2024 Other NFL Offseason News

[Danchat]

With the Fields to Falcons rumors dissipating, the expectation is that Atlanta will land Cousins. We are looking likely to lose both Cousins and Hunter on the FA market... this offseason will be fascinating for this team. The roster is lacking talent at almost all positions, but they have tons of money to spend in future seasons with those two gone.

[nicksaviking]

14 hours ago, Danchat said:

With the Fields to Falcons rumors dissipating, the expectation is that Atlanta will land Cousins. We are looking likely to lose both Cousins and Hunter on the FA market... this offseason will be fascinating for this team. The roster is lacking talent at almost all positions, but they have tons of money to spend in future seasons with those two gone.

If they lose them all, I don't want any patchwork big money free agents. Target players that should be good for another 3-4 years. No Chris Jones or Tyron Smith or Saquon Barkley in other words.

[Mike Sixel]

They'll be lucky to be even a 6 win team, IMO. No QB, No DL/Edge players. It's a barren wasteland outside WR/TE and sort of OL. 

I mostly blame the previous regime, but this one needs to be a lot better (as we've all said). Not trading Hunter was a massive blunder (they had to be offered more than a 4th round pick). 

They'll need to sign one good/very good DL and draft there also. They need a QB (hopefully a placeholder and a pick to take over late in the year). They need DBs and Edge like crazy. I see no quick fix, but they will be super flush with money in another off season, and it is fixable if they pick the right QB and 2- 3 other starters this year.

[Cap'n Piranha]

On 2/29/2024 at 2:15 PM, cHawk said:

Obviously this would never happen, but how would we feel about this as Vikings fans?

Depends.  Fans that want the Vikings to avoid finishing 4th in the division should feel not good.  Fans (like me) that think a tear-down rebuild should be quite happy with the increased odds of going 0-6 in the division for the next couple of years, while also depriving the Bears of 2 shots at high-end talent in a loaded draft, while having to commit a bunch of new money to Allen; potentially $60M a year (if Kirk off an injury at 35 is going to get close to $50M, certainly Allen will get $60M, especially considering the insane leverage he will have over the Bears).

[Cap'n Piranha]

20 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Seemed to be bad in the clubhouse the last few years 

He was The Guy in Seattle (at least as far as fans were concerned--as a resident of Seattle, I can assure you of this).  For the Seahawks to trade the fan favorite player on the team, who QBd them to their only Superbowl title, and coming off a year where he was top 10 in QBR...

Guy must have been really not popular in the clubhouse.  If Kwesi signs him, I will personally burn TCO to the ground.

[Cap'n Piranha]

3 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

They'll be lucky to be even a 6 win team, IMO. No QB, No DL/Edge players. It's a barren wasteland outside WR/TE and sort of OL. 

I mostly blame the previous regime, but this one needs to be a lot better (as we've all said). Not trading Hunter was a massive blunder (they had to be offered more than a 4th round pick). 

They'll need to sign one good/very good DL and draft there also. They need a QB (hopefully a placeholder and a pick to take over late in the year). They need DBs and Edge like crazy. I see no quick fix, but they will be super flush with money in another off season, and it is fixable if they pick the right QB and 2- 3 other starters this year.

If the Vikings don't have Kirk or Hunter, I'd argue they'd be unlucky to win 6 games, since the goal for that team should be to win no more than 3 games and lock down the top pick in the 2025 draft.  If you can get a developmental QB that allows you to trade out of 1-1 in 2025, that's a plus, but the #1 organizational goal has to be to get a guy who could potentially be a great/elite QB for the next 10-15 years between now and the end of the 2025 draft.

Interesting that you assign most of the blame to the prior regime, while going on to state they need DBs like crazy.  You do realize that Kwesi in his two drafts has spent a 1st, a 2nd, a 3rd, and two 4th round picks on DBs, right?  That's an insane amount of capital to spend on a position group that apparently still needs an immense amount of help.

[nicksaviking]

5 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

They'll be lucky to be even a 6 win team, IMO. No QB, No DL/Edge players. It's a barren wasteland outside WR/TE and sort of OL. 

I mostly blame the previous regime, but this one needs to be a lot better (as we've all said). Not trading Hunter was a massive blunder (they had to be offered more than a 4th round pick). 

They'll need to sign one good/very good DL and draft there also. They need a QB (hopefully a placeholder and a pick to take over late in the year). They need DBs and Edge like crazy. I see no quick fix, but they will be super flush with money in another off season, and it is fixable if they pick the right QB and 2- 3 other starters this year.

