Vikings Offseason Thread

[nicksaviking]

I know, it's not the offseason, but conversations are relevant now. Both threads can run concurrently while team makes it's last gasps this season. 

[nicksaviking]

Anyway, I'm not sure if not extending Jefferson was due to the Vikings dragging their feet or Jefferson not being interested, but seems to me the Vikings are screwed now. CeeDee Lamb is now asking to be the highest paid WR in the game, and he's got a fair claim after the season he's just had (and unlike Jefferson, continuing to have for a few more weeks). Surely both receivers will now repeat what happened last year with Herbert and Burrow, which saw both QBs in a staring contest seeing who would sign first.

But unlike those two, where Burrow was clearly viewed as the superior QB entitling him to sign second and thus get the higher contract, I think Jefferson's injury plagued season will make it unclear as to which of the receivers should be paid more. This could drag out and perhaps it's possible they decide to take the contest all the way to free agency. Even if those two do sign extensions, I think having a bragging competition will only increase their payday.

[Mike Sixel]

I mean, they'll just franchise him if he won't sign. I assume. Because no one is trading him. 

[Parfigliano]

2 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

I know, it's not the offseason, but conversations are relevant now. Both threads can run concurrently while team makes it's last gasps this season. 

If we are being honest Vikes offseason started when Kirk's achilles stopped.  

[gunnarthor]

https://www.profootballnetwork.com/2024-nfl-mock-draft-thursday-week-18/

This mock has the Vikings moving up 4 spots in the draft to draft Penix. If they do that, I don't think they'd resign Cousins but probably would make Jefferson the highest paid non-QB in the game.

[Mike Sixel]

20 minutes ago, gunnarthor said:

https://www.profootballnetwork.com/2024-nfl-mock-draft-thursday-week-18/

This mock has the Vikings moving up 4 spots in the draft to draft Penix. If they do that, I don't think they'd resign Cousins but probably would make Jefferson the highest paid non-QB in the game.

I don't think they'll need to move up for Penix, but he's so accurate, so maybe? Also, no way Penix goes before Daniels, imo.

[gunnarthor]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

I don't think they'll need to move up for Penix, but he's so accurate, so maybe? Also, no way Penix goes before Daniels, imo.

QBs move up so fast between the end of college football season and the draft so I'm not sure who will be there at 12. (Also, I suspect we lose to Detroit so we will draft 9th or 10th). 

Gun to my head, Chicago, NE, and Giants all draft QBs and the Vikings will pick after all of them. So Daniels shouldn't be there anyway. Penix had a great last game so that'll impress scouts. I could see him getting taken by Tennessee or even the Jets if they aren't sold on Rodgers coming back full health. (or just to learn behind him?). 

[Mike Sixel]

17 minutes ago, gunnarthor said:

QBs move up so fast between the end of college football season and the draft so I'm not sure who will be there at 12. (Also, I suspect we lose to Detroit so we will draft 9th or 10th). 

Gun to my head, Chicago, NE, and Giants all draft QBs and the Vikings will pick after all of them. So Daniels shouldn't be there anyway. Penix had a great last game so that'll impress scouts. I could see him getting taken by Tennessee or even the Jets if they aren't sold on Rodgers coming back full health. (or just to learn behind him?). 

I mean, as I've said.....if they believe one of these 3-5 guys is an elite starter, they should deal up for him. I'm all in on any of the top 3 and Penix as being elite or top 15 in the league. Then Nix. Then McCarthy, I guess, though I've seen nothing that indicates he can carry a team with his arm. I'm not dealing up for Nix or McCarthy, and may deal down to take one of them and pick up a 2nd/3rd if I think they are legit starters (which I think Nix is).

[nicksaviking]

This is going to sound like a drunk prediction, but Cam Ward rather surprisingly declared for the draft. He's the Washington State QB and most thought he was going to transfer to a big program to attempt to gear up to be a top pick next year. 

I don't think he does this unless he has people telling him he's going to go high. It sounds crazy now, but he's probably the most athletic of the QBs, and as great as the other QBs look, he could test off the charts comparatively. If there's going to be an Anthony Richardson/Trey Lance ascension, it's probably going to be Ward.

Saying all this, he's not the guy I'd want the Vikings to target, and more likely than not he ends up being a 3rd day pick, but if all goes well for him with workouts and the combine, I think it's possible that he bumps an established (old news) name down the boards.

[gunnarthor]

Good call on Ward. Ward ranks #125 overall and #12 among QBs according to this article. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/2024-nfl-draft-washington-state-star-qb-cameron-ward-declares-after-weighing-options-in-transfer-portal/

That said, the article says he could go higher depending on how he does in pre-draft workouts.

[Mike Sixel]

That's surprising! He's got a chance to go earlier than we think, but he's got to really impress.

[Vanimal46]

Haven’t dug deep into the offseason yet, but I’m ready to wipe the slate clean. We’ve been in win now mode since 2017. We tried and it didn’t work out. 

Tons of holes to fill, and not enough cap space to make it work. Time for a reset. 

