Vikings Off Season Plan v3.0

In this offseason plan the idea is to keep as many players as possible. Not much change. Let’s call it the run in back one more time plan.

Considering that Spielman and Zimmer are going to be in the last year of their deals it could be that they do not want to have too much turnover in personnel. Just a few strategic changes and the draft picks. But drafting means planning for the future so this thought process is already flawed.

But I am going to go with it anyway just to see the possibilities.

The starting cap situation according to overthecap is ...

Year - Total Liabilities - Salary Cap (Projected) - Cap Room

2020 - $212,372,490 - $201,005,976 - ($11,366,514)

2021 - $177,672,057 - $201,005,976 - $23,333,919

2022 - $136,829,266 - $201,005,976 - $64,176,710

2023 - $79,130,000 - $201,005,976 - $121,875,976

2024 - $16,000,000 - $201,005,976 - $185,005,976

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... I have increased each projected salary cap (each year) by about 6.3% to reflect likely increases ...

Year - Cap Room

2020 - ($11,366,514)

2021 - $36,139,895

2022 - $90,604,523

2023 - $162,793,466

2024 - $241,336,272

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Here are the moves ...

Cut Griffen (void his contract basically - the Vikings do not need him to do it)

Restructure Reiff - 8 mil saves 4 mil in cap space in 2020

Restructure Joseph - 6 mil saves 4 mil in cap space in 2020

Restructure Hunter - 4 mil saves 3 mil in cap space in 2020

Restructure Barr - 6 mil saves 4.5 mil in cap space in 2020

Restructure Diggs - 6 mil saves 4.5 mil in cap space in 2020

Restructure Thielen - 3 mil saves 2.4 mil in cap space in 2020

Restructure Rhodes - 3 mil saves 2 mil in cap space in 2020

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Updated cap situation ...

Year - Cap Room

2020 - $25,623,486

2021 - $26,133,919

2022 - $72,081,710

2023 - $117,275,976

2024 - $184,405,976

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... more moves

Extend Alexander - 3 years 25.5 mil with a first year cap hit of 4.5 mil.

Extend Kearse - 2 years 5 mil with a first year cap hit of 2.25 mil.

Extend Bailey - 2 years 4.5 mil with a first year cap hit of 2 mil.

Extend Colquitt - 2 years 3.5 mil with a first year cap hit of 1.75 mil.

Extend Sendejo - 2 years 3.5 mil with a first year cap hit of 1.75 mil.

Extend Ham - 3 years 6 mil with a first year cap hit of 1.5 mil.

Give Wilson the original round tender of 2.144 mil

Extend Griffen - 3 years 21 mil with a first year cap hit of 6 mil.

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Updated cap situation ...

Year - Cap Room

2020 - $7,299,486

2021 - $11,689,895

2022 - $76,509,523

2023 - $158,193,466

2024 - $240,736,272

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You may wonder how you add 24.4 mil in cap space and still have 7.3 mil left. That is because the current overthecap figure is for 51 players (there are 52 actually but only 51 count towards the cap number). When you re-sign players they bump others off the top 51.

Looking at 2021, we see only $11,689,895 in cap space. Reiff, Joseph, Rhodes, Kline, & Stephen are likely cut candidates. This would create an additional 41 mil in cap space which would bring the 2021 available cap space to $52,189,895.

Additionally, the 2011 cap number does not include the $7,299,486 being carried over. Adding that brings the cap space to $59,489,381 in 2021.

It is easy to see how they could add a Joe Thuney in free agency. Maybe a 5 year 56.5 mil deal with a first year cap hit of 4.5 mil.

Harris, Waynes, Hill, Dozier, Jones, Mannion, Abdullah, Treadwell, Weatherly, Brothers, and Sherels will hit free agency.

This plan would hope to get compensatory picks in 2021.

Heading to the draft the depth chart looks like ...

QB - Cousins, Browning

RB - Cook, Mattison, Boone, Brooks-James

FB - Ham

WR - Thielen, Diggs, Johnson, Beebe, Hollins, Mitchell, Davis, Addison

TE - Rudolph, Smith, Morgan, Conklin, Dillon

LT - Reiff, Collins

LG - Elflein

OC - Bradbury

RG - Kline, Samia

RT - O’Neill, Udoh

DE - Hunter, Griffen, Odenigbo, Mata’afa, Yarbrough, Keely

DT - Joseph, Stephen, Johnson, Holmes, Watts

LB - Barr, Kendricks, Wilson, Gedeon, Smith

CB - Rhodes, Hughes, Alexander, Hill, Boyd, Sayles, Hall, Fields

S - Smith, Kearse, Sendejo, Meadors

PK - Bailey

P - Colquitt

LS - Cutting

... this is pretty much running it back except for losing Harris and Waynes. If they could add Joe Thuney then that would eliminate the left guard need.

