All Things 2022 Minnesota Vikings Off-Season Thread

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forever a gopher said:
That’s a good article summing it up well. It is remarkable how much more balanced, sane, and competent Chip is than the majority of scribes in this town.

If his premise is correct, and the Wilfs think it was strictly a coaching issue, they’re insane. Zim had issues, but Cousins isn’t going to magically turn into a different player like magic out of nowhere. He has literally been almost the same guy his entire career, no matter who was his coach or coordinator.
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It's also insane to say Cousins is the main problem with this team. How many more games do they win with even an average defense last season? 3? 4?
 


GopherWeatherGuy said:
It's also insane to say Cousins is the main problem with this team. How many more games do they win with even an average defense last season? 3? 4?
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Hunter and Pierce played less than half the season if I'm not mistaken. The entire DL was a disaster, and P. Peterson missed a bunch of games at the end of the season. One of the worst defenses in the NFL and they were fringe playoff, with a hefty amount of games lost on the final possession.

And is it completely and absolutely out of the question that Cousins can play better under this QB-friendly HC than he did with someone overbearing like Zim and a revolving door at OC?
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Hunter and Pierce played less than half the season if I'm not mistaken. The entire DL was a disaster, and P. Peterson missed a bunch of games at the end of the season. One of the worst defenses in the NFL and they were fringe playoff, with a hefty amount of games lost on the final possession.

And is it completely and absolutely out of the question that Cousins can play better under this QB-friendly HC than he did with someone overbearing like Zim and a revolving door at OC?
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Im looking for a better defense just by having a better look and change of scenery.

Green Bay went with new defensive design last year with a new defensive coach and improved a lot. Maybe we can, too. I mean, we were beyond hideous.
 

forever a gopher said:
That’s a good article summing it up well. It is remarkable how much more balanced, sane, and competent Chip is than the majority of scribes in this town.

If his premise is correct, and the Wilfs think it was strictly a coaching issue, they’re insane. Zim had issues, but Cousins isn’t going to magically turn into a different player like magic out of nowhere. He has literally been almost the same guy his entire career, no matter who was his coach or coordinator.
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Agreed 100%
 


GopherWeatherGuy said:
It's also insane to say Cousins is the main problem with this team. How many more games do they win with even an average defense last season? 3? 4?
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Which gets us ... not past the Packers to host a meaningful home playoff game, and on the road to lose in the playoffs.

No thanks
 



Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Absolutely. Nailed it, cool. Losing guarantees you nothing, outside of irrelevance. Sometimes people forget all the little things that come with being a complete bottom-feeder. Losing a couple of prime time games each year? That would cost ownership millions. The Vikings played 4 prime time football games last year. How many do you think they're getting with Kellen Mond or Gardner Minshew playing QB?

There's also the fact that they think they can win and why not? Stranger things have happened.

A little early to pull the alarm bell when the roster is far, far from set. Maybe give the new regime more than 3 days into Free Agency before proclaiming the 2022 season a dumpster fire.
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How would losing the Prime Time games cost the Owners Millions?

The TV Revenue is shared amongst all the teams equally, no?!?
 



Gophers_4life said:
Which gets us ... not past the Packers to host a meaningful home playoff game, and on the road to lose in the playoffs.

No thanks
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Going on the road and winning in the NFL Playoffs is not insurmountable, generally speaking. Road teams went 5-7 this year, and both teams in the Super Bowl won at least 1 playoff game.

Both Conferences #1 seeds were bounced in their first game. The 49ers advanced to the NFC Title game by winning 2 road games.
 

Ope3 said:
Going on the road and winning in the NFL Playoffs is not insurmountable, generally speaking. Road teams went 5-7 this year, and both teams in the Super Bowl won at least 1 playoff game.

Both Conferences #1 seeds were bounced in their first game. The 49ers advanced to the NFC Title game by winning 2 road games.
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Green Bay's massive choke job caused it all. NFC champ should have been at Lambeau, which Rams would've lost.

And Rodgers came back anyway.

Vikings wasting their time with this squad of old, expensive players that we know can't get it done.

Super Bowl or bust.


If I owned an NFL franchise, I would gut roster/coaching staff every 4 years until landing on a Super Bowl QB and then sell out to build around him.

Absolutely pointless to just be a "winning" team that doesn't even get to the big one, let alone win it.
 

Gophers_4life said:
Green Bay's massive choke job caused it all. NFC champ should have been at Lambeau, which Rams would've lost.

And Rodgers came back anyway.

Vikings wasting their time with this squad of old, expensive players that we know can't get it done.

Super Bowl or bust.


If I owned an NFL franchise, I would gut roster/coaching staff every 4 years until landing on a Super Bowl QB and then sell out to build around him.

Absolutely pointless to just be a "winning" team that doesn't even get to the big one, let alone win it.
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I don't know if the Rams would have lost in Lambeau. Weather was fine in Green Bay (high or 28 no snow) on what would have been the NFC Title game. A team from NoCal (SF) won there the week prior, no reason a SoCal (LAR) couldn't have won, especially with that defense.

Just saying in general, if teams get in the Playoff Tourney they have a solid chance wherever they are seeded. Road teams can win.
 

Ope3 said:
I don't know if the Rams would have lost in Lambeau. Weather was fine in Green Bay (high or 28 no snow) on what would have been the NFC Title game. A team from NoCal (SF) won there the week prior, no reason a SoCal (LAR) couldn't have won, especially with that defense.

