Ex-Cardinals OC Harold Goodwin On Vikings’ Radar?
Former Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin could be a candidate to take over as the Vikings’ new offensive line coach, according to Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Twitter link). Minnesota, sadly, must search for a new line coach after incumbent Tony Sparano unexpectedly passed away on Sunday morning.
While the Vikings have yet to officially reach out to Goodwin, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and ex-Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians have both put in a good word on Goodwin’s behalf, per Goessling. Goodwin worked under Tomlin as Pittsburgh’s quality control coach from 2007-11, and served as Arizona’s offensive coordinator (but not play-caller) under Arians.
After Arians retired in January, Goodwin — unlike Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher — wasn’t offered a chance to interview for Arizona’s top job. Instead, he interviewed for offensive line jobs with the Bengals and Raiders, and was also mentioned as a possible candidate for the Giants’ offensive coordinator position, but did not land a new role. In recent seasons, Goodwin has interviewed for head coaching positions with the Rams, Bills, and Jaguars.
Following Sparano’s passing, assistant offensive line coach Andrew Janocko is leading the Vikings’ front five for the time being.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/24/18
Today’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Freddie Bishop
- Placed on IR: FB Nick Bawden
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Adonis Jennings
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Frank Ginda
- Retired: LB Mike McCray
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: C J.P. Quinn
- Waived: TE Josiah Price
New England Patriots
- Signed: S Eddie Pleasant, OL Nate Theaker
- Waived/Injured: WR Cody Hollister
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: WR Marquess Wilson
- Waied: CB Randall Goforth
Tony Sparano Passes Away
Vikings offensive line coach Tony Sparano, who previously served as the head coach of the Dolphins and the interim head coach of the Raiders, in addition to a number of other coaching positions in the NFL and collegiate ranks, has passed away, per KSTP.com (the Vikings have since confirmed the news). He was just 56.
Sparano complained of chest pains on Thursday and was admitted to a hospital, but was released on Friday following tests, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Sparano’s wife then found him unconscious Sunday morning as his family was attempting to leave for church.
Sparano’s coaching career began as the offensive line coach at the University of New Haven in 1984, and after working on the offensive coaching staff at Boston University from 1988-93, he rejoined New Haven as head coach in 1994. He moved to the NFL as an offensive quality control coach for the expansion Browns in 1999, which marked the beginning of a 19-year career in the pros.
He is, of course, best known for his time as Miami’s head coach and his innovative Wildcat offense that became an NFL sensation in 2008, his first year at the helm for the Dolphins. Miami would go 11-5 that season en route to an AFC East title, the only time since 2003 that a team other than the Patriots has won that division (although Tom Brady was lost for the season during Week 1 of that campaign). The Dolphins, though, lost to the Ravens during the wildcard round of the 2008 playoffs, and they would not return to the postseason under Sparano’s watch.
Miami fired Sparano towards the end of the 2011 season, and he became the offensive coordinator of the division-rival Jets the following year. He moved on to the Raiders in 2013 and he took over as Oakland’s interim head coach upon Dennis Allen‘s dismissal following Week 4 of the 2014 campaign. The Raiders went just 3-9 under his command, however, and he would not get another shot as head coach, so he finished his NFL head coaching career with a 32-42 overall record.
Nonetheless, the 49ers hired him to be their tight ends coach in 2015, and he signed on with the Vikings in 2016. He may have moved around a lot, but he was clearly a respected coach with an offensive mind that NFL teams appreciated.
He leaves behind his wife, Jeannette, three children (one of whom, Tony Sparano Jr., is currently an assistant offensive line coach for the Jaguars), and four grandchildren.
Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf issued the following statement:
“Our hearts go out to Jeanette and the entire Sparano family as we all mourn the loss of Tony. Tony was a passionate and driven individual who cared deeply about his family, and especially enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren. Tony’s presence within the Vikings organization will be deeply missed. We are only thinking of Tony’s family during this incredibly difficult time. We ask that the entire NFL and Vikings family keep the Sparanos in their thoughts.”
We here at PFR offer our condolences and best wishes to Sparano’s family and friends.
Vikings To Sign Mike Hughes
The Vikings have reached agreement on a deal with top pick Mike Hughes, a source tells NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Hughes will now look to build on a productive spring and compete for nickel and punt return duties when he reports to the team on Tuesday. 
