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Minnesota Vikings News & Rumors

Vikings Table Dalvin Cook Talks

August 19th, 2020 at 12:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Contract talks between the Vikings and running back Dalvin Cook have been put on pause, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Talks could resume at some point before the end of the season but, for now, Cook says he’s keeping his focus on the season ahead.

Cook is entering the walk year of his rookie deal, putting him on track for free agency in March. The Vikings could keep him from the open market with the franchise tag, but that likely won’t sit well with the former second-round pick. Throughout the spring, there were rumblings of a potential 2020 holdout, so Cook could very well take a hard-line stance next year. On the plus side, Cook has repeatedly expressed a desire to stay in Minnesota.

“This is where I want to be at. This is what I love to do,” Cook said recently. “I was going to be here regardless of whatever the speculations (that) came up or (questions of) if I wasn’t coming. I was going to be here ready to work. … I’m locked up full go, a thousand percent.”

Cook is set to make $1.33MM this year. Both sides would like to hammer out an extension, but the running back’s $15MM-per-year asking price is a bit too high for the Vikes, especially with a salary cap slash on the way.

Last year, Cook posted career highs with 250 carries, 1,135 rushing yards (4.5 YPC), and 13 touchdowns. He also managed 53 catches for 519 yards, positioning him as one of the best RBs in the league. Those totals would have been even higher, if not for a late-season chest injury.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/18/20

August 18th, 2020 at 4:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon.

Cleveland Browns

  • Waived/injured: DE George Obinna

Dallas Cowboys

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

Seattle Seahawks

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/17/20

August 17th, 2020 at 3:37pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

  • Waived: OT Nick Kaltmayer (Sunday)

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Jets

  • Signed: TE Connor Davis
  • Waived: S Anthony Cioffi

New York Giants

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed: LB/DE Jamal Davis II (Sunday)

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/15/20

August 15th, 2020 at 4:28pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/14/20

August 14th, 2020 at 4:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Friday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon.

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

Minnesota Vikings

Seattle Seahawks

Dalvin Cook Committed To Vikings

August 14th, 2020 at 4:14pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • The Vikings have previously mentioned the prospect of Riley Reiff shifting to guard, but they shut that down this year. However, the veteran left tackle said he would be ready to move inside if called upon, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Reiff is in Year 4 of a five-year contract. The Vikings drafted tackle Ezra Cleveland in Round 2, but the pandemic will make matters especially difficult on young O-linemen. This would point to Cleveland spending 2020 as a developmental backup. Cleveland, however, is competing for the Vikes’ vacant right guard spot, along with Dakota Dozier and Aviante Collins, Kubiak said.

Two weeks after reporting to Vikings camp on time, Dalvin Cook reaffirmed his commitment to the team. Going into a contract year, the Pro Bowl running back surfaced in holdout rumors this offseason. Cook, however, said the holdout noise did not come from him.

“This is where I want to be at. This is what I love to do,” Cook said of his Vikings status, via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin. “I was going to be here regardless of whatever the speculations (that) came up or (questions of) if I wasn’t coming. I was going to be here ready to work. … I’m locked up full go, a thousand percent.”

The Vikings and Cook were not the same page financially, and OC Gary Kubiak — save for Terrell Davis and Arian Foster — has used a system that has featured extensive running back turnover during his two-plus decades overseeing NFL offenses. Cook is set to make $1.33MM this season. The Vikings have younger backs Alexander Mattison and Mike Boone in place as backups. While the Vikings would prefer to extend Cook, the $15MM-per-year price point that emerged appears far less palatable now that the cap could plummet by more than $20MM in 2021.

Vikings To Work Out S Jahleel Addae

August 14th, 2020 at 2:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Safety is a spot where the retooled Vikings possess both talent and continuity, with Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris back. But the team is still seeking depth.

The Vikings are set to work out Jahleel Addae, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. A longtime Chargers starter, Addae spent last season as a rotational player with the Texans. This will be Addae’s age-30 season. The Texans passed on bringing him back in free agency, instead signing former Chiefs and Browns safety Eric Murray.

Despite Addae starting just three games last season — the fewest since his rookie year — he played 48% of Houston’s snaps. For his career, Addae has started 59 games since becoming a Bolts UDFA success story. Last season, he intercepted a career-high two passes and recorded 45 tackles.

Minnesota has seen extensive turnover in its secondary this year, cutting Xavier Rhodes and seeing three other DBs — Trae Waynes, Mackensie Alexander and Jayron Kearse — defect in free agency. The Vikings may be eyeing an additional veteran presence to work in a secondary that will feature first-round rookie Jeff Gladney and potentially multiple other first-year DBs playing key roles.

