We are just one week away from the beginning of the new NFL league year on March 15th. The more important date is Monday, March 13th where at 11 am, teams can start communicating with the agents of players and agree to terms on a contract.
Currently, the Minnesota Vikings are approximately $15 million over the salary cap and they will need to get under that mark by 3 pm central. Not only do they need to get under the salary cap, they also need to create room to bring in new players.
With free agency fast approaching, here are eight moves that the Vikings need to make to keep them competitive in 2023.
Sign WR D.J. Chark
The Vikings currently have a need at wide receiver. K.J. Osborn is at his ceiling a good WR3 and Adam Thielen looks like he could be on his way out. Chark is exactly what the Vikings passing attack needs on the outside. A true X-receiver, he hits all the metrics that both the Sean McVay tree and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have prioritized in the position.
Re-sign DE Dalvin Tomlinson
The Vikings currently have two defensive lineman as free agents and one of those is Tomlinson. If the Vikings do re-sign him, they could end up with less of a cap hit than the current $7.5 million in dead cap he will incur on the salary cap if a deal isn’t done by March 15th when this contract officially voids. His versatility of playing both inside and outside is something that Brian Flores will be able to utilize.
Trade WR Adam Thielen
It’s no secret that the Vikings have been trying to re-work Thielen’s contract, but if they can’t do that, moving on from him is likely. What hasn’t been discussed much is a potential trade. With the wide receiver class in both free agency and the draft lackluster, a receiver of Thielen’s caliber might be able to draw something in a trade that he normally wouldn’t be able to. If the Vikings can get a fourth-round pick, that would be enough capital to move on from the lifelong Viking.
Sign CB Jonathan Jones
With only three cornerbacks on the roster, the Vikings need to add both depth and talent to the roster. Ideally, you want to bring in a starting-caliber player and by bringing in Jones, you are able to do just that. Having played in this system for his entire career, Jones would be able to come in and not miss a beat while helping the young talent learn the defense.
Sign CB/S Eric Rowe
With the change in defense, Flores will be trying to bring in more talent to not only be competitive but also help the transition to a more aggressive scheme with versatile players. Like Jones, Rowe has played in this system his entire career and played under Flores in all but two of his eight seasons in the NFL. Bringing him in would be an ideal scenario for both parties.
Sign CB Nik Needham
With the cornerback position continuing to be in flux, bringing in multiple players is a smart strategy. With cornerback being a weak-link system, it’s about the quantity of good players rather than having one great one. Adding a slot cornerback is also a priority and Needham is good at playing the position. He is also very familiar with what Flores wants to do on defense and that will be a big help.
Sign LB Azeez Al-Shaair
The Vikings just released Eric Kendricks on Monday morning leaving a starting linebacker position open. While that is likely to go to Brian Asamoah, the spot next to him might not be Jordan Hicks. The Vikings can cut him to save $5 million in salary cap space. Getting a talented player like Al-Shaair has shown substantial growth over the last few seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and he would be a great addition to the second level for not a lot of money.
Re-sign C Garrett Bradbury
This is a move that won’t be popular throughout the fanbase. After three years of struggles, Bradbury blossomed somewhat in his fourth season. He finished as PFFs 10th-ranked center and was really the glue on the offensive line. If the Vikings can sign him for $6 million per season, it makes too much sense for both parties.