Hughes, the No. 30 overall pick in this year’s draft, was one of several late first rounders to be held up in talks this year. The contract of Seahawks rookie running back Rashaad Penny was to blame as the No 27 overall pick took less in fourth year guarantees than last year’s No. 27 selection, Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White. After that happened, the Vikings and other clubs near the back of the order had a bit of extra leverage. After some delay, the two sides reached a compromise on Thursday.
Hughes will fight for playing time behind incumbent corners Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes this year. He also figures to see time as a kick returner given his special teams success at UCF.
With Hughes’ deal in the books, there are only 12 unsigned draft picks left in the NFL. For a complete look at the status of all 256 draft picks, check out PFR’s tracker.
Vikings' Reiff Has Much To Prove
- Tackle Riley Reiff, who signed a five-year, $58.75MM free agent deal with the Vikings last year, is among the players in Minnesota who must live up to his contract this year, Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune writes. Last year, Case Keenum was the third-most pressured quarterback in the NFL (39.3%), and part of that blame falls on the shoulders of Reiff, who is the leader of the offensive line. Reiff started the year strong, but his performance tailed off in the second half of the season, so he’ll look to get back on track this September. Reiff, the eighth-highest paid left tackle in the NFL, graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 59 ranked tackle in 2017.
Eric Wilson To Push For Vikes' WLB Job
Here’s the latest from the NFC North, shifting to the Vikings’ linebacker situation.
- Ben Gedeon may not be a lock to start in Vikings base sets alongside Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks. Instead, second-year UDFA Eric Wilson looked like an improved player this offseason and ready to push Gedeon for the weakside linebacker job, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes. A 2017 fourth-rounder, Gedeon started nine games last season and played 272 snaps. Wilson did not play any despite seeing special teams action in all 16 regular-season games, but Krammer notes this will be a position battle in training camp. Wilson exceeded 100 tackles in each of his final two college seasons at Cincinnati.
Vikings Approach Anthony Barr, Stefon Diggs About Extensions
Now that Eric Kendricks and Danielle Hunter have signed their extensions, the Vikings’ defensive fortification efforts are nearly complete. They now have Harrison Smith, Linval Joseph, Everson Griffen, Xavier Rhodes, Kendricks and Hunter under contract long-term. Barr represents the final piece for this current veteran core.
Stefon Diggs is the other key Viking whose contract is up after 2018, and Minnesota brass has been talking with both Barr and Diggs about extensions. Representatives for both Barr and Diggs have been contacted by the Vikings for extension talks, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
These conversations began in June, per Krammer. This would continue the summer-extension blueprint Rick Spielman‘s utilized the past three years. Griffen, Rhodes and Joseph all agreed to deals within a 10-day span around the start of the Vikings’ previous training camp, and Smith and Hunter re-upped with Minnesota in June of 2016 and ’18, respectively. Kendricks agreed to his extension this April.
Barr said recently scant progress had been made on his extension, but the Vikings are in the final stages of this years-long plan — one that saw Spielman authorize re-ups for Joseph and Griffen in 2017 despite the duo having multiple seasons remaining on their old contracts. Finalizing deals for Diggs and Barr would represent a significant victory for Minnesota’s front office, but they won’t be as easy now that a fully guaranteed $28MM-AAV deal for Kirk Cousins is on the books through 2020. The Vikings possess approximately $14MM in cap space.
PFR recently looked at the extension cases for both Barr and Diggs, and CBS Sports’ Joel Corry believes the Vikings would let these starters reach the open market rather than using the franchise tag. Due to on- and off-ball ‘backers being classified together, a Barr tag would cost the Vikes more than $16MM. Diggs, who is set to make $1.96MM this season, would see a $17MM-plus tag if the Vikings took that course of action next March. So, the next few weeks will be critical for the Vikings.
Extension Candidate: Stefon Diggs
Back in May, we learned that the Vikings hoped to extend the contracts of a few of their key young players: Anthony Barr, Stefon Diggs, and Danielle Hunter. Hunter just signed a lucrative long-term deal at the end of June, which allows the team to turn its attention to Barr and Diggs. We have already examined Barr as an extension candidate, so now let’s take a deeper look into Diggs’ case for a new contract.
Earlier this decade, Diggs was one of the most sought-after high school recruits, a consensus five-star prospect who landed scholarship offers from blue-blood programs like USC, Ohio State, and Auburn. But Diggs, a Maryland native, spurned those offers and opted to play for his hometown school, which delighted Terrapins fans but which may have had a negative impact on his earning power during the early stages of his professional career. Although Diggs flashed his breathtaking talent at Maryland, he was held back to some degree by poor quarterback play and by injuries. so when he elected to forego his senior season and enter the NFL Draft in 2015, he slipped to the fifth round, where the Vikings finally scooped him up (Diggs’ smallish stature also didn’t help his cause).