[Vanimal46]

The good thing is we are finally entering an offseason in the positive for cap space. Harry the Hitman and Harrison Phillips I would guess are removed from the roster to add to the total. Still a ton of holes to fill. 

[Vanimal46]

38 minutes ago, Aggies7 said:

Unless he has a monster game tomorrow night and someone else grabs him 

The hype is high for Penix right now but there are a couple things working against him. He’ll turn 24 years old by draft night, and he’s only been healthy 2 out of 6 college seasons. I don’t think he’ll be gone by the time the Vikings are drafting. He could slide to the 2nd round 

[Mike Sixel]

7 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

The hype is high for Penix right now but there are a couple things working against him. He’ll turn 24 years old by draft night, and he’s only been healthy 2 out of 6 college seasons. I don’t think he’ll be gone by the time the Vikings are drafting. He could slide to the 2nd round 

No chance he's in the second round. At worst, someone trades back into the twenties to take him, imo. Otherwise, he's not worth taking until the third. You either think he's a legit starter, or you don't. 

[stringer bell]

Watching Green Bay and Chicago play and there's more talent there than I thought. Detroit is pretty good right now, especially on offense, and Green Bay and Chicago are on the rise. The Vikings will have to get much better just to keep pace. 

[Mike Sixel]

29 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Watching Green Bay and Chicago play and there's more talent there than I thought. Detroit is pretty good right now, especially on offense, and Green Bay and Chicago are on the rise. The Vikings will have to get much better just to keep pace. 

Truth.

[gunnarthor]

Seems the big needs are

1) qb decision (I'd prefer we draft a qb rather then bring back Cousins but I suspect we bring him back)  

2) every level of the defense

Offense can be good without too much touch up. But not sure what they can do through free agency on the defensive side. They need so much. 

[Vanimal46]

Vikings are picking 11th overall. 

[AlwaysinModeration]

3 hours ago, AlwaysinModeration said:

As long as they were alive for a playoff spot, I wanted them to win.  But now that they lost…

Jets win, moving the Vikings up to the 11th pick.  Raiders and/or Bears’ wins could move them into the top 10 or top 9 pick.

Penix seems like a realistic draft pick in that range.

Vikings finish behind the Jets due to SOS, so even though the Raiders won, they finish with the 11th pick.  Wonder if the Bears had beaten the Pack if they would have moved past the Jets and finished with the 9th pick.

[Danchat]

2 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

No chance he's in the second round. At worst, someone trades back into the twenties to take him, imo. Otherwise, he's not worth taking until the third. You either think he's a legit starter, or you don't. 

To be fair, QBs can slip into the second round like how Will Levis did, nobody was willing to move up into the 1st for him but the Titans were willing to jump up to the top of the 2nd to get him.

[Mike Sixel]

11 minutes ago, Danchat said:

To be fair, QBs can slip into the second round like how Will Levis did, nobody was willing to move up into the 1st for him but the Titans were willing to jump up to the top of the 2nd to get him.

If teams thought he was a legit starter, they should have traded up. Not having a legit QB is death in the NFL. Penix is going round one.

[AlwaysinModeration]

16 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

If teams thought he was a legit starter, they should have traded up. Not having a legit QB is death in the NFL. Penix is going round one.

Dane Brugler’s most recent mock draft has Jayden Daniels going 7, McCarthy going 22, and doesn’t have Penix in the first round.

[Mike Sixel]

48 minutes ago, AlwaysinModeration said:

Dane Brugler’s most recent mock draft has Jayden Daniels going 7, McCarthy going 22, and doesn’t have Penix in the first round.

If Daniels is there at seven, Minnesota will deal up. I've seen penix as high as seventh in mocks, and as low as 40 something. 

[Aggies7]

Last place schedule incoming!

[stringer bell]

Well, I know the Vikings were really hurt by injuries this year, but watching teams trying to win in the last game everyone is decimated.  I think the season was too long with sixteen games and a seventeenth just makes the injury problems worse. 

[nicksaviking]

11 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

If teams thought he was a legit starter, they should have traded up. Not having a legit QB is death in the NFL. Penix is going round one.

Probably, but it's way too early to predict. The top names are going to start to get stale by April and shiny new names will pop up that will excite people and then everyone will have to be reminded that their only finding warts on the old guys and enamored with the new guys because they've had four months to think about all of this.

My guess is that the QBs most likely to get "stale" at this point are probably Penix and Maye because they are the least likely to have eye-opening workout showings. Williams might have caught a break as he got stale mid-season. I'd guess his hype train will ramp back up again in time for the draft, similar to Andrew Luck.

[Vanimal46]

On 1/7/2024 at 4:39 PM, Mike Sixel said:

No chance he's in the second round. At worst, someone trades back into the twenties to take him, imo. Otherwise, he's not worth taking until the third. You either think he's a legit starter, or you don't. 

Still think this after 1 half of the natty championship? 

[Mike Sixel]

3 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Still think this after 1 half of the natty championship? 

Yes. One half isn't changing my mind. Not even one game. He types during and interception. 

[Mike Sixel]

I'm even more sure I don't want McCarthy in round one.