I'm really hopeful the reason for the lackluster first two drafts was because they were trying to patch instead of build. Because these are the three areas you build with right? And they barely touched those spots in the two drafts. Hopefully if they take a step back and say, OK, now we need to concentrate on a long term vision, they will hammer OL, defensive front seven and QB spots. And hopefully if they go in knowing they need the long term vision, they'll let the draft picks play. 

And if they can get one of the top three QBs but have to sacrifice draft capital, I'm still game. It's obviously the position that can right the ship the quickest.

[gunnarthor]

Mayfield gets a 3yr/100m deal with Bucs. Looks like 50m guaranteed. Good for him.

Wilson signs vet minimum with the Steelers but still gets a boat load of money from Denver. So, good luck to him. Would love to see Wilson bring Pitt into the playoffs while Sean Payton sits at home. 

And Colts paid their stud WR Pittman a 3/70 deal. Not really going to affect Jefferson but still good money.

[nicksaviking]

41 minutes ago, gunnarthor said:

Mayfield gets a 3yr/100m deal with Bucs. Looks like 50m guaranteed. Good for him.

Wilson signs vet minimum with the Steelers but still gets a boat load of money from Denver. So, good luck to him. Would love to see Wilson bring Pitt into the playoffs while Sean Payton sits at home. 

And Colts paid their stud WR Pittman a 3/70 deal. Not really going to affect Jefferson but still good money.

Russell Wilson has turned me off a bit, but I do like Pittsburgh and Tomlin. People started to question Belichick after he didn't do so well after Brady left, I still don't understand why people haven't yet started wondering if Brees was the reason for Payton's success. Maybe he wasn't, but it certainly should be considered a possibility.

[nicksaviking]

Packers sign Josh Jacobs. Good to see they have two washed up RBs to hand the ball off to.

[cHawk]

[nicksaviking]

56 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Packers sign Josh Jacobs. Good to see they have two washed up RBs to hand the ball off to.

Spoke too soon, the incumbent is being release. Aaron Jones is going Aaway.

[nicksaviking]

Antonio Gibson is going to New England on a three year deal. That would have been my top 'cheap' RB free agent, but if he's getting three years, it probably wasn't cheap after all.

[nicksaviking]

So I was making my own notes a couple weeks back (for my dynasty league) and decided there were seven teams with severe RB needs. Bal, Cle, LV, LAC, Dal, NYG and MIN. Six of the top free agent running backs signed today, and only the Giants from my list signed one. Makes me think someone is going to overpay Derrick Henry, as the next best guys after him are probably Ekler and now Aaron Jones, both of whom looked to be done last year. There's going to be some pretty unsexy starting RBs in the league next season. 

[Danchat]

Holy cow, $45M per year for Kirk with $100M guaranteed, if they want out after Year 2 then it's a 2/100 deal. Not even the pro-Kirk crowd is saying we should have matched that. Wow.

Greenard and Van Ginkel are nice additions to an empty edge rusher room. Cashman seems like a bit of an overpayment but he had a great 2023 season. Actually, all 3 were great in 2023 but don't have much on their resume before that. Now go get a interior DL pass rusher and a guard!

[nicksaviking]

52 minutes ago, Danchat said:

Holy cow, $45M per year for Kirk with $100M guaranteed, if they want out after Year 2 then it's a 2/100 deal. Not even the pro-Kirk crowd is saying we should have matched that. Wow.

Greenard and Van Ginkel are nice additions to an empty edge rusher room. Cashman seems like a bit of an overpayment but he had a great 2023 season. Actually, all 3 were great in 2023 but don't have much on their resume before that. Now go get a interior DL pass rusher and a guard!

Greenard is probably the only one they couldn't move on from next year if they don't work out. 

I might rather have had Frankie Luvu instead of both Cashman and Ginkel though. He got 36M total; no breakdown available. Not that I'm complaining.

[wabene]

I'll be glad to watch Cashman. There is a lot to like there and the guy's stats in coverage were top notch. Homer call

[nicksaviking]

Ha, I think the Bears are going to get bent over the barrel with Fields. With Pittsburgh, Tampa and Atlanta getting starting caliber vets (eh Wilson??) along with Vegas signing Minshew, Denver, Minnesota and the Giants are probably the only teams outside of the top three picks who'd trade for Fields to be their starter. I'm quite confident the Vikings won't, and I'm nearly as convinced Denver won't get fooled into doing that again after the Wilson situation. They'll either have to talk the Giants (who should have Jones back sometime this year, and is probably [barf] better) or Washington or New England into trading for him.

