March is busy for Vikings football execs with heavy workload pre-draft and pre-free agency
The NFL Combine is over and Pro Days at colleges for the draft-eligible players are coming up over the next three weeks. In the midst of all the pre-draft preparation by teams such as the Vikings, free agency officially begins March 18 but conversations between teams and agents took place in earnest at the Combine and will heat up over the next two weeks.
There may not be a lot of hard news coming out this week but trust me as a former NFL General Manager, this is one of the busiest times of the year for team execs such as Vikings GM Rick Spielman. It’s roster building time and for a GM, March and April are more hectic than the actual season when the roster is basically set. Based on my experience, here’s an inside look at the things Spielman is dealing with on a typical day in early March:
1.Fine tuning the team draft board post-Combine: Spielman along with his right hand personnel man George Paton (the team’s VP/Player Personnel and Assistant GM), Director of College Scouting Jamaal Stephenson and Coach Mike Zimmer are meeting with the team’s athletic trainers and team physicians to get the results of the physicals given to the 300 or so draft-eligible players who attended the Combine. They’ll put colored dots by players on the draft board who have physical issues that could adversely impact their ability to play in the NFL in the short term and long term.
Spielman, Paton and Stephenson—with input from Zimmer who has spoken with his assistant coaches who all scouted players at the Combine--also are adjusting the grades on any players that showed something positive or negative in the Combine drills (although many players will wait to showcase their skills at their Pro Day).
The Combine and Pro Days present the first opportunity for teams to get an accurate time on players’ speed in the 40 yard dash and see their quickness, agility and overall athleticism in other drills. This process of players moving up and down the draft rankings on the big board in the draft room will continue until the April 23-25 draft.
2. Finalizing the schedule of who is going to which Pro Days with the first ones coming next week: There will be days this month when several colleges have their Pro Day on the same day so the Vikings’ football staff will scatter across the country to see the players work out. For example, there are 14 schools holding Pro Days on March 25 including Minnesota and Ohio State. Reigning champion LSU has their Pro Day on April 3 and runner-up Clemson on March 12.
The list of the top 100 players covering the first three of four rounds of the draft is foremost on Spielman’s mind but he knows that there are going to be future Pro Bowl players in every round and among undrafted players as was the case with star receiver Adam Thielen who was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2013. So Spielman and his staff must leave no stone unturned.
3. Meeting with VP/Football Administration and team capologist Rob Brzezinski with Zimmer also involved to review where the Vikings stand with the salary cap and their options to free up more cap space heading into free agency and the start of the 2020 league year on March 18: The Vikings reportedly have an estimated $1.4 million of cap room currently which is the least amount of any NFL team. They will review the conversations Spielman and Brzezinski have had recently with agents for players the team may want to release or reduce salary on such as cornerback Xavier Rhodes, defensive tackle Linval Joseph and left tackle Riley Reiff.
Spielman and Brzezinski also are waiting for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement—that has been approved by the NFL owners-- to be voted on by the players. Their votes are due by March 12 and then they’ll know the rules and salary levels that teams will operate under this year and, if the new CBA is approved, for the next 10 years. That will have a big impact on salary cap planning.
Spielman, Paton, Brzezinski and Zimmer—with input from Director of Pro Scouting Ryan Monnens and the assistant coaches--are continuing to tweak their rankings of free agents around the NFL and prioritize positions of need. They’ll review discussions before, during and after the Combine and in effect preliminary negotiations with agents for the team’s 18 unrestricted free agents, a list that includes key players such as Everson Griffen and Stephen Weatherly on the D-line, safety Anthony Harris (who could be a candidate to get the expensive franchise tag), corners Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander, kicker Dan Bailey, punter Britton Colquitt and backup quarterback Sean Mannion (and they’re discussing who would replace these players if they sign elsewhere). They’ll also review tenders to be given this month to their restricted free agents--fullback C.J. Ham and linebacker Eric Wilson.
The other key players being discussed are quarterback Kirk Cousins and running back Dalvin Cook and their possible extensions.
4. Hitting the phone to call and text with agents on Vikings players regarding their contracts and calls only on potential free agents from other teams: Although by rule teams are not allowed to negotiate with other teams’ free agents until the legal tampering period from March 16-18, the truth is that everybody does it between January and mid-March, especially in-person with agents attending the Combine.
Spielman also is hoping to squeeze in a quick workout at the Vikings’ TCO facility most days and dinner at home if possible before some evening phone calls and texts. It’s all part of an 80-100 hour work week over the next seven weeks for the Vikings GM and his key staff.
Around the NFL Observations:
1.The major buzz in this pre-free agency period continues to be the unusually crowded top quarterback group headed to the open market. In most years, there are only a couple of starting caliber QBs who reach free agency as most teams lock up their signal callers with long term deals and extensions before their contracts are up. This year is different.
Tom Brady and Philip Rivers are the future Hall of Fame vets who are getting most of the attention after Drew Brees said he’s re-signing with the Saints. Beyond those three high-profile QBs, it will be fascinating to see where the following past starters wind up and how much they are paid: Dak Prescott who will be franchised by Dallas if he doesn’t reach a long term agreement; Ryan Tannehill after a career year in Tennessee; former Viking Teddy Bridgewater who went 5-0 in relief of Brees last season; the top two picks in the 2015 draft—Jameis Winston after his 35-turnover disaster season and Marcus Mariota who was benched for Tannehill; another ex-Viking in Case Keenum who is likely to be headed out of Washington for a backup job elsewhere and former Jaguars starter Blake Bortles who backed up Jared Goff at the Rams last season. And to save $17 million and make room for projected No. 1 overall draft pick Joe Burrow, Cincinnati is likely to release or trade Andy Dalton, their long-time starter.
My prediction on Bridgewater: I think he’ll sign with Tampa Bay which would be a great spot for him as he’d return to his home state, have a strong receiving corps to work with and play under a quarterback whisperer in Coach Bruce Arians who has helped develop Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck among others.
A big question of interest to the Vikings and their fans is who the Bears will sign to potentially challenge embattled Mitchell Trubisky. I’m thinking Winston or Mariota will go to Chicago. As for Brady, I’ll still be surprised if he leaves New England despite all the rumblings that he could go to the Titans, Chargers, Bucs, Raiders or crazily, some media reports have suggested the 49ers. And I see Rivers headed to Indianapolis. But it will be a wild free agency period for this quarterback group and the strong draft class of QBs headed by Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert are a big part of the mix.