All Things 2022 Minnesota Vikings Off-Season Thread

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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I hate to start an off-season thread before the in-season is still officially going, but all the speculation on the off-season moves is running rampant right now and no reason not to move our thoughts to a critical off-season as well.

Skol Vikes!!
 

Charley Walters: Vikings owners facing $56 million question​

Whether or not Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf decide to fire or retain Rick Spielman as general manager and/or Mike Zimmer as coach, the decision will be financial, not emotional.

The New Jersey real estate magnates, unsuccessful after 16 seasons in Minnesota trying to win the Lombardi Trophy, have to decide if it’s worth paying off Zimmer and Spielman and, perhaps, QB Kirk Cousins, or absorbing major backlash from season-ticket holders.

This deal comes down to money, specifically about $56 million in cash.

Zimmer and Spielman have two more seasons — nobody knows, by the way, what the Wilfs were thinking when they gave the pair three-year extensions two years ago — on contracts that total a reported $16 million for Zimmer and an estimated $5 million for Spielman.

Then there’s Cousins’ guaranteed $35 million ($45 million salary cap hit) for next season for a 33-year-old with a 58-59-2 career won-loss record.

It’s unclear whether Zimmer’s final two contract years are guaranteed, or partially guaranteed or if there’s a buyout. Unfounded rumors last week had the Wilfs bumping Spielman to another front-office position and firing Zimmer.

What is clear is that the Vikings are a team with no clear direction.

It would be interesting, if the Wilfs don’t make major changes, how many season-ticket holders would cancel. Remember, though, those expensive seat licenses are not refundable.

If Zimmer is fired, Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh would seem a coach with the best chance of turning the Vikings around in a hurry. In his four years as San Francisco 49ers coach, Harbaugh, 58, who is rumored to be interested in returning to the NFL, had a 44-19 won-loss record. In eight seasons with the Vikings, Zimmer is 71-56-1.

It’s a good bet, though, that Harbaugh would require a $10 million per season contract, and for five years. Harbaugh is devoid of personality, but so is Zimmer.

And, if Harbaugh’s interest in the NFL is genuine, the Vikings would face major competition from the Miami Dolphins, who are owned by Stephen Ross, who is a big Harbaugh fan.

If the Vikings release Spielman, look for Dallas Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay to get mentioned for the GM job.

If Zimmer is fired on Monday, it will be the 30th anniversary of the day the Vikings hired Dennis Green as coach.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Zimmer, 65, were to take next season off, spend it at his Kentucky ranch while collecting his 2022 paycheck, then join some team as a defensive coordinator. It’s clear his head coaching days would be finished.

There’s little doubt that Pete Carroll would be interested in the Vikings’ job if he’s ousted by the Seattle Seahawks, but at age 70, a hire in Minnesota is unlikely even though Carroll probably would succeed.

Two other prospects for the Vikings would be Doug Pederson, 53, who coached the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl championship at U.S. Bank Stadium four years ago, and Josh McDaniels, the New England offensive coordinator who has developed rookie Mac Jones into a 10-victory QB. McDaniels, 45, agreed to take the Indianapolis Colts’ head job four years ago before backing out.

It looks like the Vikings could end up with the 12th pick or so in April’s draft if they lose to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, or the 14th or 15th pick if they win. The Bears have no first-round draft pick.

www.twincities.com

Charley Walters: Vikings owners facing $56 million question

The decision to fire or retain Rick Spielman and/or Mike Zimmer will be financial, not emotional.
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Skol Vikes!!
 

per Shooter's Don't Print That:

The Vikings can’t officially trade Cousins until March. And any team acquiring him probably would have to work out a new three-year contract. In order to trade Cousins, it’s a good bet the Vikings would have to pay at least $10 million of his salary.

Destinations for Cousins could be New Orleans, Charlotte or Cleveland, depending on what coach Kevin Stefanski, the former Vikings offensive coordinator, thinks of him.

www.twincities.com

Charley Walters: Vikings owners facing $56 million question

The decision to fire or retain Rick Spielman and/or Mike Zimmer will be financial, not emotional.
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Skol Vikes!!
 