So, either they can drum up a bidding war that includes at least two teams drafting ahead of the Vikings, which obviously would help the Vikings cause in trading up for one of the top guys, or they trade him away for peanuts to be some team's backup, as there is little competition for him.

Or they say screw it and keep him. That works for me too.

[gunnarthor]

10 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

Ha, I think the Bears are going to get bent over the barrel with Fields. With Pittsburgh, Tampa and Atlanta getting starting caliber vets (eh Wilson??) along with Vegas signing Minshew, Denver, Minnesota and the Giants are probably the only teams outside of the top three picks who'd trade for Fields to be their starter. I'm quite confident the Vikings won't, and I'm nearly as convinced Denver won't get fooled into doing that again after the Wilson situation. They'll either have to talk the Giants (who should have Jones back sometime this year, and is probably [barf] better) or Washington or New England into trading for him.

So, either they can drum up a bidding war that includes at least two teams drafting ahead of the Vikings, which obviously would help the Vikings cause in trading up for one of the top guys, or they trade him away for peanuts to be some team's backup, as there is little competition for him.

Or they say screw it and keep him. That works for me too.

I've read a few things that have the Giants taking McCarthy in the first round to sit behind Jones for one year before moving on. 

https://nypost.com/2024/03/05/sports/2024-nfl-draft-odds-suggest-giants-flirting-with-michigan-qb-j-j-mccarthy/

So I don't see NY making a trade for Fields. Man, what a great hell for Chicago if they have both Williams and Fields on the roster together. :-) 

[Danchat]

Darnold for $10M and Jones for $7M... I don't like Darnold but he's a fine backup. He's not going to be the next Baker Mayfield, though. Aaron Jones is a curious addition as he had a great 2023 season but he's 30 and has had injury problems. Jones can kick butt if the blocking is there, and that's still a question mark.

[nicksaviking]

21 minutes ago, Danchat said:

Darnold for $10M and Jones for $7M... I don't like Darnold but he's a fine backup. He's not going to be the next Baker Mayfield, though. Aaron Jones is a curious addition as he had a great 2023 season but he's 30 and has had injury problems. Jones can kick butt if the blocking is there, and that's still a question mark.

I don't think Jones was great last year by any means. Even if he hadn't missed time, his rushing numbers were down across the board. I'd rather just see Ty Chandler. Jones might have some early momentum from switching teams, but I doubt it will last, he looks done.

[Vanimal46]

Derrick Henry to the Ravens is such a perfect match. Good luck AFC North with Lamar and Henry running RPOs all game. 

[nicksaviking]

I count 13 RBs who have switched teams already and none to Dallas. Not much left for a team that has always loved to have a top end RB. It's a pretty weak draft class for the position too. Are they going to  reach for a guy late in the 1st?

[gunnarthor]

1 hour ago, Danchat said:

Darnold for $10M and Jones for $7M... I don't like Darnold but he's a fine backup. He's not going to be the next Baker Mayfield, though. Aaron Jones is a curious addition as he had a great 2023 season but he's 30 and has had injury problems. Jones can kick butt if the blocking is there, and that's still a question mark.

I like Jones and Chandler as a two headed monster back. Very different styles. I think they could compliment each other pretty well and help take the load off of Jones as being "the guy". And, frankly, with our offense, we don't need a monster running game, we just need a running game that will keep defenses honest and bite on occasional play action.

[nicksaviking]

48 minutes ago, gunnarthor said:

I like Jones and Chandler as a two headed monster back. Very different styles. I think they could compliment each other pretty well and help take the load off of Jones as being "the guy". And, frankly, with our offense, we don't need a monster running game, we just need a running game that will keep defenses honest and bite on occasional play action.

This is presuming we get a top rookie QB who starts off hot right out of the gate right? Because I don't see it with Darnold. Or Mullens. Or any QB that's left on the market. With these retread QBs defenses should be loading the box against the run knowing the passing game will be poor at best and turnover prone at worst.

I'm not expecting the Vikings to get a CJ Stroud or Justin Herbert rookie season from any QB, so I kind of think the running game is going to be in play more than this.

And they forgot to spend money on the interior OL. So, Jones better turn back the clock.

[gunnarthor]

23 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

This is presuming we get a top rookie QB who starts off hot right out of the gate right? Because I don't see it with Darnold. Or Mullens. Or any QB that's left on the market. With these retread QBs defenses should be loading the box against the run knowing the passing game will be poor at best and turnover prone at worst.

I'm not expecting the Vikings to get a CJ Stroud or Justin Herbert rookie season from any QB, so I kind of think the running game is going to in play more than this.