Harris is a tough loss but Kearse has proved reliable when given the opportunity. I think he needs more snaps to show that he could handle the starting job.

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Onto the draft ...

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

TRADES

BALTIMORE RAVENS

SENT: ROUND: 1 PICK: 25

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

LA RAMS

SENT: ROUND: 4 PICK: 26 & ROUND: 7 PICK: 25

RECEIVED: ROUND: 4 PICK: 20

DENVER BRONCOS

SENT: ROUND: 4 PICK: 28

RECEIVED: ROUND: 4 PICK: 31 & ROUND: 7 PICK: 23

28: R1P28 OT ISAIAH WILSON GEORGIA 6’7” - 340 - RSO

Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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

Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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89: R3P25 S KYLE DUGGER LENOIR-RHYNE 6’0.6” - 217 - SR

Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

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123: R4P20 G SOLOMON KINDLEY GEORGIA 6’4” - 335 - JR

Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

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134: R4P31 QB ANTHONY GORDON WASHINGTON STATE 6’2.2” - 199 - RSR

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

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138: R4P35 WR DEVIN DUVERNAY TEXAS 5’10.4” - 202 - SR

Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

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205: R6P26 RB AJ DILLON BOSTON COLLEGE 6’0” - 245 - JR

Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

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219: R7P5 EDGE TREVIS GIPSON TULSA 6’3.4” - 259 - RSR

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

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237: R7P23 CB PARNELL MOTLEY OKLAHOMA 6’0” - 180 - SR

Photo by Alonzo Adams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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253: R7P39 LB MARKUS BAILEY PURDUE 6’1” - 240 - RSR

Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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254: R7P40 WR AUSTIN MACK OHIO STATE 6’1.1” - 212 - SR

Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

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I understand that some would want to cut Rhodes and keep Waynes. But Waynes could get big money as a free agent despite what spotrac has for market value. Is Waynes worth that much money? I think they keep the faith in Rhodes and see if he can turn it around. Then, they keep Alexander for less than what Waynes might get. If you do not agree then you could swap out a Waynes extension while cutting Rhodes and save cap space in 2020.

I do not really believe that Brez would do all of these contract restructures. You do create 24.4 mil in cap space for 2020 but also lower the cap space by 11.5 mil in 2021. But as I said above, if they cut Reiff, Joseph, Rhodes, Kline, and Stephen after the 2020 season they save 41 mil in cap space even while having the extra dead money.

It is a necessary evil when you have a QB making 30 mil per year. This draft does not provide a replacement for Cousins either unless you think Anthony Gordon will be ready.

Grabbing Isaiah Wilson and Solomon Kindley could solidify the left side of the line. That is the hope. Kindley being available in the 4th is a pipe dream. Some of the boards on fanspeak are interesting. But I could replace Kindley with John Simpson or Netane Muti.

Losing Harris will hurt if Kearse is not able to step up and that is why I wanted to get a safety early.

An alternate mock

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

TRADES

BALTIMORE RAVENS

SENT: ROUND: 1 PICK: 25

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

DALLAS COWBOYS

SENT: ROUND: 2 PICK: 26 & ROUND: 4 PICK: 28

RECEIVED: ROUND: 2 PICK: 19

MIAMI DOLPHINS

SENT: ROUND: 4 PICK: 35

RECEIVED: ROUND: 4 PICK: 39 & ROUND: 7 PICK: 32

28: R1P28 OT ISAIAH WILSON GEORGIA

51: R2P19 S XAIVER MCKINNEY ALABAMA

89: R3P25 WR K.J. HAMLER PENN STATE

129: R4P26 G JOHN SIMPSON CLEMSON

142: R4P39 DL ROSS BLACKLOCK TCU

205: R6P26 S ESSANG BASSEY WAKE FOREST

219: R7P5 LB DAVID WOODWARD UTAH STATE

239: R7P25 S JEREMY CHINN S. ILLINOIS

246: R7P32 EDGE BRYCE HUFF MEMPHIS

253: R7P39 WR JOE REED VIRGINIA

254: R7P40 QB COLE MCDONALD HAWAII

As usual, I think I like the second mock better.

There are many ways to skin the cat this offseason.