We’ve been a bit tardy in getting this posted, and for that I apologize, but this stream is going to serve as your one-stop shop for everything that the Minnesota Vikings are doing this offseason, particularly in terms of free agency.
The Vikings have made some pretty significant signings so far, and some familiar faces have left the ship as well. We want you to be able to find everything you need, so here’s a complete list of everything that’s happened since the start of the new league year.
Free Agents Signed
- Things got started for the Vikings when they brought back defensive end Stephen Weatherly, who spent the 2020 season with the Carolina Panthers.
- Minnesota also held onto several of their in-house free agents, including offensive tackle Rashod Hill (story here), wide receiver Chad Beebe (story here), and running back Ameer Abdullah (story here).
- The first big-ticket signing for the Vikings came before free agency actually started when they agreed to a two-year, $22 million deal with former New York Giants’ defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, giving them the corner on the Dalvin market. (And a pretty good defensive player, too.)
- The Vikings also brought in a new face at linebacker in the form of former Bengals and Chargers linebacker Nick Vigil.
- But Rick Spielman and company weren’t done there, as they came to terms on a one-year, $10 million deal with former Arizona Cardinals’ cornerback Patrick Peterson to shore up a young secondary.
- MOAR SECONDARY, you say? Well, the Vikings brought back yet another familiar face to help out, signing Mackensie Alexander to a one-year deal.
- To replace the departed Anthony Harris at safety, the Vikings signed former Dallas Cowboys’ safety Xavier Woods to a one-year deal.
- You wanted a guard? You got one. . .sort of.
Free Agents Lost
- Longtime tight end Kyle Rudolph signed a two-year deal with the New York Giants.
- He’ll be joined in the Big Apple by defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo, who signed with the Giants on a one-year deal.
- Safety Anthony Harris has also moved on, agreeing to a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
- Running back Mike Boone agreed to a two-year deal with the Denver Broncos.
- After being released following the Vikings’ attempts to restructure his contract, offensive tackle Riley Reiff signed on with the Cincinnati Bengals.
- Linebacker Eric Wilson will be joining Harris, as he signed a one-year deal with the Eagles.
- Defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson is also moving on, as he’s agreed to a one-year deal with the Houston Texans.
Trades Made
- The Vikings traded the sixth-round compensatory choice that they received from the league to the Arizona Cardinals for offensive lineman Mason Cole.
Miscellaneous Happenings
- A few days before the start of free agency, the Vikings parted ways with kicker Dan Bailey, who had significant issues with accuracy at the end of last season.
- Shortly after the start of free agency, the Vikings released defensive tackle Shamar Stephen, a starter for them in 2020.
- The Vikings have restructured a couple of contracts to help open up some cap room. Specifically, they re-did the deal of punter Britton Colquitt (story here), linebacker Anthony Barr (story here), and wide receiver Adam Thielen (story here). There could be more done in this area as well.
- The Vikings’ front office was also made to forfeit this year’s seventh-round draft choice as punishment for a salary cap violation the team committed in 2019.
As more things happen for the Vikings this offseason, we will update this post and add the stories to our stream so you can find them more easily.