Vikings, DT Michael Pierce Agree On Deal
6:05pm: The deal is done, and it’s a nice one for the four-year veteran. Pierce agreed to a three-year, $27MM contract with the Vikings, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. The 27-year-old defender will receive $18MM guaranteed, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
5:47pm: With longtime Vikings defensive tackle starter Linval Joseph bound for Los Angeles, the team appears close to bringing in a big-name replacement.
The Vikings are close to a deal with former Ravens D-lineman Michael Pierce, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. The sides are discussing a three-year contract, per Anderson.
Minnesota has retooled considerably in recent days, moving on from some key starters. Pierce would represent a solid first-stringer to come in and fill Joseph’s spot. Pierce graded as one of the top interior defenders in football in 2017 and ’18, per Pro Football Focus, before dipping to a middle-of-the-pack spot in his contract year.
The 6-foot, 340-pound defensive lineman recorded 35 tackles (two for loss) last season in 14 starts. The Ravens, however, have made changes up front as well. They’ve added Calais Campbell and Michael Brockers, almost certainly signaling a lucrative Pierce contract is off the table.
Starter Shamar Stephen, fourth-year cog Jaleel Johnson and third-year player Jalyn Holmes remain under contract with the Vikings, so it will be interesting to see what the team pays for Pierce. The mammoth lineman had a conditioning issue that prevented him from early work at Ravens minicamp last year. The former UDFA rebounded in time for the regular season, however, and resides as one of the top defensive linemen left on the market.
Vikings Release Josh Kline
The Vikings have released right guard Josh Kline, according to a club announcement. The move will save the Vikes $1.57MM against the cap while leaving $4.46MM in dead money.
Kline joined the Vikings on a three-year, $15.5MM deal in 2019, with $7.25MM of that sum guaranteed. He went on to play 71.7% of the team’s regular season snaps across 13 games, missing the other three due to injuries. This season also marked the end of his consecutive starts streak – he tallied 51, up until he missed Week 4 against the Bears.
Kline, who has also spent time with the Titans and Patriots, will likely find work elsewhere at a lesser rate.
Latest On Vikings’ Everson Griffen
There’s still strong mutual interest between the Vikings and free agent Everson Griffen, a source close to the defensive end tells Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (Twitter links). However, the defensive end market is still evolving and Griffen may have to wait for younger players to set the market price for the position. 
One league source familiar with Griffen’s situation tells Tomasson that the 32-year-old could be in line for a deal worth $8MM-$10MM, plus incentives. The veteran is coming off a four-year, $58MM extension he signed with Minnesota back in 2017.
The former fourth-rounder has spent his entire career with the Vikings, earning four Pro Bowl nods in 10 seasons. This past season, Griffen finished with 41 tackles, eight sacks, and an interception.
The pass rusher hasn’t compiled fewer than 5.5 sacks since 2011, and while he’s getting up there in age, he should still find himself with a long list of suitors.
Vikings To Re-Sign QB Sean Mannion
Sean Mannion will stay on as Kirk Cousins‘ backup. The Vikings are re-signing Mannion, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes (on Twitter).
The parties agreed on a one-year deal, Goessling tweets. This will mark the second straight offseason Mannion agreed to a one-year Minnesota pact.
For the second time in three years, Mannion saw the NFC playoff picture produce a Week 17 starting opportunity. He filled in for a resting Cousins in last year’s regular-season finale. He completed 12 of 21 passes for 126 yards and two interceptions against the Bears. These marked Mannion’s only pass attempts last season.
A third-round pick in 2015, Mannion stayed with the Rams for four seasons before moving on. He replaced Trevor Siemian as Cousins’ backup last year. The 27-year-old QB2 has thrown 74 career passes in five seasons and has yet to record his first regular-season touchdown pass.
Browns Exploring Trade For Vikings S Anthony Harris
The Browns are exploring a trade for Vikings safety Anthony Harris, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. It would take at least a third-rounder to get a deal done, “and probably a second.”
The 28-year-old was slapped with the franchise tag on Monday, but there were whispers that the Vikings were going to try to tag-and-trade the defensive back. Harris is set to make $11.44MM next season. As Cabot points out, the Browns have the ammo to get a deal done. The team currently owns one second-rounder (#41) and a pair of thirds (#74, #97).
Harris has a natural connection to Cleveland, as he played under Browns pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Jeff Howard in Minnesota. Browns head coach (and former Vikings offensive coordinator) Kevin Stefanski is also familiar with the long-time Vikings safety.
The former undrafted free agent has evolved into a starter in Minnesota, as he started a career-high 14 games in 2019. He finished the campaign with 60 tackles, 11 passes defended, and six interceptions.
Dalvin Cook, Vikings Have Talked Extension
A handful of running backs have landed huge new contracts in recent years, and several of those teams have come to regret those deals. It’ll be very interesting to see what the next crop of running backs get, and a good test case will be Dalvin Cook. Cook is extension eligible, and Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets that extension talks have taken place between Cook and the Vikings. 
Sources told Tomasson that talks will “ramp up” after free agency dies down. We heard back in January that the Vikings were prepared to keep him in the fold, and it sounds like things are starting to move in that direction. The 41st pick of the 2017 draft, Cook will be playing out the final year of his rookie deal in 2020.
The Florida State product made an instant splash as a rookie, bursting onto the scene with an impressive first few games and 122 rushing yards in his pro debut. Unfortunately his first campaign was cut short, as he tore an ACL in Week 4. In 2018 he wasn’t quite the same as he dealt with nagging hamstring injuries, carrying the ball only 133 times in 11 games.
He bounced back in a big way this past season, racking up 1,135 yards on the ground and another 519 through the air in only 14 games while scoring 13 touchdowns. The Vikings have been active this week, trading away Stefon Diggs and locking up Kirk Cousins with an extension. While they might not be looking to break the bank, it sounds like Cook is in their long-term plans.
