Vikings: 3 cap casualties that could alter 2021 NFL Draft plans
By Darral Nail
The Minnesota Vikings and head coach Mike Zimmer seems to be, by most accounts, a pretty good NFL head coach. Though his path to the top spot in Minnesota was that of a successful defensive coordinator, he has presided over some impressive offenses during his time in Skol Country. He has also exhibited solid decision-making with those he has entrusted to call plays on that side of the ball, as evidenced by the future (and former) NFL head coaches that have held the offensive coordinator title during Zimmer’s time with the Vikings.
Though a mere season removed from a playoff victory (by way of the Vikings’ semi-annual postseason devastation of the New Orleans Saints), the not-for-long nature of an NFL coach’s shelf life is evidenced by the escalating temperature of Zimmer’s proverbial seat heading into the upcoming season.
Vikings must navigate a tricky salary cap situation
While there are multiple routes that an NFL franchise can assume in their quest to reach the sport’s promised land, one would hardly recommend the path on which the Vikings currently find themselves, which is that of a team allocating a large portion of its precious salary cap space to a quarterback who is solid enough … yet far from elite.
Such a predicament leaves virtually no room for error in terms of the club’s roster management, and Minnesota’s decision-makers will have little choice but to be shrewd in their handling of contracts this offseason.
If in the recent past the team has tended to err on the safe side, and as a result, they have moved on from veteran players a year too late, they could be well advised to take a different approach this offseason. With that in mind, we will examine three current Vikings who could be released in order to free up the funds needed for the team to make needed additions in the upcoming free agency period.