Minnesota Vikings Free Agency Round-up: A Rival's Perspective

The Minnesota Vikings had one of their best seasons ever in 2017. A season that almost nobody foreshadowed, the Case Keenum-led squad trudged all the way to the NFC Championship game, where they fell to the eventual Super Bowl champs.

For any team, the quarterback is the most important position on the field. They're the heart and soul of an organization. That's why, when Sam Bradford showed up on the injury report after week 2, many Vikings fans went into panic mode. Teddy Bridgewater, who was coming off a horrific knee injury himself, was in no position to be the starter, and the only other option was a journey-man QB whose previous best season came in 2016 with the Jeff Fisher-coached Los Angeles Rams. Heads up, Jeff Fisher is no longer in the league.



Long-story short, Case Keenum showed up and basically said, "I'm the captain now.", on his way to a magical season. Even after the week-in and week-out chatter of "Is Case going to start this week?" from the national media, he still performed at the highest level. Nonetheless, he slowly gained coach Mike Zimmer's trust, and even earned the game ball after a 34-17 blowout of the Buccaneers (see below).

Capping his career day with a victory speech. https://t.co/9bHrlkUec9 pic.twitter.com/9M3uCtpAyR

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 24, 2017

But you know all about that, so let's get on to the free-agency side of things.

Keenum would agree to a 2-year $36 million deal with the Denver Broncos earlier this offseason, which was a domino effect of the Vikings' marquee signing (you've probably heard): Kirk Cousins. Before I get to Cousins, I'd like to briefly talk about Keenum, and what he can bring to the Broncos. Since signing Peyton Manning in 2013, GM John Elway (who is largely considered a top 10 QB all-time) has missed on several free agent signings.

Here's why I think Keenum is different: 1) He has mobility. He can escape trouble when the pocket collapses, and make spectacular plays that are reminiscent of the 'Minneapolis Miracle'. 2) He has good accuracy when surrounded with the right talent. Keenum posted a career-best 67.6% completion percentage last season. 3) He's a natural leader. If you've ever seen Keenum talk about his teammates, coaches, and overall work ethic, you'd know he loves the game. Teammates will gravitate toward him as a player. 4) Finally, he's in a position to succeed. He won't be expected to come in and save the franchise. Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders aren't bad weapons to work with, and the Broncos have some great draft capital for the upcoming NFL Draft. And, oh yeah, he's not Brock Osweiler.

Keenum pictured with GM John Elway (left) and Head Coach Vance Joseph (right)

That brings us to the biggest signing of the offseason, and arguably of the past 20 years. That's right, I went there. Kirk Cousins, the first player to ever sign a fully-guaranteed contract in NFL history, is the biggest signing of the past 20 years. If you're a Packers fan, this is the exact signing that you didn't want to see.

Remember that Case Keenum guy we just talked about, who brought the Vikings to the NFC Championship? What do you think Kirk Cousins can do in an offense that includes the likes of Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Laquon Treadwell, Kyle Rudolph, Dalvin Cook, and Latavius Murray? Cousins put up three straight 4000 yard seasons with some not-so-stellar talent with the Redskins. Not to mention the fact that he was playing with an 8th-string running back last season - let that soak in for a moment. Washington essentially put Cousins in the worst situation, just so they wouldn't have to pay him a large sum this offseason. The gamble clearly blew up in their face, and Cousins is laughing all the way to the bank.

Cousins is presented at his first Vikings press conference.

So, here's why Kirk Cousins is the biggest signing in forever: he's a proven starter. Stop there. That alone warrants signing him. How many times in the history of the NFL have we seen a starting QB hit the open market, whose under 30 years old, with no injury history, above average stats, and proven leadership qualities.

I'll answer that: once. His name is Kirk Cousins. That's why I don't blame the Vikings one second for signing him to the first fully-guaranteed contract ever, at 3-years, $84 million. When a starting-caliber QB who could potentially bring you to your first Super Bowl win hits free agency, you take him. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Hell, even if Alex Smith hits the market, you take him. That's how rare this situation is.

Here's what Cousins brings to the Vikings after six seasons:

Year	G	GS	QBrec	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	Lng	Y/A	AY/A	Y/C	Y/G	Rate	Sk
2012	3	1	1-0-0	33	48	68.8	466	4	3	77	9.7	8.6	14.1	155.3	101.6	3
2013	5	3	0-3-0	81	155	52.3	854	4	7	62	5.5	4.0	10.5	170.8	58.4	5
2014	6	5	1-4-0	126	204	61.8	1710	10	9	81	8.4	7.4	13.6	285.0	86.4	8
2015	16	16	9-7-0	379	543	69.8	4166	29	11	78	7.7	7.8	11.0	260.4	101.6	26
2016*	16	16	8-7-1	406	606	67.0	4917	25	12	80	8.1	8.0	12.1	307.3	97.2	23
2017	16	16	7-9-0	347	540	64.3	4093	27	13	74	7.6	7.5	11.8	255.8	93.9	41
Car	62	57	26-30-1	1372	2096	65.5	16206	99	55	81	7.7	7.5	11.8	261.4	93.7	106

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table

So what type of season can we expect from Cousins? It may be a little too early to tell, as we should get a much clearer picture of the roster after the draft. But for the purposes of this article, I'll contrive a few guesses. My analysis:

    

   The things he does well: 

•       Overall accuracy 
•       Quick release
•       Timing Throws
•       Play-action fakes
•       Mobility in the pocket

An example of Cousins' stellar accuracy.

