Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of Rick Spielman’s bold but necessary trade for Sam Bradford in a Hail Mary attempt to save the Vikings’ 2016 season after Teddy Bridgewater’s devastating knee injury.
In the pecking order of Spielman’s personnel decisions last season, nothing comes close to acquiring a starting quarterback at the cost of a first-round pick. His next three most important moves were signing free-agent guard Alex Boone and drafting receiver Laquon Treadwell in the first round and cornerback Mackensie Alexander in the second round.
Spielman cut Boone on Saturday, leaving $3.4 million in dead money on the team’s tab.