Minnesota Vikings Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

NFC North Notes: Lions, Harrison, Vikings

April 13th, 2020 at 8:48pm CST by Zachary Links

In February, the Lions released Damon Harrison with two years to go before his contract. Long before that, Harrison says he was looking for a way out of Detroit.

“I came into [2019 training] camp in shape, but during the first three weeks of camp I think I kind of worked myself out of shape because I wasn’t doing anything,” Harrison told Chris Long on a recent podcast (transcript via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “That was a time where, to be honest with you, we were trying to facilitate a trade. I was hell-bent on getting out of there.”

In fact, Snacks says he knew the Lions were a bad fit as soon as he came over via trade with the Giants. Harrison excelled as a run-stuffer for both New York teams, but he didn’t think that he could thrive in Matt Patricia‘s defense.

“To be completely honest with you, I didn’t want to go to Detroit because of some things that I heard from some guys in the past and some guys who were there,” Harrison said. “So when I got the call..I didn’t answer the phone for a couple hours. [Lions GM] Bob Quinn was calling me and I didn’t pick up the phone because I was trying to figure out a way to get out of it.”

Now, Harrison is free to find the team that fits him best. Still on the market, Snacks will likely land a deal sometime after the draft.

Here’s more from the NFC North:

The Vikings have no reason not to draft a quarterback with one of their five picks in the top 105, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com opines. And, if Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa somehow falls to them at No. 22 overall, she says it would be “unconscionable to pass on him.” The Vikings extended Kirk Cousins through the 2022 season and the rest of their moves indicate that they’re taking a longer view on things. With that in mind, she feels the Vikings should at least invest a Day 2 pick in the position.
Details are in on Darryl Roberts‘ new deal with the Lions. The ex-Jet CB will earn $2MM on his one-year pact, including a $1MM guarantee (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com). Before his release, he was set to earn $6MM from Gang Green.
Over the last couple of years, former Vikings head coach Brad Childress has popped in and out of retirement. But, this time around, the 63-year-old tells Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press that he’s retired for good. “People say, ‘Is he really retired? Is he really, really retired?’” Childress said. “Yeah. Last year was my last year. I just felt like it was time to move on. It’s about time. I put my toe in the water in retirement and pretty soon you’ve got to jump in. It’s more about spending time with my family and grandkids and that type of thing.”

Former NFL QB Tarvaris Jackson Passes Away

April 13th, 2020 at 9:15am CST by Dallas Robinson

Former NFL quarterback Tarvaris Jackson tragically passed away following a car accident in Alabama on Sunday night, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Jackson was 36 years old.

A second-round pick in the 2006 draft, Jackson made 36 appearances for the Vikings over five seasons, including 12 starts in 2007. He signed with the Seahawks in 2011 and served as Seattle’s full-time starter for that entire campaign. Following a season as a reserve in Buffalo in 2012, Jackson returned to the Seahawks and backed up Russell Wilson for three years.

All told, Jackson made 34 NFL starts and completed 59.6% of his passes for 7,263 yards, 39 touchdowns, and 35 interceptions. He earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Seahawks in 2013. In 2018, Jackson accepted a role as a graduate assistant at Alabama State, his alma mater, before becoming Tennessee State’s quarterbacks coach in 2019.

PFR extends its deepest condolences to Jackson’s family and friends.

2020 NFL Cap Room By Team

April 12th, 2020 at 6:38pm CST by Zachary Links

The biggest names in NFL free agency might be off the board, but there are still plenty of noteworthy players on the board and high-profile cuts on the way. And, while some teams did their spending early, others are still sitting on lots of cash.

The latest cap figures from OverTheCap show that several teams are poised to pounce in the latter waves of free agency, starting with the Browns. The numbers also show that teams like the Rams still have work to do in order to sign their upcoming draft class. Also, the Eagles’ 2020 figure doesn’t quite tell the whole story – thanks to high-priced multi-year deals including Darius Slay’s new contract, they’re already overcommitted on dollars for 2021.

