The Minnesota Vikings made the playoffs last year, but came up short in the NFC Wild Card round after K Blair Walsh missed a chip shot (Laces out Dan!). The Super Bowl remains the Vikings' goal, and the young team is trending upward. With a few offseason needs, the Vikings could look to add a few players via free agency.
This list only factors in free agents that didn't play for the Vikings last season. So while the Vikings could try to bring back CB Josh Robinson, he and the other Minnesota free agents won't be appearing here. While getting Von Miller would be great, he's not going to hit the open market. This list focuses only on players who could actually end up in contract talks with Minnesota. The Vikings have, at the moment, roughly $22 million in cap space. That number will rise with restructures and releases, and the Vikings can double that number by cutting WR Mike Wallace and OT Matt Kalil (or just less than that if Phil Loadholt is cut instead of Kalil). That means money won't be a major issue if the team really wants to land someone. With that in mind, here are five free agents the Vikings could realistically land this offseason.
WR Marvin Jones
Make no mistake, the Vikings would love to add Bears WR Alshon Jeffery. But the same reasons why Minnesota wants him are the same ones that make it unlikely the Bears will let him walk. Jeffery just isn't a realistic option at this time, which leaves Jones as the next best option. He's not a true No. 1 WR, but there aren't any in this year's free agency crop outside of Jeffery. He'd be a solid addtion to the team's WR corps and there is a connection with Jones and head coach Mike Zimmer, who was the Bengals defensive coordinator for a few years. The Vikings might elect to draft a WR and that seems a bit more likely than paying Jones. However, it is a possibility.
OT Joe Barksdale
Barksdale is one of several free agent offensive tackles that the Vikings could sign. Other notable names include Russell Okung, Mitchell Schwartz and Andre Smith. Barksdale is only 27 and is coming off a solid season. However, he will likely be cheaper than the previous names mentioned. That makes the Vikings an ideal match, since they might not want to invest an excessive amount of money in a tackle. For more Vikings News, download the Chat Sports Android and iPhone app.
George Iloka, S
The Vikings have Harrison Smith locked in at free safety, but need an upgrade at strong safety over Andrew Sendejo, who struggled last season. Iloka would be a perfect fit for Minnesota. He can play strong safety and is already familiar with Zimmer's scheme from their time together in Cincinnati. The Bengals have multiple free agents to resign and there's a chance Iloka ends up getting away.
Adam Jones, CB
Another current Bengal player. Jones and Zimmer were together in Cincinnati and the 32-year old CB might end up leaving the Bengals this offseason. The Vikings did well with Terence Newman, another former Bengal, but he's a free agent and could end up retiring. Josh Robinson is also a free agent and the Vikings might want to add some more depth. Trae Waynes might not be ready, and Jones can replace Newman as the team's other starter. Leon Hall is a slot corner, and although he too has ties to Zimmer, the team already has Captain Munnerlyn playing well as the nickel man. For more Vikings rumors, download the Chat Sports Android and iPhone app.
QB Colt McCoy
Consider this just one of the possible names the Vikings could look at. Shaun Hill is not an effective backup, and the Vikings could use an upgrade just in case Teddy Bridgewater goes down. McCoy is much younger than Hill and can serve as an effective backup to Bridgewater. Signing someone like McCoy won't be expensive and would help the team in the event Bridgewater goes down. Another name to look out for is former Viking QB Tarvaris Jackson.
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