CBS: Vikings planning to move on from head coach Mike Zimmer, but general manager Rick Spielman likely to remain

The Vikings are expected to move on from head coach Mike Zimmer this week, league sources said, though longtime general manager Rick Spielman is likely to remain with the organization. Zimmer has been in Minnesota since 2014 and quickly helped turn the franchise around, though he is 7-9 for the second straight year. With one game to play this season, their playoff hopes are gone.

Zimmer was nearly let go a few years back, and sources said there was a clear mandate from ownership to be a true contender in 2021; Minnesota got off to a slow start, has erratic results from week to week and never sustained any momentum on either side of the ball. Zimmer was under fire for the construction of his staff and has repeatedly clashed with offensive staff over the years.

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The Vikings brass has been averse to change over the years and has been very loyal to Spielman, but Zimmer's abrasive style has been an issue within that team for years, and the need to go in a different direction has seemed clear to many decision makers there in recent weeks, sources said. Spielman is very close with ownership and is trusted immensely; the team has spent big and has yet to win big, but several league sources said they would be very surprised if Spielman was not a part of the organization in some capacity moving forward.

Spielman could remain in Minnesota in a role that oversees the coach and potential new general manager, or ownership could end up with a different balance of power depending on how the coaching search unfolds. Zimmer was long one of the most successful defensive coordinators in the NFL, and at age 65 would have numerous other opportunities to explore should he want to continue coaching in whatever capacity.

www.cbssports.com

Vikings planning to move on from head coach Mike Zimmer, but general manager Rick Spielman likely to remain

Zimmer's eighth season in Minnesota is most likely his last
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com

Skol Vikes!!
 

Harbaugh? That would be quite an interesting move. Not sure if I like it or not.
 




If the Vikings decision makers were waivering, I think the failure of a coach to give development prospects some significant clock in this game would clue me into Zimmer’s terrible judgement.
 

atsgopher said:
Plus, it would be a setback to MI, right when they have momentum to turn it around akin to the Lou Holyz move.
Click to expand...
Sounds like the Raiders have the inside track. I'm not sure he was turning Michigan around that much. They got OSU on a cold, windy day and were just embarrassed by Georgia.

He could leave with his head held high due to finally beating OSU and he knows this.

I think Harbaugh knows what would be awaiting him in Columbus next year. Plus, both of his DE's are projected to go top 15. He loses them both.
 




Look at who the Vikings have drafted since 2016. The lack of starters and/or good contributors is astonishing.
 

kg21 said:
Sounds like the Raiders have the inside track. I'm not sure he was turning Michigan around that much. They got OSU on a cold, windy day and were just embarrassed by Georgia.
Click to expand...
Harbaugh fell in love with the Raiders and has said he would love to coach there. To top that off, a couple of weeks ago, well before the Harbaugh stories started, I had heard an insider say that they heard a name tied to the Raiders HC spot that would be quite a surprising get for the Raiders but he couldn't say who at that time. Harbaugh would qualify for a big name get.

Maybe my new Raider license plate could be "HRBOW"
 








I will listen to Leber ask himself easy questions on each kfan show today and then report what I learn. ‘Do I think zimmer should be fired? Yeah, there are reasons.’
 

Sure hope they aren't starting from square one this morning. They will need to strike quickly on the GM.


Skol Vikes!!
 


I have always thought Spielman was over-rated since his time here. Zimmer could not adjust to the modern-day NFL, and his battle cry was "We need to run more" got old fast. He also did not seem to have the players backs, and I think that was a big part of his failure as a HD.
 

LakevilleBro said:
I have always thought Spielman was over-rated since his time here. Zimmer could not adjust to the modern-day NFL, and his battle cry was "We need to run more" got old fast. He also did not seem to have the players backs, and I think that was a big part of his failure as a HD.
Click to expand...

Serious question. How long ago was Spielman rated highly? Their record since 2011 has been pretty mediocre, with only a couple of seasons aside.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Harbaugh fell in love with the Raiders and has said he would love to coach there. To top that off, a couple of weeks ago, well before the Harbaugh stories started, I had heard an insider say that they heard a name tied to the Raiders HC spot that would be quite a surprising get for the Raiders but he couldn't say who at that time. Harbaugh would qualify for a big name get.

