 percent of the salary provided for in the Final League Year, per year, either in the season after the Final League Year or in any subsequent season covered by the Player Contract.”

So if a player signs a five-year contract this off-season, and his 2020 salary is $10 million, the rules state his scheduled 2021, 2022 and 2023 salaries can’t be higher than $13 million, $16 million and $19 million, respectively.

Since this is version 5, I am trying to change it up enough every time to see different possibilities and hopefully have discussions. I have done a couple where the Vikings drafted a QB early and one where Cousins was extending while trying to keep many of the older higher paid players. This one will be another outside the box type plan. Slightly.

So lets get to it.

With Griffen voiding his deal, the Vikings now are no longer in the red. Here are the numbers and I added in increases to th3 salary cap for each season (6.3%).

https://overthecap.com/calculator/minnesota-vikings/

Year - Salary Cap - Cap Room

2020 - $201,005,976 - $1,379,736

2021 - $213,811,952 - $37,733,919

2022 - $227,433,789 - $79,676,710

2023 - $241,923,466 - $121,875,976

2024 - $257,336,272 - $185,005,976

Here are the moves ...

Release Rhodes, Reiff, and Joseph.

Restructure Diggs 6 mil, Barr 4 mil, Hunter mil, & Thielen 3 mil

Extend Kearse 4 yr 12 mil - 26 years old

Extend Alexander 3 yr 22.5 mil - 26.3 years old

Extend Bailey 2 yr 5 mil

Extend Colquitt 2 yr 4 mil

Extend Wilson 1 yr 2.144 mil (RFA tender) - 25.5 years old

Extend Ham 1 yr 2.144 mil (RFA tender) - 26.7 years old

Sign DT Danny Shelton 4 yr 21 mil - 26.6 years old

Sign OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai 4 yr 21 mil - 26.8 years old

Sign Marcus Mariota 2 yr 15 mil - 26.4 years old

Sign Deon Bush 2 yr 5 mil - 26.6 years old

Sign Stephon Weatherly 2 yr 6 mil - 25.11 years old

Year - Salary Cap - Cap Room

2020 - $201,005,976 - $7,214,236

2021 - $213,811,952 - $47,129,895

2022 - $227,433,789 - $91,158,547

2023 - $241,923,466 - $125,235,653

2024 - $257,336,272 - $199,818,782

The roster looks like this heading to the draft ...

The QBs would be Cousins, Mariota, and Browning

The RBs would be Cook, Mattison, Boone, Brooks-James

The TEs would be Rudolph, Smith, Conklin, Morgan, Dillon

The WRs would be Diggs, Thielen, Johnson, Beebe, Hollins, Mitchell, Davis

The OTs would be O’Neill, Vaitai, and Udoh

The OGs would be Elflein, Collins, Kline, and Samia

The OC would be Bradbury

The DTs would be Shelton, Stephen, Johnson, Holmes, Watts, and Cothran

The DEs would be Hunter, Odenigbo, Weatherly, Mata’afa, and Yarbrough.

The LBs would be Barr, Kendricks, Wilson, Smith, Gedeon, and Cliett

The CBs would be Alexander, Hughes, Hill, Boyd, Meadors, Hall, Fields

The safeties would be Smith, Kearse, and Bush

The LS is Cutting

The K is Bailey

The P is Colquitt

https://fanspeak.com/ontheclock/sharedraft.php?d=tktsyw

TRADES

HOUSTON TEXANS

SENT: FUTURE ROUND 2 PICK

RECEIVED: ROUND: 3 PICK: 37 & ROUND: 4 PICK: 25

239: R7P25 CB STANTLEY THOMAS-OLIVER II FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 6’2” 184 SR

https://www.underdogdynasty.com/2020/1/21/21073590/2020-nfl-draft-prospect-profile-stantley-thomas-oliver-iii-interview-football-butch-davis-miami

253: R7P39 WR JOE REED VIRGINIA 6’1’’ 215 SR

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/joe-reed?id=32195245-4527-8280-a5c5-79f0b7e26e35

https://steelersdepot.com/2020/01/2020-nfl-draft-player-profiles-virginia-wr-joe-reed/

254: R7P40 S JARED MAYDEN ALABAMA 6’0” 205 SR

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 12 Alabama at Texas A&M

https://steelersdepot.com/2020/01/2020-nfl-draft-player-profiles-alabama-s-jared-mayden/

Having a potential starting line of Vaitai, Elflein, Bradbury, Kline, and O’Neill could be very scary to many.