   The things he could work on:

•       "Bone-headed" interceptions, decision making
•       Inconsistency in his play - (4 TDs 300 yds one game, 1 TD 3 INTs the next)
•       Ability to improvise
•       Holding the ball too long
•       26-30-1 career record as a starter

An example of Cousins' poor decision making.

     Ceiling: 12-4 record, 68.5% comp rate, 4400 yds, 32 TDs, 10 INTs, 5 rush TD

     Floor: 9-7 record, 63.0% comp rate, 3700 yds, 23 TDs, 16 INTs, 1 rush TD

     Realistic: 11-5 record, 66.5% comp rate, 4100 yds, 25 TDs, 10 INTs, 3 rush TD

Other notable players signed by the Vikings:

• Sheldon Richardson, Defensive Tackle
• Kai Forbath, Kicker
• Trevor Siemian, Quarterback (acquired via trade)
• Tom Compton, Offensive Guard

Sheldon Richarson is a former pro bowler coming off a season in which he was traded from the Jets to the Seahawks, due to off-field concerns. He signed a 1-year, $11 million ($8 m guaranteed) contract on March 16. Richardson was drafted by the Jets in the 1st round of the 2013 draft, and promptly took home NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Not long after, he was selected to his first pro bowl in 2014, and was a force to be reckoned with the next few years. He was traded to the Seahawks before the 2017 season.

An example of what Vikings fans can expect from a motivated Sheldon Richardson (#91). 
Here, he bull-rushes the left guard while tracking the QB the entire time. 
As QB Alex Smith escapes the pocket, Richardson 
dis-engages from his blocker to seal the edge.

Richardson will be looking to cash in next year after signing a 1-year prove it deal with the Vikings. The gamble could certainly pay off, as his contract right now is mainly based off of his potential. His ideal position with the Vikings will be as a 3-technique defensive tackle.

Just picture it now: Danielle Hunter, Sheldon Richarson, Linval Joseph, and Everson Griffen all on the same defensive line. It really doesn't get much scarier than that. Follow that up with star linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks, and a back-end that includes Harrison Smith (who I believe to be the best safety in football) and Xavier Rhodes (arguably the best corner in football), this could be one of the best defenses of the past 20 years. Yes, even better than last year's defense. The names mentioned don't include their outstanding depth either, which includes excellent role players such as Trae Waynes, Mackenzie Alexander, Andrew Sendejo, Ben Gedeon, and Brian Robison.

Next, that brings us to the all-important kicker, a position in which the Vikings have been relatively cursed for the past 20 years. Of course, Ryan Longwell was a good placeholder for a few years, but we all remember the Blair Walsh debacle in 2015, and years earlier with Gary Anderson's infamous 38-yard miss in the 1998 NFC Championship game (Anderson had gone 35 for 35 in the regular season).

It seems like the Vikings have finally found their kicker, though - at least for now. They re-signed Kai Forbath to a 1-year deal (compensation TBD), after going 32 for 38 on field goals in 2017, and a perfect 15 for 15 in 2016. After bouncing around the league since being drafted, it looks like Forbath has finally found a home.

Kai Forbath ponders his thoughts during a pre-game warm-up.

The Vikings also agreed to trade for former Broncos QB Trevor Siemian - presumably to compete for the backup QB spot this offseason. The Vikings sent a 2019 5th round pick, while receiving Siemian and a 2018 7th round pick (#225 overall) from the Broncos. Siemian isn't a bonafide starter, but he doesn't need to be - he serves as a great backup option who can come in for 2 or 3 games when called upon. Many people forget: you don't need your backup to win a game, you just need them to not lose it.

A 7th round draft choice in 2015, Siemian has a career record of 13-11 as a starter.

Finally, the Vikings signed guard Tom Compton on March 22 (terms undisclosed). Compton figures to be good depth to a much improved Vikings offensive line, just a year removed from being one of the worst positional groups on the team. Compton, drafted in 2012, has bounced around the league as a backup for much of his career. The signing may prove to be crucial, however, as longtime Vikings' guard Joe Berger retired just days ago after a 13 year career.

Final grades for each signing

Kirk Cousins: 9.9/10 (I can't give a perfect grade)

Sheldon Richardson: 8.5/10

Kai Forbath: 8/10

Trevor Siemian: 7/10

Tom Compton: 7/10

The Vikings have put together one of the most talented rosters of the past decade. From top to bottom, there's seemingly little to no weaknesses. Recognizing that their Super Bowl window is wide open, GM Rick Spielman scooped up Kirk Cousins the day before free agency even started. Anything short of a Super Bowl at this point should be considered a failure, in my eyes. Should the Packers have reason to be scared about the Vikings, going forward? You could make the argument, but as long as #12 is on the field, never count out the green and gold.