Maybe my new Raider license plate could be "HRBOW"
Click to expand...

This morning, Dan Patrick was talking about the Raiders being the front runners. Though he said one of his sources said that the Dolphins are going after him hard too. Might explain the unexpected firing of Brian Flores. Though the Dolphins owner this morning said "I'm not going to be the person to take Jim Harbaugh from the University of Michigan."

Though if Harbaugh quits..
 


Next year appears to be a fiasco with the salary cap. Many fans would like to dump their season tickets, but after investing so much money to pay for their seat in the first place, they are reluctant to do so. Timberwolves use to be the laughingstock, now it's the Vikings. Feel kind of bad though for the Wilf family. Would be curious as to where they get their advice from.
 

Hopefully the GM can find O-line and D-line talent on a somewhat steady basis in the draft.

Hopefully we quit the game of drafting centers and moving old centers to guards where they get run over on pass protection.
 

Things will get worse before they get better. The little talent the Vikings have are at the fantasy football positions of QB, RB, and WR. After that.... ugh.

Where it's a problem is the defensively, they are very old at the positions where they are decent and they have no young stars on defense.
Pair that with a decision on Kirk Cousins, and it's a tough problem to solve.
 


Who will replace Mike Zimmer as Vikings head coach? Here are 12 contenders​


A list of potential candidates to replace Mike Zimmer as Vikings head coach.

Kellen Moore, Cowboys offensive coordinator

Moore, 33, wasn't much of a quarterback with the Lions and Cowboys, but he's certainly a rising star in the NFL's coaching ranks. In his fourth season as a Dallas assistant and third year as offensive coordinator, the 12-5 Cowboys led the league in scoring (31.2) and yards (407.0).

And, yes, Moore calls the plays. Head coach Mike McCarthy was so impressed by Moore's run/pass balance and creative offensive mind that he kept him as offensive coordinator when he replaced Jason Garrett before last season.

Eric Bieniemy, Chiefs offensive coordinator

The former Vikings running backs coach under Brad Childress is now 52 years old and long overdue for an opportunity to use what he's learned from Andy Reid's tree of football knowledge the last nine years.

No, Bieniemy doesn't call the plays. Reid does. But Doug Pederson didn't call plays for Reid, and he went on to win a Super Bowl with the Eagles. John Harbaugh also went on to win a Super Bowl with Baltimore after serving as Reid's special teams coach in Philadelphia.

Bieniemy has been a creative game-planning influence. In Year 1 with Bieniemy as coordinator, Patrick Mahomes won MVP, went 12-4 and threw for 50 touchdowns and 5,097 yards. In Year 2, the Chiefs won their first Super Bowl in half a century. In Year 3, they made it back to the Super Bowl. This year, they went 12-5, won their sixth straight AFC West title and secured a No. 2 seed.

Twelve NFL teams hired head coaches the past two seasons. Bieniemy interviewed for all 12. It's unclear what impact his legal record from 20-plus years ago has on his head coaching candidacy. He was arrested several times, mostly during his playing days, after altercations or traffic violations.

Doug Pederson, out of football

The 53-year-old Super Bowl champ took a year off from coaching after going 4-11-1 with the Eagles in 2020. Three years earlier, his Eagles stomped the Vikings 38-7 in Philly in the NFC Championship game. That earned them a trip to the Twin Cities, where they beat Tom Brady and the Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium in Super Bowl LII. After winning that Super Bowl, Pederson went 22-25-1 in the regular season and 1-2 in the playoffs.

Todd Bowles, Buccaneers defensive coordinator

Brady wasn't the only TB who played a significant role in Tampa Bay winning last year's Super Bowl. Bowles, the team's 58-year-old defensive coordinator, is the guy who put together the schemes and made the calls that tormented Mahomes and the Chiefs in that Super Bowl beatdown. In his third year as Bucs defensive coordinator, Bowles' unit ranked fifth in fewest points allowed (20.8) as the Bucs went 13-4 and secured the NFC's No. 2 seed.