Here’s the complete rundown for all 32 teams, in descending order of cap space:

Browns – $40.2MM
Lions – $29.5MM
Eagles – $27.1MM
Colts – $24MM
Dolphins – $23.9MM
Redskins – $23.8MM
Chargers – $22.3MM
Titans – $21.5MM
Bills – $20.9MM
Texans – $18.6MM
Broncos – $17.5MM
Giants – $17.1MM
Jets – $15.5MM
Jaguars – $14.6MM
Cowboys – $13.6MM
Buccaneers – $13.5MM
49ers – $13.4MM
Seahawks – $12.6MM
Vikings – $12.3MM
Ravens – $11.3MM
Packers – $11.08MM
Bears – $11.03MM
Panthers – $9.4MM
Raiders – $8.8MM
Bengals – $7.3MM
Steelers – $7.2MM
Cardinals – $7MM
Saints – $5.3MM
Chiefs – $2.9MM
Falcons – $2.4MM
Patriots – $1.2MM
Rams – (-$5.3MM)

Dalvin Cook Wants To Stay In Minnesota

April 11th, 2020 at 10:53am CST by Ben Levine

Running back Dalvin Cook and the Vikings are also in the midst of extension talks, and the 24-year-old has made it clear that he wants to stick in Minnesota. “I definitely love Minnesota,” Cook told Chris Tomasson of TwinCities.com. “I love everything the state has to bring. Being a kid, I was drafted (in 2017) from Miami (his hometown), so I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I actually am happy where I’m at, and I would like to be in Minnesota long term.” After compiling 1,135 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns last season, Cook is set to make a base salary of $1.33MM next season.

[SOURCE LINK]

Everson Griffen On Free Agency, 2018 Turmoil

April 10th, 2020 at 6:02pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Everson Griffen was going through a tough time in 2018. The Vikings pass-rusher missed five games as he dealt with personal issues following some concerning incidents, and he opened up about the experience, as well as his current free agency, for the first time during a recent interview with Tom Pelissero of NFL.com.

“Nobody knew that I was living in a sober house,” Griffen told Pelissero. “I lived in the sober house for three months, from October to the end of the (2018) season. I was living like I was in college. Had a roommate, had a little bit of clothes. I was going to my meetings. I did the whole nine. That was a part of my recovery. Just to reset. I wanted to reset.”

Griffen credited the period for putting him in a better space today, and said it wouldn’t be an issue moving forward. “I’m happy that 2018 happened, because I wouldn’t be sitting here today, being able to tell my story and showing teams that I am strong, I am healthy and there’s nothing really that you have to worry about, because I’m doing all the right things. There’s nothing I’m doing behind the scenes that they should be worried about. I’m doing everything possible to make sure that 2018 doesn’t happen again. And it will not happen,” he explained.

Griffen’s agent also told Pelissero that serious mental health issues like bipolar disorder had been ruled out during his evaluations, and that his “erratic behavior resulted from significant unresolved emotional distress,” such as the sudden death of his mother a handful of years ago. As for his free agency, the 32-year-old intimated the inability to conduct full evaluations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted his market.

“This process, for me, has taken a lot of patience, a lot of self-reflection, too,” Griffen said. “It’s like, why haven’t (more) teams been interested? And the reason why is because they don’t know Everson.” While Griffen and his agent had publicly announced he wouldn’t be returning to the Vikings, Griffen told Pelissero he would “never say never” on a potential return.

Griffen has been with the Vikings ever since they drafted him in the fourth-round back in 2010. The last we heard a couple of weeks ago there was mutual interest with the Seahawks, and it sounds like he could be a top option for them if they don’t bring back Jadeveon Clowney. The USC product played in 15 games last year, racking up eight sacks. Often one of the league’s better pass-rushers, he’s made the Pro Bowl in four of the last five seasons.