Contract Details: JPP, Cousins, Weatherly
Deals are coming in quickly, so we’ve compiled some important contract details below:
- DE Jason Pierre-Paul, Buccaneers: two years. Deal is worth $25MM, and could be worth up to $26MM ($12.5MM/season, up to $1MM in incentives). Via The Athletic’s Greg Auman on Twitter.
- DE Stephen Weatherly, Panthers: two years, $12.5MM. Deal includes $6.25MM guaranteed, $4MM signing bonus. Annual per-game active roster bonus up to $100K, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- QB Kirk Cousins, Vikings: two-year, $66MM extension. Effectively now three-year, $96MM deal. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com observes, this gives Cousins the highest AAV at his position ($32MM, bumping Russell Wilson‘s $31.4MM).
- DE Arik Armstead, 49ers: five-year, $85MM extension. Includes voidable sixth year, allowing team to lower cap number. $6MM cap number in first year, $12.5MM in second year, $20MM+ in 2022 through 2024. All via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner on Twitter.
- QB A.J. McCarron, Texans: re-signed. One-year, $4MM deal, including $3.75MM guaranteed. Via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter.
- DE Mario Addison, Bills: three years. Worth $30.45MM, including $15.25MM guaranteed. $14MM in first year of deal. Via Pelissero on Twitter.
- QB Nate Sudfeld, Eagles: re-signed. One-year, $2MM deal, including $500K guaranteed. Another $1MM in incentives. Via Pelissero on Twitter.
- TE Blake Jarwin, Cowboys: three years, $24.25MM. Includes $4MM signing bonus. Base salaries: $2.25MM (2020), $3.5MM (2021), $4.5MM (2022), $5.5MM (2023). From 2021 through 2023, there are active roster bonuses totaling $750K and escalators maxing out at $750K per season. Via ESPN’s Todd Archer on Twitter.
Vikings Trade WR Stefon Diggs To Bills
We’ve got our second major wide receiver trade of the day. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reports (via Twitter) that the Vikings are trading star wideout Stefon Diggs to the Bills. ESPN’s Adam Schefter has full details on the swap (Twitter link):
- To Minnesota: 2020 1st-round pick, 2020 5th-round pick, 2020 6th-round pick, 2021 4th-round pick
- To Buffalo: Diggs, 2020 7th-round pick
A Diggs trade has felt inevitable for some time, as the wideout has bounced in and out of trade rumors. In fact, earlier today, the wideout hinted that “somethings going to happen” and “it’s time for a new beginning.” That led to whispers that the Seahawks and Vikings were discussing a trade. Well, after months of social media hints, it appears that the receiver finally got his wish.
During each of his five years in the NFL, Diggs has hauled in at least 50 receptions and at least 700 receiving yards. He finished the 2019 campaign with a career-high 1,130 receiving yards and six scores on 63 receptions. The 26-year-old still has four seasons remaining on his contract with a base value of $45.1MM (per ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter).
The Bills have been hunting for a big-name wide receiver to pair with quarterback Josh Allen for more than a year. Last offseason, it sounded like the team was set to acquire Antonio Brown, but the star ended up squashing that deal. Instead, the organization watched as John Brown reemerged into a 1,000-yard receiver, and Brown will team up with Diggs to form one of the top receiver duos in the league.
The Vikings will open up a chunk of cap space, which is (ironically) relevant after the team extended quarterback Kirk Cousins earlier today. The team will now move forward with Adam Thielen as their clear-cut, number-one wideout in 2020.
Earlier today, the Texans shocked the NFL when they sent star wideout DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals. In exchange, Houston received a package highlighted by running back David Johnson and a second-rounder.
Contract Details: Castonzo, Kirksey, Cousins, Jarwin
- Anthony Castonzo, (Colts): two-years, $33MM deal, $17MM guaranteed; salaries 2020: $7MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $10MM; $10MM roster bonus in 2020 guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year, $6MM roster bonus in 2021 guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2021 league year; $500k annual Pro Bowl or first-team All-Pro incentive, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- Christian Kirksey, (Packers): two-years, $13MM, $4MM guaranteed; salaries 2020: $1.75MM, 2021: $3MM; $1.5MM roster bonus in 2021, $1MM per-game roster bonus in 2020, $1.25MM total 2021 roster bonuses, $250k workout bonus, $1.5MM in annual incentives, $1.75MM incentive for Pro Bowl selection in 2021, $250k escalator for Pro Bowl selection, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- Kirk Cousins, (Vikings): two-years, $66MM, $66MM guaranteed, $30MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $9.5MM (fully guaranteed), $21MM (fully guaranteed), $35MM (guaranteed for injury at signing, fully guaranteed on the third day of 2021 league year), according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- Blake Jarwin, (Cowboys): four-years, $22MM, $9.25MM guaranteed, $4MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $2.25MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $3.5MM ($3MM guaranteed for injury at signing), 2022: $4.5MM, 2023: $5.5MM; up to $750K roster bonus per game active 2021-23, $750K in playtime, catches, and playoff based escalators 2021-23, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Vikings, Britton Colquitt Agree To Deal
The Vikings will bring back Britton Colquitt. Minnesota will re-sign its punter, per Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (on Twitter).
Colquitt agreed to a three-year, $9MM deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. He will receive $5MM guaranteed. Colquitt, 34, was a free agent so he is signed through the 2022 season.
The Browns featured Colquitt as their punter for three seasons but cut him just before the 2019 regular season, and he landed in Minnesota. He averaged 45.2 yards per punt last season. The former Broncos punter will attempt to become a long-term Viking on his latest NFL contract.