Wouldn't this be a great FA pick-up?

Linderbaum and McGovern are going to get a big payday. Not sure if we want to be spending even more money on the OL, so it's hard to see either Linderbaum or McGovern. But I'll take either of those backs. 

I think the Vikings standing pat at center and having Brandel and Jurgens compete, while adding a mid-to-late round center from the draft, might be the most likely.

It was just fun for me to click on the bait this morning.

I think the chances of Linderbaum hitting the mkt are near ZERO, probably the same for McGovern...We got some stuff we need to do internally to make it all fit together next season too...I mean who knows what they'll do with TJH, Allen, Hargrave etc..

StickierBuns wrote:
Really doesn't pay to look at any potential FAs right now as it will change, probably drastically, by the time the FA period starts. Teams tend to tidy up their own FAs they want the first week of March or even earlier. I'd be I guess a little surprised if Minnesota goes the free agency route on a RB this year, expect them to take one in the Draft and go with Jordan Mason as their combo for '26....he's only 26 and signed through this upcoming season.

I think we're more likely to add a back in free agency than the draft. Aaron Jones is not likely to return. Chandler definitely won't be back. So leaving that position to just Mason, Scott and a rookie from the craps table isn't going to cut it. 

I think we add a starting back in free agency, and I think we'll be willing to spend some good money to do it. But even then we don't have the numbers, so adding one from the mid-to-late rounds is probably a good bet too.

Really doesn't pay to look at any potential FAs right now as it will change, probably drastically, by the time the FA period starts. Teams tend to tidy up their own FAs they want the first week of March or even earlier. I'd be I guess a little surprised if Minnesota goes the free agency route on a RB this year, expect them to take one in the Draft and go with Jordan Mason as their combo for '26....he's only 26 and signed through this upcoming season.

Kenneth Walker III will be a FA as well. I would actually prefer Walker over either of those 2 backs.

MaroonBells wrote:
Linderbaum and McGovern are going to get a big payday. Not sure if we want to be spending even more money on the OL, so it's hard to see either Linderbaum or McGovern. But I'll take either of those backs. 

I think the Vikings standing pat at center and having Brandel and Jurgens compete, while adding a mid-to-late round center from the draft, might be the most likely.

A complete honest question, why wouldn’t we want to spend more money on the o-line?
Assuming we save $8M from releasing Kelly, we can pay for a Center.

What was the team’s biggest glaring need for the season? QB & lack of offensive consistency. The o-line is the most important area to help any QB. Even though they spent last FA & have to (and will get under the cap), they have the benefit of the drafted QB salary. Vikings have been weak up the middle for years and years, why not take the most likely way to make it better? 

I don’t feel confident/good in what I’ve seen from Brandel & Jurgens, at all. It obviously hasn’t worked well with them. I would rather draft a Center in the second or third round than roll it back with those guys. My preference to help JJM succeed is to sign one of those established guys, followed by the draft, before hoping the in-house backups magically improve by leaps & bounds. That would essentially give us what we all hoped would happen last season with Kelly.

Let’s go dominate (at least improve) in the trenches!

I agree with Sticky as it’s probably a little early to really dive into FA targets since we don’t even know our full roster yet, let alone what other teams will do.  But frankly, this time of year kind of sucks for Vikings fans, so why not start dreaming a little.  :D

Like MB said, I also lean toward the Vikings looking to free agency for a RB. Right now, the FA list feels more appealing than the draft class, at least to me, it’s more exciting.  I love Aaron Jones and would hate to move on, but there are younger backs out there you could potentially lock up for multiple years.

If I’m picking, I’d take either Breece Hall, Travis Etienne, or Walker, with Hall being my clear top choice.  The combination of rushing ability, pass catching, vision, speed, and age just isn’t really matched by anyone else who might realistically be available via FA or the draft.  Like Canthony, I’ve also always liked Kenneth Walker. I never understood why Seattle didn’t use him more, especially at the goal line.  He’d be a blast to watch in purple.  For me it’s Hall, then Walker, then Etienne.

At QB, I like the idea of bringing in Mac Jones as a veteran option.  I think he’d fit this offense well and provide legitimate competition for McCarthy.

Linderbaum feels like a pipe dream.  I wanted him badly coming out of college, same with Cooper Beebe, but as usual the Vikings didn’t consult me.  :s That said, I actually liked what we saw from Brandel and I’m interested to see if he keeps developing at center with better coaching.  He’s got the size for the position and it didn’t seem to hurt QB play.

Safety is still an obvious need.  Cook could make sense, but I actually think Kamren Curl and Nick Cross fit more of that “Hitman” style; physical, reliable tacklers who live around the ball and disrupt the run game.

We will also need a NT.  I'd like to see us get rid of Allen for sure, maybe even Hargrave.  Since we are still dreaming, my crush at the position for some time now has been Sexy Dexy.  He's young, can flat out ball, and has the dance moves...haha

SkolVikings44 wrote:

A complete honest question, why wouldn’t we want to spend more money on the o-line?
Assuming we save $8M from releasing Kelly, we can pay for a Center.

