HEADLINES

Daniel Carlson

Vikings Release K Kai Forbath

August 20th, 2018 at 11:17am CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings’ kicking competition is over. The club has released Kai Forbath, according to a team announcement. The Vikings will now turn to rookie Daniel Carlson as their kicker. 

The Vikings traded up into the fifth round to draft Carlson in the spring, an indicator that a kicking change was in the cards. After months of impressive performances, the Vikings feel that the youngster is ready for the job.

Last year, Forbath converted 32 of his 38 field goal attempts and he nailed 34 of his 39 extra point tries. He was re-signed in March, but it was a low-cost deal with little or no guaranteed money, so the release won’t have any real effect on the Vikings’ cap.

Carlson, an Auburn product, converted 92 of 114 field goal tries (80.7%) over the course of his four-year collegiate career. He also nailed all 198 of his extra point tries.

North Rumors: Rodgers, Vikings, Browns

July 30th, 2018 at 7:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Amid a months-long negotiating process with the Packers, Aaron Rodgers confirmed several types of contracts have surfaced during these talks. The two-time MVP has been linked to wanting a deal structure that provides more freedom for him, and the Packers may not be on board with that just yet. But Rodgers remains intent on spending his entire career in Green Bay.

“We’ve talked about a number of different types of deals. There’s obviously mutual interest on both sides in keeping me in Green Bay for the duration,” Rodgers said, via Albert Breer of SI.com. “That’s definitely what you want as a player. You see the rarity of it in sports, and you think about guys like Kobe (Bryant), guys like Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, who spent entire career with one organization, Tommy (Brady) in New England. It’s very rare. That would be the goal.”

The 14th-year quarterback broached the subject of his contract being a trend-setting agreement.

“As far as setting a trend or breaking down things, it’s great for the game and its players, for sure, when Kirk (Cousins) does a deal like he did,” Rodgers said of Cousins’ fully guaranteed Vikings deal. “The reality is, there’s not many teams that would do that, first of all. And there aren’t many teams that would do it for more than three years. So at some point, there are going to be contracts that will continue to extend that, and there’s been guys who’ve done it over the years, who’ve done monumental things, whether it’s Reggie White in free agency, that make a difference for the next generation. That’s something you can have as part of your legacy.”

  • Brian Gutekunst made a more concerted effort to bring in veterans to help the Rodgers-centered team win now, but Breer doesn’t get the sense the Packers believe time is running out to maximize this rare window. “I’d say this: He’s a young 34,” Mike McCarthy told Breer. “He had the first three years to sit behind Brett (Favre), and if you look at him physically, the last three, four years, he’s clearly in the best shape of his career.” Rodgers reiterated playing until he’s 40 is the “minimum” in terms of longevity he’s seeking, and he specified the baseline (as of now) he’d consider as his last year would be 2024 — when he’d turn 41 late that season.
  • Don’t expect the Vikings‘ kicker battle to end early. Minnesota will put incumbent Kai Forbath and fifth-round rookie Daniel Carlson in pressure situations during camp and will assess their standing during the early portion of preseason play, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter), before considering jettisoning one of them.
  • Giovani Bernard profiles as an under-the-radar extension candidate, Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. The Bengals already have their passing-down back signed through 2019 and drafted Joe Mixon in Round 2 last year, but Owczarski could see the Bengals approaching the 27-year-old Bernard with an extension proposal before the running back market reshapes after the Todd Gurley re-up.
  • The Browns worked out offensive lineman Jordan McCray over the weekend, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets. Jordan is the twin brother of Packers lineman Justin McCray.

Vikings Notes: Robison, Hughes, Carlson

June 5th, 2018 at 8:49pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Last month, it was announced that Vikings defensive end Brian Robison was taking a pay cut to stay with the team in the final year of his contract. The longtime Viking was scheduled to make $3.5MM initially, but his pay cut reduced his base salary to $1.015MM plus a $90K workout bonus.

Now Robison, who has been with the Vikings since being drafted by the team in the fourth round back in 2007, appears ready to hang up his cleats. He recently told Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that he’ll “more than likely” retire after the 2018 season.

If the 2018 season is indeed Robison’s last in the NFL, it will be the end to an unusually long run with a single team for a role player. Normally only a star player would wind up playing for the same team for 12 seasons, but Robison has carved out a similar situational pass-rushing role with the Vikings year after year through multiple coaching staffs and front offices. He has 60 sacks, 19 passes defended, and 13 forced fumbles throughout his career, only missing three of a possible 176 games since entering the league.

Here’s more on the Vikings:

  • Vikings first-round cornerback Mike Hughes is “pretty close” to signing his rookie deal, Hughes told Tomasson. Hughes, the only Vikings draft pick yet to sign, was taken with the 30th overall pick in April’s draft out of Central Florida.
  • Tomasson reports that rookie kicker Daniel Carlson “has looked better than Kai Forbath in the battle to be Minnesota’s kicker.” Since the Vikings used a fifth-rounder on Carlson, they likely have every intention of having him be their kicker. Forbath, the incumbent, was underwhelming last year and appears likely to be cut.
  • Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Rudolph is working his way back from offseason ankle surgery, and recently returned to the field. Tomasson notes that Rudolph is ahead of schedule in his recovery and wasn’t supposed to get back to work for a few more weeks.

Vikings Sign Four Draft Picks

May 3rd, 2018 at 7:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

With their rookie minicamp on tap for this weekend, the Vikings have gotten to work on signing their draft class. Minnesota signed four members of its eight-man class on Thursday, agreeing to terms with the final four players in the group.

Carlson signed for four years and $2.708MM, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets, adding the kicker prospect received a $248K signing bonus. Gossett and Aruna both signed $2.578MM deals with $118,408 bonuses. Downs’ deal is worth $2.554MM. The Cal product received a $94K signing bonus, Tomasson reports.

Carlson will come in and compete with Kai Forbath, whom the Vikings re-signed earlier this offseason. Carlson made just 21 of his 31 field goal tries but made four of eight from beyond 50 yards. Minnesota’s selection of Carlson does not necessarily mean he’ll be kicking in the Twin Cities come September. Both the Bengals and Panthers saw their 2017 draftees, Jake Elliott and Harrison Butker, poached by other teams off their respective practice squads early last year.

Gossett was one of two offensive linemen in the Vikings’ class, joining second-round tackle Brian O’Neill. Aruna and Downs figure to be in line to compete for spots as backups and on special teams or on Minnesota’s practice squad.

Vikings, Jets Make Another Round 5 Deal

April 28th, 2018 at 2:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mike Maccagnan and Rick Spielman look to have had another phone conversation, because the Jets and Vikings have made a second deal for Round 5 picks.

The Jets dealt their No. 167 choice to the Vikings, the pick Minnesota previously owned before moving into the Jets’ No. 157 slot. After taking a tight end following the teams’ previous trade, the Vikes selected Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson.

New York dealt the No. 167 and No. 225 selections to Minnesota in exchange for the Nos. 180 and 204 overall choices, per Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter).

A three-time Lou Groza award finalist, Carlson is the first kicker to be selected this year. Kai Forbath served as the Vikings’ kicker last season after joining the team in 2016. Minnesota re-signed Forbath in March for one year and $790K, but he’ll now be pushed by a highly regarded specialty prospect. Although the 30-year-old incumbent made 32 of his 38 field goal tries last season, he missed five extra points.