All Things 2024 Minnesota Vikings Off-Season Thread

[Gophers1992]

Outkick.com is a fantastic sports website, tons of good content every day. Not sure how involved he is in the day-to-day activities there nowadays but he built it and I've always had an appreciation for someone who took an idea and built it into something huge, and has parlayed that into success elsewhere. It's okay to admire what he's accomplished there

Yes I have plenty of respect for what he has built, but that's different than liking him. I respect that Ariana Huffington built a successful site, but that doesn't mean I find her likeable.

 

[WilliamsArenaGuy]

I'm sorry you really, really, really don't like Clay Travis. I wonder why that is......

Funny (and typical) that that's what you take away from that post.

 

[Ope3]

Purdy is going to the super bowl. He was very average against the pack, and very average yesterday.

This is why I laugh when they say Cousins could never lead a team to the Super Bowl.

If Cousins reduced his $30M salary to match Purdy's $1M then his chances to reach a Super Bowl would be significantly enhanced.

If he was able to run like him as well, that would also help.

 

[kg21]

If Cousins reduced his $30M salary to match Purdy's $1M then his chances to reach a Super Bowl would be significantly enhanced.

If he was able to run like him as well, that would also help.

All true, but Purdy was bad against the Pack and average yesterday.

That's my point.

 

[Ope3]

All true, but Purdy was bad against the Pack and average yesterday.

That's my point.

I do not dispute that with regards to Purdy's performance the past 2 weeks. He was rather pedestrian (until the 2nd half yesterday).

My point was if you move Cousins and his $30M salary cap hit to the 49ers which would reduce the talent around him, if he played substandard they would be much less likely to win. There would not be much room for error.

With Cousins salary would have they been able to get the McCaffery gift that Carolina bestowed upon San Francisco?

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

Purdy is going to the super bowl. He was very average against the pack, and very average yesterday.

This is why I laugh when they say Cousins could never lead a team to the Super Bowl.

Purdy was pretty damn good yesterday. Not sure which game you were watching. I'd take him in a minute, on just about any kind of contract.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I wish they would come up with some kind of separate QB salary cap. Look at the average salary of a starter and backup from the year before. Add those averages up and that's the QB cap for the following year. Any spending above that will have to count against the general salary cap.

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

Good read in The Athletic from Alec Lewis on the Vikings pending Free Agents. Lewis does a great job covering the Vikings on that site. Interesting blurb on Cousins, like him or hate him...

>>Thirty quarterbacks dropped back a minimum of 300 times in 2023. Cousins led them all in adjusted completion percentage, which calculates the percentage of aimed passes thrown on target. He is only 1-3 in the playoffs as a starter, but his opponents in those games averaged 31 points. Cousins, meanwhile, has completed 71 percent of his passes in those games, averaging 258 yards with a 4-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

 

[MplsGopher]

Purdy was far better than average. Not elite or great, but far better than average.

kg lies to provoke responses out of people. It’s what he does

 

[MplsGopher]

I wish they would come up with some kind of separate QB salary cap. Look at the average salary of a starter and backup from the year before. Add those averages up and that's the QB cap for the following year. Any spending above that will have to count against the general salary cap.

What problem does this solve, and why does this solve it, in your view?

 

[MplsGopher]

Well whatever the term would be for implying the NFL has different teams winning, is very overstated

I don’t think anyone would have been talking about that, because that’s clearly not true.

Especially in the AFC. You talk about Brady’s Pats, Manning’s Colts, and Ben’s Steelers, with a couple other appearances. Now it’s Mahomes Chiefs, Allen’s Bills, and Burrows Bengals. Again some others.

NFC more diversity in representation.

 

[MplsGopher]

Purdy was far better than average. Not elite or great, but far better than average.

kg lies to provoke responses out of people. It’s what he does

And to add onto this point:

Rodgers is a first ballot HOF, and how many times did he lose to the 9ers??

 

[MplsGopher]

Strib gave example option of giving Bengals 11th and getting 18, 80, and 11th pick, and drafting Penix at 18.

 

[Gophers1992]

I wish they would come up with some kind of separate QB salary cap. Look at the average salary of a starter and backup from the year before. Add those averages up and that's the QB cap for the following year. Any spending above that will have to count against the general salary cap.

I don't get the point of this - part of the whole idea of cap strategy is teams need to decide how much they are willing to allocate to a QB, just like any other position.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

Analytics my ass....

Some of these newer Head Coaches are allergic to 3 points. Just mindboggling.

It almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that he has to go for it regardless of the game situation.

I have to think some of the players were questioning those decisions in their minds.

Will be interesting to see how they respond next season.

 

[GophersInIowa]

What problem does this solve, and why does this solve it, in your view?

QBs made up all of the top 15 in highest paid players across the NFL. Only 3 non-QBs were being paid more than Ryan Tannehill.