Griffen says he isn’t in any rush to sign, and will take his time to find the right situation. He told Pelissero he still speaks with a team of therapists, clinical psychologists, and a life coach daily, and that he will be an open book for inquiring teams. Here’s to hoping that Griffen continues to do well off the field no matter where he’s suiting up in 2020.

Tom Johnson Retires From NFL

April 10th, 2020 at 3:42pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Tom Johnson is officially hanging up his cleats. The former Vikings defensive tackle is retiring from the NFL, he told Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link).

We heard early last offseason that Minnesota was interested in bringing him back, but Johnson ended up spending 2019 out of football. Johnson said he had some offers from teams but didn’t want to play on a minimum deal, Tomasson tweets. The Southern Miss product was an undrafted free agent in 2006, and it took him a while to find his footing in the league. After playing in NFL Europe, the AFL, and the CFL, he finally made his NFL debut in 2011 with the Saints.

He broke out in 2014 with the Vikings, racking up 6.5 sacks. The following year he started eight games, and had another 5.5 sacks. In 2017 he started 15 games and was a large part of the defense that made it to the NFC Championship Game. He signed with Seattle in 2018 but quickly ended up back in Minnesota when the Seahawks cut him after just one game.

Johnson will finish his playing days with 186 tackles and 25.5 sacks in 116 games. He carved out a remarkable career for such an unheralded prospect, and all of us here at PFR wish him the best in retirement.

Vikings Have Dre Kirkpatrick On The Radar

April 8th, 2020 at 11:28am CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings are “kicking the tires” on Dre Kirkpatrick, according to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson (Twitter link). However, their interest is still in the preliminary stage.

The Bengals dropped Kirkpatrick in late March to save $8.3MM against the cap while making room for former Vikings corner Trae Waynes, who inked a three-year, $42MM pact. If the Vikings sign Kirkpatrick, the two teams could wind up with a cornerback trade of sorts with Mackensie Alexander also headed to Cincy.

The history between Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer and Kirkpatrick could play a role here. Zimmer was on the Bengals’ coaching staff when they drafted Kirkpatrick in the first round of the 2012 draft. Meanwhile, new Vikings defensive backs coach Daronte Jones has spent the previous two seasons with the Bengals. There are connections aplenty, and Kirkpatrick may profile as a potential add at this stage of the offseason.

For his career, Kirkpatrick has 99 appearances to his credit over the course of eight seasons. Last year, his season was cut short by a hyperextended knee injury, leaving him with a stat line of 33 tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery in six games. Before that, in 2018, he allowed just 44.4% of the targets thrown his way to be caught, good for the second-best rate in the NFL.

After losing Waynes, Alexander, and Rhodes, the Vikings are left with a green group of CBs. As it stands, Mike Hughes and Holton Hill profile as the team’s top corners.

NFL Contract Details: Lions, Seahawks, Vikings, Jets, Broncos

April 2nd, 2020 at 7:38pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed NFL deals:

Tony McRae, CB (Lions): One year, $1MM. $200K guaranteed. $100K signing bonus (Twitter link via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News).
Phillip Dorsett, WR (Seahawks): One year, $1.048MM. $138K guaranteed. Qualifies as veteran minimum salary benefit deal (Twitter link via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com).
Ameer Abdullah, RB (Vikings): One year, $910K. $45K signing bonus. $45K roster bonus. Qualifiers as veteran minimum salary benefit deal (Twitter link via Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune).
Anthony Zettel, DE (Vikings): One year, $910K. $45K signing bonus. $45K roster bonus. Qualifiers as veteran minimum salary benefit deal (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press).
Joseph Jones, LB (Broncos): One year, $825K. No guaranteed money (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News).
Bennett Jackson, DB (Jets): One year, $725K. $100K guaranteed. $50K signing bonus (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com).