Just saying in general, if teams get in the Playoff Tourney they have a solid chance wherever they are seeded. Road teams can win.
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Not the Vikings. 2009

We need to play at home to have a chance. Even in 1998 we biffed it.
 



Gophers_4life said:
Not the Vikings. 2009

We need to play at home to have a chance. Even in 1998 we biffed it.
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Right… because 98 and 09 Vikings have so much to do with the present. You are wrong and an idiot. Go back to being banned.
 

Gophers_4life said:
Not the Vikings. 2009

We need to play at home to have a chance. Even in 1998 we biffed it.
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. None of the current Vikings were on the 2009 roster (very few from 2017). Different coaching and front office regimes.

Obviously, home field helps, especially for a dome team. Not insurmountable though.
 

Gophers_4life said:
Which gets us ... not past the Packers to host a meaningful home playoff game, and on the road to lose in the playoffs.

No thanks
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I don't think the Vikings are going to win the Super Bowl, but get to the playoffs and you never know. This team can be a playoff team next season.

Who is Rodgers going to throw to next season? Lazard and some rookies?
 





howeda7 said:
I don't see how we have the cap room to do get anything done with him?
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as noted above, that depends on how they work with Hunter's contract. If they convert the roster bonus to a signing bonus, that creates more cap room, but it also "kicks the can down the road" by creating more dead cap money in future seasons.

like the old commercial said, "pay me now or pay me later."
 

short ornery norwegian said:
as noted above, that depends on how they work with Hunter's contract. If they convert the roster bonus to a signing bonus, that creates more cap room, but it also "kicks the can down the road" by creating more dead cap money in future seasons.

like the old commercial said, "pay me now or pay me later."
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I am under the impression they had to do that by yesterday and they decided not to?
 

howeda7 said:
I am under the impression they had to do that by yesterday and they decided not to?
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I believe the contract language says that the conversion can be done at any time "during the length of the contract."

the deadline was to release him, trade him, or guarantee the entire contract. So the contract is now guaranteed, but the Vikes can still convert the bonus. the question is whether they can do that on their own or whether they need Hunter and/or his agent to sign off on the conversion.

anyway, that's what some NFL reporters have said, and I assume they know more about the contract than I do.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
as noted above, that depends on how they work with Hunter's contract. If they convert the roster bonus to a signing bonus, that creates more cap room, but it also "kicks the can down the road" by creating more dead cap money in future seasons.

like the old commercial said, "pay me now or pay me later."
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so is the end game to have all dead money so we have a real life version of " The Replacements"
 

Ope3 said:
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. None of the current Vikings were on the 2009 roster (very few from 2017). Different coaching and front office regimes.

Obviously, home field helps, especially for a dome team. Not insurmountable though.
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GopherWeatherGuy said:
I don't think the Vikings are going to win the Super Bowl, but get to the playoffs and you never know. This team can be a playoff team next season.

Who is Rodgers going to throw to next season? Lazard and some rookies?
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Fair enough. I'm just being "that guy" pessimistic Vikings fan.

I feel like Green Bay won't have signed Rodgers to that contract and then not give him anyone to throw to.

Can they count on a first rounder to have a Justin Jefferson/JaMarr Chase type of year? Not sure who's in the draft this year that is like that.
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
so is the end game to have all dead money so we have a real life version of " The Replacements"
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That's basically what the Patriots did in 2020. Paid for the cap sins of the previous 10 or so years. Worth it. No matter how much they sucked or hated watching Brady win in TB.
 

howeda7 said:
That's basically what the Patriots did in 2020. Paid for the cap sins of the previous 10 or so years. Worth it. No matter how much they sucked or hated watching Brady win in TB.
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Falcons with the most dead money ever for a QB? Matt Ryan to Colts.
 

So is Barr history then, with them bringing in Smith from the Pack for a visit?

I assume the only hope is to convert Hunter's 18M to free up enough cap to sign him (Smith).
 

Gophers_4life said:
Falcons with the most dead money ever for a QB? Matt Ryan to Colts.
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I really don't get this deal from the Falcons perspective. They took on all of his dead cap hit in 2022, and they're not going to be replacing him with somebody better in 2022. So why not just keep him in '22 and cut him after '22? The Colts now have him for two years at $23mil and $28mil, which is a steal for a starting QB. And the best part about it is he has ZERO dead cap hit if they cut him at any point. They got all of that for a single 3rd rounder?

I can respect the fact that they realized they weren't going anywhere with him, so just blow it up and start over. Something the Vikes refuse to do. But doesn't make a ton of sense from a football perspective, unless they are going all-in on tanking in '22 for one of the top 2 QB's.
 

forever a gopher said:
I really don't get this deal from the Falcons perspective. They took on all of his dead cap hit in 2022, and they're not going to be replacing him with somebody better in 2022. So why not just keep him in '22 and cut him after '22? The Colts now have him for two years at $23mil and $28mil, which is a steal for a starting QB. And the best part about it is he has ZERO dead cap hit if they cut him at any point. They got all of that for a single 3rd rounder?

I can respect the fact that they realized they weren't going anywhere with him, so just blow it up and start over. Something the Vikes refuse to do. But doesn't make a ton of sense from a football perspective, unless they are going all-in on tanking in '22 for one of the top 2 QB's.
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They're definitely going all-in on tanking for a QB next year.

They're taking their medicine now, and then they'll have a lot of room to add players via free agency and with high draft choices in each round of the 2023 draft.

It's what the Vikings should have done this year.
 

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