At safety, the Vikings’ depth consists of two Day 3 picks — sixth-rounder Josh Metellus and seventh-rounder Brian Cole. The COVID-19-transformed NFL landscape stands to make it difficult for rookies this year, so veterans like Addae may well benefit.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/13/20

August 13th, 2020 at 4:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Houston Texans

  • Waived: T David Steinmetz

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Waived: LB DeMarquis Gates

New England Patriots

  • Placed on reserve/retired list: C Dustin Woodward
  • Waived: DE Nick Coe

New York Giants

  • Claimed off waivers (from Jaguars): WR C.J. Board

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Cowboys Sign Everson Griffen

August 13th, 2020 at 9:06am CST by Rory Parks

Not long after the NFL lifted its ban on free agent tryouts, the Cowboys landed one of the biggest names left on the market. As the NFL.com crew of Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Jane Slater were first to report (via Twitter), Dallas is signing longtime Vikings edge defender Everson Griffen.

It will be a one-year deal for Griffen worth up to $6MM. According to Kimberly A. Martin of ESPN.com (via Twitter), $3MM will come in the form of a base salary, and the remaining $3MM is comprised of roster bonuses. There are no performance-based incentives, but if Griffen suits up for all 16 games, he will pocket $6MM.

The Cowboys have loaded up on defensive firepower this offseason, adding Gerald McCoy, Dontari Poe, and Aldon Smith to the front seven. The team did see Robert Quinn defect to the Bears via free agency, but Griffen will replace Quinn for a fraction of the $70MM that the latter will receive over a five-year term with Chicago. Griffen makes an excellent bookend to fellow DE DeMarcus Lawrence, and his presence will allow Dallas to be less reliant on Smith — who hasn’t played since 2015 — and Randy Gregory, who is still seeking reinstatement. The Cowboys seem likely to remain in a 4-3 scheme, with Lawrence and Griffen sandwiching Poe and McCoy as part of a stout, veteran-laden front.

Though we heard back in March that the Cowboys were unlikely to sign Griffen, that was not long after free agency opened, and it could be that Griffen’s price has come down considerably since then. Indeed, Todd Archer of ESPN.com says Dallas has had Griffen on the radar most of the offseason, and Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com thinks the salary cap space created by Dallas’ COVID-19 opt-outs may have made the team more willing to pull the trigger (Twitter link).

Griffen, 32, boasts 74.5 sacks over his ten seasons with the Vikings, to go along with four Pro Bowl bids. He earned one of those Pro Bowl trips last season in an eight-sack campaign that proved he still has plenty left in the tank.

Minnesota did not do much to bolster its pass rush this offseason, and it was beginning to look like the team would ultimately reunite with Griffen, whose market was seemingly slow to develop. Indeed, Rapoport tweets that the Vikings and the Seahawks were vying for Griffen’s services, but both lost out to Dallas, whose interest had not been publicly reported at all.

Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune confirms that Minnesota was making a push to re-sign Griffen in recent days, with head coach Mike Zimmer spearheading the sales pitch (Twitter link). The Vikings hoped that Griffen’s familiarity with the only pro team he has ever known, as well as the fact that his permanent home is in Minnesota, would tip the scales in their favor. Though he doesn’t have exact numbers, Darren Wolfson of KSTP says (via Twitter) the Vikes made a competitive offer, but Griffen has elected to start the next chapter of his career in Jerry World.

Vikings Waive LB Cameron Smith, Expect Him To Land On IR

August 10th, 2020 at 4:26pm CST by Ben Levine

In a procedural move, the Vikings announced that they have waived linebacker Cameron Smith. However, this doesn’t mean it’s the end of his tenure with the organization.

As Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press points out (on Twitter), the front office expects Smith to clear waivers and land on their injured reserve. The reporter adds that the player is expected to earn his fully $675K base salary.

The 23-year-old revealed this weekend that he needs to undergo open-heart surgery and will miss the entire 2020 campaign. Fortunately, Smith also revealed that he opted for a procedure that will allow him to continue his NFL career once he’s fully recovered.

“I found out I need open heart surgery to fix a bicuspid aortic valve that I was born with,” Smith posted on Instagram. “Although this will unfortunately end my 2020 season, it is really a blessing that we found this as my heart is severely enlarged and wouldn’t have lasted much longer. I found this out after I tested positive for COVID and had to have further testing done as protocol. The Lord works in mysterious ways, but I could really feel him on this one!

“By no means am I ready to be done playing football, there is still so much more I want to accomplish on the field. I’m going to attack this like everything else I have in life. Already looking forward to the comeback! #SKOL”

The Vikings selected the USC product in the fifth round of the 2019 draft. The linebacker saw time in five games as a rookie, compiling eight tackles.

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