It would be hard for Diggs to complain too much, though, as he has established himself as one of the best young wideouts in the league during his first three years in Minnesota, and he will head into his platform year with the prospect of catching passes from the best quarterback he has ever played with, Kirk Cousins. If all goes according to plan, Diggs could be one of the hottest commodities on the open market next offseason, and the Vikings would like to lock him up before that happens.
As usual, there are some issues for both sides to think about when negotiating Diggs’ big payday. Diggs has yet to top 1,000 yards in a season, and his professional career, much like his collegiate one, has been hampered by injuries. Though Diggs has not yet missed significant time as a pro, he has dealt with groin issues in each of the last two seasons, and he said he was “never the same” in 2017 after suffering a groin injury in Week 4. His knee and hip have also given him problems.
On the other hand, the receiver market has been booming, and Joel Corry of CBS Sports believes that Davante Adams‘ four-year, $58.5MM extension with the Packers would be a realistic foundation for contract discussions (after all, Adams has not yet cracked the 1,000-yard mark either, and he only recently became Green Bay’s No. 1 receiving option). Alternatively, now that the Vikings have Hunter under contract for the foreseeable future, Diggs could be hit with the franchise tag next offseason, though the $17MM projected tag number for receivers may be unpalatable for Minnesota, regardless of how good Diggs is in 2018.
Corry suggests that, in light of the massive contracts that relatively unaccomplished receivers are pulling down, Diggs may be inclined to test the open market even if he ultimately wants to remain with the Vikings. The guess here, though, is that the two sides will reach an accord before Diggs officially hits free agency. Minnesota has a track record of extending its key players during contract years, and the chance to lock in a boatload of guaranteed money may be too enticing for Diggs to pass up, as he has played the first few years of his career on a bargain fifth-round rookie deal. He will likely not reset the receiver market even if he becomes a free agent, and Minnesota will certainly pay him like a top-10 player at his position. A four-year pact in the neighborhood of $60MM, with $20MM or so in guarantees, seems like a good bet.
Details On Danielle Hunter’s Extension
Continuing their recent run of defensive fortification, the Vikings agreed to a five-year, $72MM deal with Danielle Hunter. He’s now the second-highest-paid player on Minnesota’s defense, coming in behind only Xavier Rhodes.
Locked up through 2023, Hunter will earn $37.9MM across the first three years of this contract, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. That’s down from a previously reported $48MM figure. This season won’t feature a substantial hit to the Vikings’ payroll, with Krammer noting Hunter’s 2018 cap number will come in at just $5MM. After this season, the eight-figure hits start coming.
The 23-year-old defensive end will count $13MM toward Minnesota’s 2019 cap and $14MM in 2020. In 2021 and ’22, Hunter’s deal will represent $15MM of the Vikes’ payroll. Of course, the cap can be expected to reside north of $200MM by then, so these numbers — on a deal that can be classified as Vikings-friendly — may not look especially imposing once the next decade begins.
Incentives also appear in this contract but don’t comprise too much of it. Krammer adds that Hunter’s re-up contains $6MM in incentives across its five-year span. There are also $2.5MM in total per-game roster bonuses and $500K in workout bonuses housed in this agreement, per Krammer.
The Vikings now have Hunter, Rhodes, Everson Griffen, Eric Kendricks, Linval Joseph and Harrison Smith signed long-term. This sextet is all locked in through at least the 2021 season. While an extension for Anthony Barr is being discussed, the Vikings already have a substantial portion of their defensive core under team control for the foreseeable future.
Barr's Consistency A Factor In Re-Up Talks?
- Anthony Barr‘s effort level may be one of the factors involved in the Vikings‘ line of thinking regarding an extension for the fifth-year linebacker, Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes. A Barr extension would probably require for him to either top or come quite close to exceeding Jamie Collins‘ OLB-high $12.5MM-AAV contract, and the Vikings already have a host of recently constructed extensions on their books. Barr’s been one of the best 4-3 outside ‘backers in the game for several years, but Mike Zimmer has questioned his effort in the past. The Vikings, who have already extended Eric Kendricks and Danielle Hunter this year, have begun re-up conversations with Barr.