Post Combine Blueprint

[TheLeviathan]

Quick cap freeing moves:

Hargrave, Jones, Allen, Kelly all cut (Allen and Harrison Smith are post June 1)

O'Neill Extended 3/66

Darrisaw and JJ restructured

Hockenson 2/22

Trade Greenard to Bengals for Pick 41

Resigns

P Wright 2 years 6M

LS Depaula 2 years 4M

LB Wilson 2 years 12M

Bring back Richter and Scott at ERFA tags

Extend Redmond 3 years 20M

Free Agents

QB Murray (Min) - Yes, I hate this.  It feels inevitable.  Thanks Thanos.

DL Logan Hall 3/27 - This guy is a force

RB Travis Etienne - 3/30M - He had a much better year in pass pro, duel threat guy.  

Edge - Azeez Ojulari - 2 years 4M

Safety - Kamren Curl - 3 years 36M

Draft - (Needs going in: NT, LB, CB, OL, WR, RB)

18 traded to Philly for 23 and 98

23 - CB Avieon Terrell

41 - LB Anthony Hill Jr.

49 - DT Dontay Corleone

82 - OL Gennings Dunker

97 - S Genesis Smith

98 - CB Trayden Stukes

157 - WR Bryce Lance

After that...some dudes (Nowakoski for sure)

Depth Chart

QB - Murray, JJ, Brosmer

RB - Etienne, Mason, Scott

FB  - Nowakowski

OL - Darrisaw, Jackson, Brandel, Fries, O'Neill with Dunker as a backup at G/T

DL - Redmond, Corleone, LDR, Hall

Edge - Gink, Turner, Ojulari

LB - Wilson, Hill, Cashman

CB - Terrell, Murphy, Rodgers, Stukes

S - Curl, Metellus, Ward, Smith

 

 

[Vanimal46]

I've been thinking about what makes sense for a Brian O'Niell extension. Tytus Howard who Cleveland just traded for... Nothing more than average his whole career and a lot of time being below average. He just signed a 3/$63 extension after the trade. 

O'Niell is going to be more expensive than we think. My hope right now is 2/$55 million. Could be more given the current salary cap # of $300 million and trends on tackles getting paid. 

[Vanimal46]

3 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

QB Murray (Min) - Yes, I hate this.  It feels inevitable.  Thanks Thanos.

I agree it feels inevitable too. But I don't know how you can hate the Vikings redeeming themselves with a former #1 overall pick for close to the league veteran minimum salary.  It's a blessing for a team that screwed up the QB situation so horribly the previous year. 

[Parfigliano]

30 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

I agree it feels inevitable too. But I don't know how you can hate the Vikings redeeming themselves with a former #1 overall pick for close to the league veteran minimum salary.  It's a blessing for a team that screwed up the QB situation so horribly the previous year. 

Maybe Murray will have outgrown his manchild video game phase prior to training camp.  

[TheLeviathan]

9 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

I agree it feels inevitable too. But I don't know how you can hate the Vikings redeeming themselves with a former #1 overall pick for close to the league veteran minimum salary.  It's a blessing for a team that screwed up the QB situation so horribly the previous year. 

It just feels like more of the same purgatory we've been stuck in.  Murray and Darnold aren't the same kind of "bad" before coming here.  

Giving up on a super young QB so we can play the NFL's shortest QB who can't throw deep and can't stay on the field feels like impatience.  Worse yet...impatience that we're not getting that go-nowhere 10 wins our ownership craves so badly.

[Danchat]

Redmond isn't taking a 3/$20M extension, I think talks would start at 3/$50M. He was one of the best iDL in the league last year and those guys get paid.

Love the infusion of talent on defense in the draft. Not sure I love signing Logan Hall after he finally had one decent season after looking like a bust his first 3 years, but at least he is on the upswing so if he continues that path of progression he would end up a bargain.

[TheLeviathan]

1 hour ago, Danchat said:

Redmond isn't taking a 3/$20M extension, I think talks would start at 3/$50M. He was one of the best iDL in the league last year and those guys get paid.

Love the infusion of talent on defense in the draft. Not sure I love signing Logan Hall after he finally had one decent season after looking like a bust his first 3 years, but at least he is on the upswing so if he continues that path of progression he would end up a bargain.

I didn't use nearly the cap space I freed...projecting Redmond was really difficult.  You might well be right.

Hall just turned 25, it is an upside play for sure.

[The Great Hambino]

I think they should give serious consideration to cutting Hockenson.   With the way he's been trending, I don't think it would be too difficult to cheaply replace him (it's easy to see him being a well-below average TE at this point), and he could save them almost $16MM with a post-June 1 cut

If they truly want there to be a legitimate QB competition for JJ, then I think Geno Smith is the play.  It's hard to separate his awful 2025 from the organizational rot he had to deal with, so he has real bounceback potential - at least as much as you could reasonably expect from a 35 year old.  At worst, he's still an upgrade from last year's backup QB situation.  Like Kyler, he's basically free.  And unlike Kyler, I think he can be signed without a guarantee of a starting spot.

Whichever direction they go at QB, I hope it's a cut veteran that can be had for the minimum.  There are no long-term solutions available (assuming they don't go nuclear with a trade), and they need as many resources as possible to patch up the rest of the roster

[TheLeviathan]

1 hour ago, The Great Hambino said:

I think they should give serious consideration to cutting Hockenson.   With the way he's been trending, I don't think it would be too difficult to cheaply replace him (it's easy to see him being a well-below average TE at this point), and he could save them almost $16MM with a post-June 1 cut

If they truly want there to be a legitimate QB competition for JJ, then I think Geno Smith is the play.  It's hard to separate his awful 2025 from the organizational rot he had to deal with, so he has real bounceback potential - at least as much as you could reasonably expect from a 35 year old.  At worst, he's still an upgrade from last year's backup QB situation.  Like Kyler, he's basically free.  And unlike Kyler, I think he can be signed without a guarantee of a starting spot.

Whichever direction they go at QB, I hope it's a cut veteran that can be had for the minimum.  There are no long-term solutions available (assuming they don't go nuclear with a trade), and they need as many resources as possible to patch up the rest of the roster

I'm only keeping Hockenson because I think a small extension ends up saving almost as much money without as many cap ramifications.  (And without adding yet another position of need for the team)  But I share your concerns he might be cooked.

[nicksaviking]

3 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

I'm only keeping Hockenson because I think a small extension ends up saving almost as much money without as many cap ramifications.  (And without adding yet another position of need for the team)  But I share your concerns he might be cooked.

I only keep Hockenson if they sign Murray. He clearly likes a TE, likely because those guys are tall enough for him to see without getting on a step stool.

Realizing I better clarify that that was both serious and a joke at the same time.

 

[TheLeviathan]

I nailed the Kamren Curl thing.....if you don't include the inconvenient fact that he took 3/36 to stay with the Rams.