Muti is a very nice prospect as is Charles. Add them to Udoh, Samia, and Collins and they could eventually blossom. That is the hope.

I suppose if you go with a first round tackle then everything would be just fine right?

With Griffen likely going elsewhere for more money, I think grabbing a defensive end is very important especially if one is there at #25.

Yetur Gross-Matos is tall and has good size already. He needs to get stronger just like any lineman entering the NFL. You can never have enough passs rushers.

Raekwon Davis is apparently falling on draft boards because his last two seasons were not as good as his 2017 season when he h ad 8.5 sacks. But at 6’7” 312 and very powerful already, he is too intriguing to pass especialy with Stephen and Holmes not exactly lighting it up.

Lynn Bowden proved how unselfish he is last year by agreeing to play QB for Kentucky when he could have said he wanted to keep working at receiver in order to get drafted as high as possible. He had a good year running the ball, has shown he is a good receiver, and has return abilities.

Jalen Hurts is a player that many are not very high on because they believe he will not get better as a passer. I think his mobility makes him a perfect candidate for this team and having him and Mariota gives the offense two QBs that can move around when the line gets beat. And best of all, the NFL.com profile compares him to Tim Tebow!

Netane Muti is a powerful guard who has suffered some injuries the last couple of years but is pretty good when he plays. he has played left tackle so that brings added versatility.

Troy Pride Jr is very fast. He was a two-time state champion in the 400m dash and state champion in the 200m dash and 100m dash. He reportedly ran a 4.32 40. He could end up being quite a find at the end of the 4th.

Charles stated 28 games at left tackle for LSU. Kind of odd that he is not getting more love but he could be a nice find in the 4th.

Brown is a big tall linebacker that is very athletic. He should fit in good on the defense and bring some value to special teams.

Highsmith is a really good pass rusher that needs to add some weight but brings a burst off the edge.

Thomas-Oliver III is an intriguing corner. He is tall at 6’2” and played receiver his first year similar to Richard Sherman. Not saying he will be as good as Sherman but corners that played receiver bring an extra dimension to coverage.

Reed is another receiver that brings serious kick return abilities. While kick return is not teribly important anymore it still is nice to have someone dynamic.

Mayden started for Alabama this past season and is a decent safey prospect to groom and utilize on special teams.

An alternate draft ...

https://fanspeak.com/ontheclock/sharedraft.php?d=yrhrdq

TRADES

BALTIMORE RAVENS

SENT: ROUND: 1 PICK: 25

RECEIVED: ROUND: 1 PICK: 28 & ROUND: 4 PICK: 33

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

SENT: FUTURE ROUND 2 PICK

RECEIVED: ROUND: 3 PICK: 23 & ROUND: 4 PICK: 19

28: R1P28 OT AUSTIN JACKSON USC

58: R2P26 S ANTOINE WINFIELD, JR. MINNESOTA

87: R3P23 WR MICHAEL PITTMAN JR. USC

89: R3P25 QB JALEN HURTS OKLAHOMA

122: R4P19 CB TROY PRIDE JR. NOTRE DAME

129: R4P26 EDGE ALTON ROBINSON SYRACUSE

136: R4P33 G NETANE MUTI FRESNO STATE

138: R4P35 WR DEVIN DUVERNAY TEXAS

205: R6P26 LB CAMERON BROWN PENN STATE

219: R7P5 RB LEVANTE BELLAMY WESTERN MICHIGAN

239: R7P25 DL DAVON HAMILTON OHIO STATE

253: R7P39 S LUTHER KIRK ILLINOIS STATE

254: R7P40 FB BRONSON RECHSTEINER KENNESAW STATE

Bronson is the son of former WWE legend Rick Steiner. He measures in at six feet, 230 pounds, and projects as an RB/FB/H-back. His training numbers have reportedly been off the charts, with 40 times in the mid 4.3s, a vertical jump of 39 inches and a bench press of 33 reps.

This is likely the better mock.

In 2021 the available cap space is 47.1 mil and the free agents of note will be Dalvin Cook, Ifeadi Odenigbo, Jaleel Johnson, David Morgan, Aviante Collins, Holton Hill, Mike Boone, & Hercules Mata’afa. Kirk Cousins, Pat Elflein, and any others will be free.