NFC North Notes: Lions, Okudah, Foles

April 2nd, 2020 at 11:06am CST by Rory Parks

The Lions will have a major impact on how the quarterback dominoes fall in this year’s draft. Although they are unlikely to select a rookie signal-caller themselves with the No. 3 overall pick, they have long been rumored as a team that could trade down with another club that has a bigger QB need. And if standout Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young is off the board by the time Detroit is on the clock, Albert Breer of SI.com says the Lions will indeed be open for business, as they could move down to the No. 5 or No. 6 pick and still pick up an elite defender like Jeff Okudah, Isaiah Simmons, or Derrick Brown.

However, both Breer and Justin Rogers of the Detroit News believe the Lions’ preference among the non-Young defenders is Okudah, who may be gone if Detroit trades back, and Rogers does not see an immediate fit for Simmons in the club’s defense. So unless the Lions are blown away by an offer, they could stand pat and select one of Young or Okudah.

Now for more from the NFC North:

New Bears quarterback Nick Foles restructured his contract after being traded to Chicago from Jacksonville, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com passes along a few more details on the restructure (Twitter link). Foles will earn $8MM in base salary over each of the three remaining years on his contract for a total of $24MM in salary, $21MM of which is guaranteed. Each of those three seasons also comes with an additional $6MM in available incentives, and for every dollar of incentives that Foles earns, his base salary for the following year increases (so if he earns $3MM of incentives in 2020, his salary in 2021 will increase from $8MM to $11MM).
As we heard previously, Foles will have the opportunity to void the 2021 or 2022 seasons if he meets certain performance thresholds, so as Rapoport notes in a separate tweet, the former Super Bowl MVP has landed jelly-side up despite a disappointing 2019 season with the Jags. He was paid $30MM for his one year in Jacksonville, keeps the guaranteed money from his Jaguars contract, and has the opportunity to hit free agency as soon as next year if he performs well with the Bears.
The Vikings have managed to carve out some salary cap space for themselves this offseason, and after setting aside the funds necessary to sign their 2020 draft class, they have about $8.4MM of space still available, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter). Tomasson says that the team is continuing to look at veteran cornerbacks, which makes sense given the mass CB exodus that Minnesota witnessed last month. Dre Kirkpatrick and Logan Ryan are among the top corners still available.
Tomasson adds that the Vikings are still looking into a Dalvin Cook extension, which echoes his report from several weeks ago.

Vikings Pursuing Anthony Harris Extension

March 31st, 2020 at 5:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Linked to being a tag-and-trade candidate early in free agency, Anthony Harris now appears likelier than not to suit up for the Vikings again. The expectation is for the franchise-tagged safety to play in Minnesota in 2020, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The Vikings had dangled Harris in trades for a return as low as a late-round pick, but Tomasson notes they are now discussing an extension for the breakout defender. Harris would welcome a Minnesota re-up but wants to be one of the league’s highest-paid safeties, Tomasson adds.

Minnesota already employs one of the NFL’s highest-paid players at this position, with Harrison Smith still tied to the five-year, $51.25MM deal he signed in 2016. Devoting extensive cap space to two safeties is out of the ordinary, but Tomasson notes the Vikings now view keeping Harris as key for its defense’s success.

While the Vikings have valued continuity, building their defensive core for years through pricey extensions, they have seen many pieces of its defense stripped away this month. They released Xavier Rhodes and Linval Joseph and will not re-sign Everson Griffen. Minnesota also is starting over at corner, having seen Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander defect to Cincinnati. Safeties Jayron Kearse and Andrew Sendejo also left for Detroit and Cleveland, respectively. Keeping Harris may be more important now than it was at free agency’s outset.

Pro Football Focus graded Harris as one of the NFL’s best safeties over the past two years. He will turn 29 this summer, making his next contract critical for his earning potential. The 2020 safety tag is worth $11.4MM, but five safeties now earn north of $14MM per year. It is also possible a new Harris deal would prompt Smith to seek a raise, given his 5-0 Pro Bowl edge on his safety sidekick, but nothing is known on that front yet.

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