Williams To Visit Dolphins, 49ers, Vikings
K’Waun Williams has quite the free agent tour set up for himself. In addition to visits with the Lions and Jets, Williams is also slated to visit the Dolphins, 49ers, and Vikings this week, according to ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein (on Twitter). Of course, those visits could also be 86’d if Williams immediately strikes a deal with either Detroit or New York. 
Williams arrived in Detroit on Monday and will touch down in the New York/New Jersey area on Tuesday night. If he doesn’t have a contract after wrapping up his visit with the Jets on Wednesday, he’ll continue meeting with clubs.
As a rare February free agent, Williams has a bit of added value for teams who are looking into a low-cost solution at slot cornerback. Williams’ next deal is likely to come as a one-year pact, so he is presumably looking for a situation where he can maximize his playing time and increase his value for next offseason. He probably won’t get a fully guaranteed roster spot, but he could conceivably get a small partial guarantee on his salary if enough clubs show interest.
Williams had surgery to remove bone spurs in his ankle back in November. He recently received full clearance from Dr. Robert Anderson.
Drew Petzing A Candidate For Vikings WRs Coach?
- Vikings offensive assistant Drew Petzing could be a candidate for the club’s vacant wide receivers coach role, reports Andrew Kramer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Twitter link). Longtime Minnesota WRs coach George Stewart defected for the Chargers earlier this offseason.
Vikings Cut Brandon Fusco, Mike Harris
The Vikings have cut a pair of offensive linemen. The team announced on Friday that Brandon Fusco and Mike Harris have been released. 
Harris, 28, stepped up for the Vikings in 2015 when their O-Line was ravaged by injuries. In a season in which both John Sullivan and Phil Loadholt went down, Harris started in every game for the team and finished out the year as Pro Football Focus’ No. 23 ranked guard. Although he re-signed with the team prior to the 2016 season, he was unable to suit up due to an undisclosed illness or condition. It’s not immediately clear whether he plans on continuing to play football.
Fusco appeared in 14 games (all starts) for the Vikings in 2016. The advanced metrics at PFF weren’t very impressed with his play, however, leaving him with one of the worst scores of any qualified guard in the league last year. His only quality season, per PFF, came in 2013 when he made 15 starts at right guard for Minnesota. Fusco, a former sixth-round pick, will turn 29 this summer.
Assessing An Adrian Peterson Contract
- Adrian Peterson‘s $18MM cap figure is more than twice as high as any running back in the league for 2017 and the Vikings will have a challenge in reworking his deal. For insight, ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling spoke with former agent and exec Andrew Brandt, who speculated that a fair deal could have a $5MM-$7MM base plus incentives based on playing time. Whether that kind of deal would be accepted is another question. Because Peterson is such a prideful player, he could opt to test the open market if he feels insulted by whatever Minnesota offers him.
Vikings Notes: Jarrett, Draft
Grady Jarrett‘s performance in the Super Bowl served as a reminder of what the Vikings defense is sorely lacking, Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune writes. Jarrett, a second-year defensive tackle, had three sacks on Tom Brady before the Patriots evened the score and ultimately won. The Vikings missed their chance to draft Jarrett, but they can try and find a similarly disruptive force on the open market this offseason. At this point, the Vikings cannot bank on Sharrif Floyd becoming that player on a consistent basis.
- More from Vensel, who wonders what it might take for the Vikings to trade back into the first round. As it stands, the Vikings are one of two teams without a first-round pick. However, GM Rick Spielman loves to wheel and deal and it’s always possible that Minnesota could trade up again. Minnesota has eight picks in total with two in the third round and two in the fourth round, so the needed ammunition is there. Using the NFL draft pick trade value chart, Vensel figures that the Vikings could package their No. 46 or 47 pick (depending on the coin toss) in the second round with their own third-round choice to get something in the range of the No. 29 selection. Of course, the No. 29 pick in particular might not be the wisest target since it is currently owned by the Packers.
2017 NFL Draft Order Set
With the Super Bowl in the rear view mirror, the offseason is officially underway for all 32 teams. We now have the complete draft order for the entire first round, with one exception which is noted below.