I kind of like having Mariota and Hurts as the QBs alhough the Mariota deal would really only be one year. With the line put together in this plan, a mobile QB would be a requirement.

A little more about Mariota ...

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/marcus-mariota-benched-ryan-tannehill-titans-draft-bust/w2ssffk6p9cm13ftmajkpjomn

Inconsistency: Not solely inconsistency with the player, but the organization, as well. The start of Mariota’s NFL career mirrors that of former 49ers QB Alex Smith: both dealt with different offensive coordinators in their first five seasons of the league. That’s tough for any young QB coming into the league, but especially for Mariota: he dealt with different three head coaches (Ken Wisenhunt, Mike Mularkey, Mike Vrabel) and four different offensive coordinators in his first five seasons at the helm. That much turnover around the QB can wreak havoc on a player’s progression.

That’s not to say that Mariota is absolved of his sins. While a promising 2016 season painted a picture of progression, he reverted to his turnover-prone ways in 2017, an issue he hadn’t had in the college ranks.

I think if you look at the receivers and line during Mariota’s time at Tennessee it really has been below average at best.

This could possibly my worst or best plan yet!

Vikings Off Season Plan v5.0

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Year - Salary Cap - Cap Room

2020 - $201,005,976 - $1,379,736

2021 - $213,811,952 - $37,733,919

2022 - $227,433,789 - $79,676,710

2023 - $241,923,466 - $121,875,976

2024 - $257,336,272 - $185,005,976

Year - Salary Cap - Cap Room

2020 - $201,005,976 - $7,214,236

2021 - $213,811,952 - $47,129,895

2022 - $227,433,789 - $91,158,547

2023 - $241,923,466 - $125,235,653

2024 - $257,336,272 - $199,818,782

The QBs would be Cousins, Mariota, and Browning

The RBs would be Cook, Mattison, Boone, Brooks-James

The TEs would be Rudolph, Smith, Conklin, Morgan, Dillon

The WRs would be Diggs, Thielen, Johnson, Beebe, Hollins, Mitchell, Davis

The OTs would be O’Neill, Vaitai, and Udoh

The OGs would be Elflein, Collins, Kline, and Samia

The OC would be Bradbury

The DTs would be Shelton, Stephen, Johnson, Holmes, Watts, and Cothran

The DEs would be Hunter, Odenigbo, Weatherly, Mata’afa, and Yarbrough.

The LBs would be Barr, Kendricks, Wilson, Smith, Gedeon, and Cliett

The CBs would be Alexander, Hughes, Hill, Boyd, Meadors, Hall, Fields

The safeties would be Smith, Kearse, and Bush

The LS is Cutting

The K is Bailey

The P is Colquitt

TRADES

HOUSTON TEXANS

SENT: FUTURE ROUND 2 PICK

RECEIVED: ROUND: 3 PICK: 37 & ROUND: 4 PICK: 25

25: R1P25 EDGE YETUR GROSS-MATOS PENN STATE 6’4” 262 JR

58: R2P26 DL RAEKWON DAVIS ALABAMA 6’7” 306 SR

89: R3P25 WR LYNN BOWDEN KENTUCKY 6’1’’ 199 JR

101: R3P37 QB JALEN HURTS OKLAHOMA 6’2” 210 SR

128: R4P25 G NETANE MUTI FRESNO STATE 6’3” 310 RJR

129: R4P26 CB TROY PRIDE JR. NOTRE DAME 5’11” 194 SR

138: R4P35 OT SAAHDIQ CHARLES LSU 6’5” 305 JR

205: R6P26 LB CAMERON BROWN PENN STATE 6’5” 230 SR

219: R7P5 EDGE ALEX HIGHSMITH CHARLOTTE 6’3” 244 RSR

253: R7P39 WR JOE REED VIRGINIA 6’1’’ 215 SR

TRADES

BALTIMORE RAVENS

SENT: ROUND: 1 PICK: 25

RECEIVED: ROUND: 1 PICK: 28 & ROUND: 4 PICK: 33

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

SENT: FUTURE ROUND 2 PICK

RECEIVED: ROUND: 3 PICK: 23 & ROUND: 4 PICK: 19

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