Having a top QB can almost make it harder to be successful because they make so much more than any other position. Look at the past 3-4 Super Bowls. Mahomes seems to be the exception to the rule. All the other QBs are guys either still on their rookie contract or someone not in the top 10 QB salaries.

 

[Gophers1992]

QBs made up all of the top 15 in highest paid players across the NFL. Only 3 non-QBs were being paid more than Ryan Tannehill.

Having a top QB can almost make it harder to be successful because they make so much more than any other position. Look at the past 3-4 Super Bowls. Mahomes seems to be the exception to the rule. All the other QBs are guys either still on their rookie contract or someone not in the top 10 QB salaries.

But nobody is forcing teams to pay their QB $40 million. If enough data shows that going cheap with a QB is the way to go, the market will correct itself.

 

[kg21]

Purdy was pretty damn good yesterday. Not sure which game you were watching. I'd take him in a minute, on just about any kind of contract.

20/31 for 267 with a 1 pick and 1 td. A qb rating of 88. 45 of those yards when the ball bounced off Detroits facemask.

If Cousins had those numbers, and of course the Vikings would have lost............they'd be all over him.

Pretty average if you ask me.

 

[Ope3]

20/31 for 267 with a 1 pick and 1 td. A qb rating of 88. 45 of those yards when the ball bounced off Detroits facemask.

If Cousins had those numbers, and of course the Vikings would have lost............they'd be all over him.

Pretty average if you ask me.

Purdy also had 5 rushing attempts going for 48 yds. Without those, I think it's a Detroit victory.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I don't get the point of this - part of the whole idea of cap strategy is teams need to decide how much they are willing to allocate to a QB, just like any other position.

You draft and develop a QB, then you have to decide to either pay him and have a hard time winning or start all over again. Cousins was the 15th highest paid QB this past year and he made more than any other non-QB.

It's such an advantage to have a guy like Purdy making less than $1M while playing like an elite player.

Maybe it's a terrible idea, I don't know.

 

[kg21]

Purdy also had 5 rushing attempts going for 48 yds. Without those, I think it's a Detroit victory.

Very well could be.

 

[Gophers1992]

For those who want to rip Dan Campbell in hindsight.

 

[kg21]

^^^^^ Convert the 4th down, you are still up 2 scores. Convert the field goal, you are up 3 scores.

They paid the price for the wrong decision.

Plus, this aint the regular season. This is the playoffs.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

You draft and develop a QB, then you have to decide to either pay him and have a hard time winning or start all over again. Cousins was the 15th highest paid QB this past year and he made more than any other non-QB.

It's such an advantage to have a guy like Purdy making less than $1M while playing like an elite player.

Maybe it's a terrible idea, I don't know.

This is why the Vikings need to move on from Cousins and draft a rookie QB.

The recipe for success is to find an elite QB on a rookie contract and spend money around him while he's developing on that contract, and hopefully win a Super Bowl.

Then when you have to pay that QB, you hope he covers flaws on the rest of the team since you can't spend as much money, and you continue to win.

It's extremely difficult to do, but that's how you have to try and do it.

 

[Gophers1992]

^^^^^ Convert the 4th down, you are still up 2 scores. Convert the field goal, you are up 3 scores.

They paid the price for the wrong decision.

Plus, this aint the regular season. This is the playoffs.

And historically kickers with accuracy issues are known for improving in the playoffs?

Reality is Josh Reynolds should have caught that pass on the first attempt anyway. But for some reason we're acting like those field goals were automatic when the Lions had one of the worst kickers in the league.

 

[Gophers1992]

FWIW I'm not necessarily saying kicking the FG would have been a bad move, just saying it's really easy to criticize in hindsight when you know the results after the fact. I probably would have kicked it in both of those scenarios, but I don't think the decisions were ridiculous.

 

[kg21]

And historically kickers with accuracy issues are known for improving in the playoffs?

Reality is Josh Reynolds should have caught that pass on the first attempt anyway. But for some reason we're acting like those field goals were automatic when the Lions had one of the worst kickers in the league.

Nope, but I will bet it's much harder to make 4th down in the playoffs than it is in the regular season.

They could have gone up 3 scores, taken the niners out of the running game teed off on Purdy. They missed that chance.

 

[kg21]

FWIW I'm not necessarily saying kicking the FG would have been a bad move, just saying it's really easy to criticize in hindsight when you know the results after the fact. I probably would have kicked it in both of those scenarios, but I don't think the decisions were ridiculous.

Going up 3 scores with half the third quarter gone is so massive. They would have been up 17.

Instead, a few plays later they are up 7.

I will never get not trying for the points.

 

[Gophers1992]

Nope, but I will bet it's much harder to make 4th down in the playoffs than it is in the playoffs.

They could have gone up 3 scores, taken the niners out of the running game teed off on Purdy. They missed that chance.

But you and others who are ripping Campbell are acting as if those field goals are automatic - they're not.

 

[kg21]

But you and others who are ripping Campbell are acting as if those field goals are automatic - they're not.

Correct......and neither are 4th and 3 against the niners defense.