What was the team’s biggest glaring need for the season? QB & lack of offensive consistency. The o-line is the most important area to help any QB. Even though they spent last FA & have to (and will get under the cap), they have the benefit of the drafted QB salary. Vikings have been weak up the middle for years and years, why not take the most likely way to make it better? 

I don’t feel confident/good in what I’ve seen from Brandel & Jurgens, at all. It obviously hasn’t worked well with them. I would rather draft a Center in the second or third round than roll it back with those guys. My preference to help JJM succeed is to sign one of those established guys, followed by the draft, before hoping the in-house backups magically improve by leaps & bounds. That would essentially give us what we all hoped would happen last season with Kelly.

Let’s go dominate (at least improve) in the trenches!

Roster construction and positional value mostly. Vikings have three of the highest paid offensive linemen in the NFL in Darrisaw, Fries and O'Neill. The other guy was a first round draft pick. So that's a lot of investment in the OL. 

I could see them spending a modest amount on a proven starter that might give them more security than Brandel or Jurgens do. But its hard for me to see them spending big money on a star center with bigger needs elsewhere. 

I also think center doesn't have as much positional value as the rest of the roster. The four centers playing in the two championship games were league average. The Rams center is an undrafted free agent on his 6th team. Seahawks center was an undrafted free agent last year. Broncos guy is good, but he was a 5th rounder. Pats have Bradbury, who improved his pass blocking in New England, but he's still just league average.

I keep reading that Cousins is going to be cut at some point by Atlanta in the offseason. He'll be 38 years old before the start of this upcoming season. Talk about a guy that would be a big fit as a one-year bridge QB for teams taking a QB in this Spring's Draft. But would he be willing to be away from his family and grind at this point in his career? IMO there is such a dropoff after Mendoza in this Draft for QBs...and overall #1 picks rarely sit the bench at all, they get placed into a starter's role immediately so I would think Vegas would be out on that. Is Kirk interested in being a backup? I think he'd have a ton of interest if he were, as a one or two year QB2 guy.
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Canthony wrote:

Kenneth Walker III will be a FA as well. I would actually prefer Walker over either of those 2 backs.

JMO, if Minnesota goes RB in FA, which I'm not sure they do, Breece Hall would be the best option and I suppose acceptable to me as a fan. But Kenneth Walker is nice as well, good speed and hands. I think the much more likely option is Minnesota snags a RB in either round 2 or 3.

MaroonBells wrote:

Roster construction and positional value mostly. Vikings have three of the highest paid offensive linemen in the NFL in Darrisaw, Fries and O'Neill. The other guy was a first round draft pick. So that's a lot of investment in the OL. 

I could see them spending a modest amount on a proven starter that might give them more security than Brandel or Jurgens do. But its hard for me to see them spending big money on a star center with bigger needs elsewhere. 

I also think center doesn't have as much positional value as the rest of the roster. The four centers playing in the two championship games were league average. The Rams center is an undrafted free agent on his 6th team. Seahawks center was an undrafted free agent last year. Broncos guy is good, but he was a 5th rounder. Pats have Bradbury, who improved his pass blocking in New England, but he's still just league average.

I completely get where you are coming from there. I just think there are several areas for the team to address, but none bigger and more important than o-line at this time. Yes, I certainly have wanted & want a big time CB. I feel that is likely through the draft.
Trenches prove time & time again to be so important for successful teams. We’re pretty set on the defensive side for now, so that leaves o-line as the biggest area of need on the team. It just happens to go along with a direct path to helping our young QB develop at a critical time.

Sure, pay more than most teams for o-line at this time, but hopefully they can develop some mid-late o-line draft picks over the next couple of years to fill in when the current group ages out. Take advantage of the rookie QB pay for two years, by supporting the protection in front of him. I just don’t see a more important need right now.

SkolVikings44 wrote:

I completely get where you are coming from there. I just think there are several areas for the team to address, but none bigger and more important than o-line at this time. Yes, I certainly have wanted & want a big time CB. I feel that is likely through the draft.
Trenches prove time & time again to be so important for successful teams. We’re pretty set on the defensive side for now, so that leaves o-line as the biggest area of need on the team. It just happens to go along with a direct path to helping our young QB develop at a critical time.

Sure, pay more than most teams for o-line at this time, but hopefully they can develop some mid-late o-line draft picks over the next couple of years to fill in when the current group ages out. Take advantage of the rookie QB pay for two years, by supporting the protection in front of him. I just don’t see a more important need right now.

No doubt it's a need. I just don't think it gives us more bang for our buck than, say, DT, ILB or Safety for example. Brandel was above average there in the games he started. He gave up a sack in each of his first three games. But that was the first time he'd ever played center. After those three games he went the rest of season without giving up a sack. I think he's a legitimate option. 

I wouldn't mind using a middle rounder to replace Jurgens though. Might be time to cut bait on that one.