Bowles went 10-6 as Jets head coach in 2015, but followed up with seasons of 5-11, 5-11 and 4-12. The Vikings have had an older defensive-minded head coach for eight seasons. That means they'll probably go younger and on the offensive side.

Brian Daboll, Bills offensive coordinator

The 46-year-old offensive coordinator deserves a ton of credit for turning Josh Allen into a superstar in the making. Many thought Daboll was on his way to Los Angeles for the Chargers top job when Justin Herbert was coming off his rookie season a year ago.

Besides being an NFL coordinator the last eight seasons, Daboll also coached under Bill Belichick in New England for 11 years and Nick Saban for two years at Michigan State (graduate assistant) and one year at Alabama (offensive coordinator).

Daboll inherited the league's 30th-ranked scoring team in 2018. Buffalo ranked second in scoring last year and third this year en route to an 11-6 record and the AFC's No. 3 seed.

Matt Eberflus, Colts defensive coordinator

The Colts' 51-year-old fourth-year defensive coordinator has been a hot candidate the past few years. His schemes and adjustments have turned heads. So has Indy's four straight top-10 finishes in takeaways, including second this year (33).

But the Colts' AWOL offense didn't do him any favors heading into this year's hiring cycle. Losing to the Jaguars 26-11 in a must-win situation to make the playoffs stings.

Nathaniel Hackett, Packers offensive coordinator

Yes, it's probably on the easier side being a 42-year-old Packers offensive coordinator when your quarterback is Aaron Rodgers. But let's not forget: As Jacksonville's offensive coordinator in 2017, Hackett helped Blake Bortles go 10-6, reach the AFC Championship game and darn near beat the Patriots.

Byron Leftwich, Buccaneers offensive coordinator

The seventh overall pick by the Jaguars in 2003 will be in the mix for the Jaguars job. He's been an offensive coordinator for four seasons, the last three in Tampa and the last two with the G.O.A.T. as his quarterback.

Josh McDaniels, Patriots offensive coordinator

It's hard to believe it's been 12 years since McDaniels was a failed head coach, going 11-17 in Denver from 2009-10. That was the first time he left Belichick's shadow in New England.

He tried again, accepting the Colts job before stiffing them. That makes him a risk to hire, but probably a risk teams are willing to take considering his latest work includes turning rookie Mac Jones into a playoff quarterback.

Dan Quinn, Cowboys defensive coordinator

The 51-year-old is the perfect example of how quickly perceptions change in the NFL. He won a Super Bowl coordinating Seattle's top-ranked defense. That got him the Falcons head coaching job, which led to a 28-3 lead over the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. Of course, that led to an historically painful loss from which Quinn's Falcons never rrecovered. Consecutive 7-9 seasons and an 0-5 start last year got Quinn fired.

A year later, he's a savior in Dallas. The fifth-worst scoring defense under Mike Nolan is now the seventh-best scoring defense under Quinn. The Cowboys also led the league in interceptions and takeaways.

Jim Caldwell, out of football

He's 66 and hasn't coached since 2017. But he also had three winning seasons and two playoff appearances in four seasons as Lions coach. He was 5-3 against Zimmer as Lions coach.

Tony Dungy's longtime offensive assistant took over for Dungy and led the Colts to the Super Bowl during the 2009 season. Three years later, Caldwell won a Super Bowl ring as Baltimore's interim offensive coordinator.

Brian Flores, fired Dolphins head coach

Flores, 40, was perhaps the most surprising Monday firing and the most likely of the fired coaches to appear on candidate lists for other teams. Flores was 25-26 in his first head coaching job after 11 seasons as an assistant under Bill Belichick in New England. He had two consecutive winning seasons, finishing this season 9-8 after starting 1-7, but didn't make the playoffs.

www.startribune.com

Who will replace Mike Zimmer as Vikings head coach? Here are 12 contenders

Will the Vikings replace a defensive guru with an offensive mind? Several NFL offensive coordinators might be in the mix.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Skol Vikes!!
 


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