It is, once again, the time of year when National Football League teams try to patch holes in their rosters with players that are attempting to cash in on their previous performances.
The free agent signing frenzy in the NFL starts at 3:00 PM Central on Wednesday, 15 March, but the “legal tampering” period starts on Monday.
(Still the most ridiculously named thing in sports, because if it’s tampering it’s not legal and if it’s legal it’s not tampering, but anyway.)
We’re going to be tracking the moves that the Minnesota Vikings are making in free agency, even though I’m not sure how much we should expect from them. They’re going to be tight against the cap and will have plenty of decisions to make. But, whatever the team does, we’ll bring it to you right here, so keep this page refreshed on your browser of choice.
Players that have re-signed with the Vikings
- The Vikings have re-signed center Garrett Bradbury to a three-year deal.
- First-Team All-Pro long snapper Andrew DePaola will remain in Minnesota after inking a three-year contract extension on Tuesday.
- The Vikings retained another of their specialists as well, agreeing to terms with kicker Greg Joseph.
- In a mild surprise, the Vikings have re-signed running back Alexander Mattison to a two-year deal.
- Safety Harrison Smith will be back with the team in 2023, as he agreed to a restructured deal for the upcoming season.
- The Vikings have kept fullback C.J. Ham in the fold, signing him to a two-year contract extension that will lower his 2023 cap number.
- The Vikings have also re-signed QB Nick Mullens, TE Ben Ellefson, OLB Kenny Willekes, and OL Oli Udoh. They’re not getting their own stories.
New Players the Vikings have signed
- The first new face heading to Minnesota in this year’s free agency period is former Baltimore Ravens tight end Josh Oliver, who agreed to a three-year, $21 million deal with the Vikings on Monday. The guaranteed money in the deal is a little under $11 million.
- The Vikings have also agreed to a one-year deal with edge defender Marcus Davenport, late of the New Orleans Saints.
- Late on Tuesday, the Vikings made another splash signing, agreeing to a two-year deal with former Arizona Cardinals cornerback Byron Murphy.
- Another new face made his way to Minnesota on Friday, as the team agreed to a two-year contract with former Green Bay defensive lineman Dean Lowry.
Vikings that have signed elsewhere
- Cornerback Patrick Peterson is moving on, agreeing to the terms of a two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers on the first day of the free agency negotiating period.
- Eric Kendricks is headed back home, as he has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.
- Defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson has cashed in during this free agency period, reportedly agreeing to a four-year, $57 million deal with the Cleveland Browns.
- Adam Thielen has officially found a new home, signing a three-year deal with the Carolina Panthers.
Moves the Vikings made before free agency
- The Vikings started their offseason moves by parting ways with longtime linebacker Eric Kendricks.
- The team also released wide receiver Adam Thielen after the two sides could not agree to a deal on a pay cut.
- In a move that came as a bit of a surprise, the Vikings waived cornerback Cameron Dantzler, who was a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
- The Vikings and linebacker Jordan Hicks agreed to a restructured deal to reduce his cap figure ahead of free agency.
- Kirk Cousins agreed to a restructured deal to reduce his cap number ahead of the start of the new league year.
Rumors, conjecture, innuendo, etc.
- Outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith has reportedly asked the Vikings for his release. The team, apparently, has no intention of doing that.
- At least one team has put a trade offer on the table for running back Dalvin Cook, according to reports.
- Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson was supposed to have his contract voided, but the two sides pushed that date back and continue to try to work something out.
- The Vikings have reportedly engaged in “casual dialogue” with the camp of former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman.
Once again, we’ll be updating this as quickly as possible once things start happening in free agency for the Vikings (and the 31 other teams that we don’t care about quite as much). Keep it right here for all the latest!