And they forgot to spend money on the interior OL. So, Jones better turn back the clock.

I think you're a bit too angry right now. 

Against Cincy with Nick Mullins at QB, Chandler ran for 130 yards and Mullins threw for another 300.
With no running game, Mullins threw for 400 against Detroit in the first game, while in the second game, Mullins threw for another 400 and Mattison/Chandler combined for 93 rushing yards. If we think the floor of our QB next year is Mullins, then we should be able to move the ball. Agree that turnovers could always be a problem. 

And the reality is the Vikings are almost certainly not going to get Williams, Maye, or Daniels. They might get McCarthy or Nix. That's it. So if you're holding out hope that we need one of those three, next year might not be your season.

[nicksaviking]

20 minutes ago, gunnarthor said:

I think you're a bit too angry right now. 

Against Cincy with Nick Mullins at QB, Chandler ran for 130 yards and Mullins threw for another 300.
With no running game, Mullins threw for 400 against Detroit in the first game, while in the second game, Mullins threw for another 400 and Mattison/Chandler combined for 93 rushing yards. If we think the floor of our QB next year is Mullins, then we should be able to move the ball. Agree that turnovers could always be a problem. 

And the reality is the Vikings are almost certainly not going to get Williams, Maye, or Daniels. They might get McCarthy or Nix. That's it. So if you're holding out hope that we need one of those three, next year might not be your season.

Not angry at all, this off season is pretty much going as I hoped. I think Aaron Jones stinks, but pretty much all the free agent RBs were over the hill. Seems a younger, less proven guy would have been a better fit in a rebuild, but whatever, I expect Chandler to take his job in short order. I would have rather had an interior lineman or two instead of three new defensive players, but overall, I like where we stand. That being, the front office is between a rock and a hard place and absolutely has to score a top rookie QB now, even if it means an overpay.

Clearly you haven't read any of my posts. I'm the 'I'd rather stink than be mediocre guy', so if they flub this situation, I'm more than happy for them to try again next year from a better vantage point. Or even better, if truly flubbed, find a new GM who can do a rebuild the right way.

[nicksaviking]

Drew Lock to the Giants. He's not good, but reports are that Daniel Jones hopes to be ready by training camp so he should be ready to start the year. All this is to say, despite how unattractive all the Giants QBs are, there are enough of them that they're probably not interested in Justin Fields. 

I really can't say why the prospect of the Bears getting pancaked with any possible Justin Fields situation makes me so happy. 

[Danchat]

2 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

I don't think Jones was great last year by any means. Even if he hadn't missed time, his rushing numbers were down across the board.

Did you see his final month of play? Here you are:

That's 5 straight games of 100+ yards, and he is still a weapon in the passing game. PFF had him as a top 10 RB so it wasn't just the OL (his backup Dillon had a bad year). My main concern is injury as he's had a lot of nagging problems, but if he is healthy then he will likely be worth the money.

Chandler will get his touches unless another back pushes him out of the #2 job, but he wasn't going to be the primary RB. I think there will be some mixing of the backs and Jones isn't going to be used as a bellcow at age 30.

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

I count 13 RBs who have switched teams already and none to Dallas. Not much left for a team that has always loved to have a top end RB. It's a pretty weak draft class for the position too. Are they going to  reach for a guy late in the 1st?

There isn't a RB who is going in the 1st round, and possibly not the second... they might reach in the 2nd round. At this point what is left is JK Dobbins off an Achilles injury, Zeke Elliott, D'Onta Foreman, AJ Dillon... not a whole lot. 

[gunnarthor]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

Not angry at all, this off season is pretty much going as I hoped. I think Aaron Jones stinks, but pretty much all the free agent RBs were over the hill. Seems a younger, less proven guy would have been a better fit in a rebuild, but whatever, I expect Chandler to take his job in short order. I would have rather had an interior lineman or two instead of three new defensive players, but overall, I like where we stand. That being, the front office is between a rock and a hard place and absolutely has to score a top rookie QB now, even if it means an overpay.

Clearly you haven't read any of my posts. I'm the 'I'd rather stink than be mediocre guy', so if they flub this situation, I'm more than happy for them to try again next year from a better vantage point. Or even better, if truly flubbed, find a new GM who can do a rebuild the right way.

I've read your posts, I just don't think you're very realistic. But, whatever. So far this offseason is looking pretty good to me, all things considered. Obviously the draft will be huge but I like all of the pickups so far and they all seem to fit into what KOC or Flores wants on that side of the ball.