The Patriots, of course, will have the honor of having the last pick. The Falcons, after losing in heartbreaking fashion, will have the penultimate selection in the first round.
Here is the complete order, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter links):
1. Browns
2. 49ers
3. Bears
4. Jaguars
5. Titans
6. Jets
7. Chargers
8. Panthers
9. Bengals
10. Bills
11. Saints
12. Browns
13. Cardinals
T-14. Eagles (via the Vikings)
T-14. Colts (Note: The Vikings and Colts have identical records and the same strength of schedule. The tie will be broke by coin flip with the winner getting pick No. 14 and the other team getting the No. 15 pick.)
16. Ravens
17. Redskins
18. Titans
19. Buccaneers
20. Broncos
21. Lions
22. Dolphins
23. Giants
24. Raiders
25. Texans
26. Seahawks
27. Chiefs
28. Cowboys
29. Packers
30. Steelers
31. Falcons
32. Patriots
Cordarrelle Patterson Wants To Try RB Switch
- Cordarrelle Patterson observed Ty Montgomery‘s transition to running back and wants to try it himself. “I would love to play running back,” Patterson said on the “Pardon My Take” podcast, per Chad Graff of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “I think any receiver in my position would love to play running back. People always say, ‘He’s just a running back when he gets the ball in his hands.'” A Patterson position change would make more sense due to the tantalizing ability he’s shown with the ball in his hands but an inability to stick in Minnesota’s receiver rotation. Although, Patterson’s lanky 6-foot-2 frame might make him less-suited for inside contact than Montgomery. The wideout is set to be a UFA after the Vikings didn’t pick up his fifth-year option last May.
Teddy Bridgewater Likely Out For 2017?
The catastrophic knee injury that caused Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to sit out the entire 2016 season is also likely to cost him the 2017 campaign, a team source told Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Doctors have informed the Vikings that the best-case scenario for Bridgwater would be a 19-month recovery. His injury occurred last August, which means he’s unlikely to return to full strength until March 2018 at the earliest.
On the other hand, Bridgewater’s agent Kennard McGuire has strongly disputed Cole’s report, telling Ben Goessling of ESPN.com: “I would not overreact to a story that has zero substance and no credibility.” The Vikings have maintained there is no current update on Bridgewater’s status, while sources tell Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune Bridgewater still has no “set timeline” for return.
As of October, Bridgewater’s career was reportedly in jeopardy on account of the complete ACL tear and dislocated kneecap he suffered in practice. More recently, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer expressed uncertainty earlier this month as to when Bridgewater might return. That came after Zimmer declared that Sam Bradford would be the Vikings’ starting quarterback to at least begin next season.
The Vikings’ decision to send their 2017 first-round pick and 2018 fourth-round selection to the Eagles for Bradford last September came in response to Bridgewater’s injury. Minnesota was the reigning NFC North champion at the time and hoping to keep its playoff chances alive, though it ultimately wasn’t able to replicate its 2015 success this season. That wasn’t necessarily the fault of Bradford, who set an NFL record for single-season completion percentage (71.6) and tossed 20 touchdowns against five interceptions as part of a conservative passing attack. Despite Bradford’s career-best statistical season, not to mention a 5-0 start, the Vikings stumbled to an 8-8 record and a third-place finish in their division.
Both Bridgewater and Bradford are set to enter contract years, though the former is controllable through 2018 by way of a fifth-year option. The Vikings are likely to exercise the option because it would give them another year to evaluate Bridgewater’s recovery, per Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. The 24-year-old Bridgewater, whom the Vikings chose 32nd in the 2014 draft, combined for a 64.9 percent completion rate and 28 scores against 21 picks in his first two seasons. Minnesota has posted an impressive 17-11 record in his 28 career starts.
Vikings Notes: Zimmer, Patterson
In their drawn-out quest to find a general manager, the 49ers are down to two finalists – Vikings assistant GM George Paton and Cardinals Terry McDonough – but “it’s not a lock” either will end up with the job, a source close to the team told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. While there’s a “good chance” one of them will land the role, per the source, the previously reported Mark Dominik “could become involved” if the Niners go in another direction, writes Maiocco.
- Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer missed the team’s Week 13 loss to the Cowboys after undergoing emergency surgery on his right eye. Over a month later, Zimmer still can’t see out of that eye and will undergo another procedure in April, tweets Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. “Hopefully that will fix it,” said Zimmer.
- One of Zimmer’s players, wide receiver/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson, is open to leaving the Vikings as a free agent if they don’t promise him an increased offensive role. “I need to know if I’m going to play or not. If not, I’ll take my talents elsewhere,” Patterson told Conor Orr of NFL.com. Patterson’s relevance in the Vikings’ offense increased significantly after coordinator Pat Shurmur took over for Norv Turner at the outset of November. Shurmur guaranteed Patterson more targets after grabbing the reins, and the 25-year-old then racked up 46 in the final nine games of the season. He had only 24 in Turner’s seven games atop the offense. All told, the first-team All-Pro return man amassed a career-high 52 catches, though he only averaged 8.7 yards per reception. On whether he’d return to Minnesota for a fifth season in 2017, Patterson said, “If they want me back, they’ll (make a deal) and get me back.”
Vikings GM Rick Spielman Discusses Offseason, Draft, Peterson
This will be a critical offseason for the Vikings and general manager Rick Spielman. After starting the season with five straight victories, the Vikings went 3-8 the rest of the way. This was the team’s third playoff absence since Spielman took over in 2012, with the Vikings haven’t advanced past the wild card round during their two postseason appearances.
Besides the motivation to transform the team into a playoff contender, the Vikings will also have to make tough decisions on their handful of impending free agents. Sid Hartman of the Minnesota Star Tribune notes that the team has 14 players who will hit free agency, including cornerbacks Captain Munnerlyn and Terence Newman, running back Matt Asiata, linebacker Audie Cole, tight end Rhett Ellison, offensive tackle Matt Kalil, and wideout Cordarrelle Patterson.
Spielman talked to Hartman about his preparation for the offseason, his evaluation of this year’s draft class, and Adrian Peterson‘s NFL future. The whole article is worth reading, but we collected some of the notable quotes below.
On the front office’s preparation for the offseason:
“We started our process last week, met with all the coaches and the scouts. We kind of went through our personnel, where we’re at, we identified our needs, and we’ll start over the next month here putting together our game plan on where we can attack to fill those needs, whether it be free agency or we have to wait through until the draft. There are going to be some things that can happen.”
On how the front office will evaluate ways to improve the roster:
“The most important process is to be honest with yourself on where your roster is and be honest on the type of personnel. Then once you identify those needs, and we do it where the coaches are involved, the scouts are involved, and then I’ll sit with Coach [Mike] Zimmer, [Executive Vice President] Rob Brzezinski, [assistant GM] George Paton, and we’ll finalize our game plan and get ready to improve the roster.”
On running back Adrian Peterson’s future in the NFL:
“I think Adrian will always defy the odds. He got hurt this year, but I still think he has a lot of football left in him. Those will be some of the tough decisions we have to make, and what you do is when you go through this process you’re trying to weigh in where are you going to put your resources and financially where are you going to spend your money.
“We have a lot of young guys coming up this year. I think Xavier Rhodes is an extremely talented young player that we’re going to have to be mentally prepared to address his contract. Those decisions will be made once we get through the free agency and draft meetings. But I think Adrian Peterson has football left in him.”
On the team’s draft strategy:
“We have eight draft picks going into this draft, my goal was to have 10 or more by the time we get out of this draft. I do think we have to replenish our roster with some youth. Last year we signed a lot of our players back, a lot of free agents back on the roster, and this year I know we’re going to have to get some of the younger players going. This new class coming in, from a draft standpoint, will be a part of it as well.”
On his early evaluations of the draft class:
“We had our first meeting in December, and then our scouts will be coming in in a couple weeks and head down to the Senior Bowl. I saw most of those kids that are going to be in the Senior Bowl, but I think offensively the two strongest positions — and I don’t know all the juniors that are coming out or who’s staying or going and that won’t be decided for a couple weeks — but it looks like an extremely strong running back class. I think the tight end class is going to be extremely strong.