Vikings pre-free agency moves

The Vikings have already been making news before free agency officially gets going next week.

Now, we got good news when the official cap number for 2021 was announced. It's higher than most were predicting. Plus the Vikings have some rollover cap space. So for all the chicken little crap we heard about how screwed the Vikings were with the cap this year, they are already under it. 

They cut Kyle Rudolph last week. An expected move with Irv Smith and Tyler Conklin both younger and cheaper, and arguably better at least cumulatively. The fanbase was weirdly mad about this, but it was the correct call.

Dan Bailey was cut. Again an expected move, although they apparently did try to get him to take a pay cut first. Either way he would have been in a camp competition. So now that competition with be between Greg Joseph and TBD. 

Then today they cut Riley Reiff. This is the big move. It saves them a lot of money, and signals to me that they are definitely planning at least one significant free agent signing, likely on the offensive line. This move was not necessary if all they were doing to do was make minor roster tweaks. This puts them in the running for a major signing. This is a hell.of a buyer's market for guards. That has seemed like the obvious place to go. Ezra Cleveland can now go over to LT. It does open two guard holes, but perhaps they will run a repeat of 2017 where they signed two free agent linemen.

They did make one addition already too. Stephen Weatherly returns after a year in Carolina. He won't be a starter but will be a good rotation guy.

More moves should still be on the way. Shamar Stephen seems an obvious cut. There is still the possibility that something happens with Anthony Barr, although I highly doubt he and Reiff are both cut.

Extensions and/or restructurings for Harrison Smith, Brian O'Neill, Adam Thielen, and possibly even Danielle Hunter or Kirk Cousins are also possible.

Basically the Vikings will be in a position to do pretty much whatever they want. Ideally, within, say, the next month we should have at least 1 new starting guard, an upgrade at WR3, another pass rusher and a veteran safety to replace Anthony Harris. And obviously the more holes plugged in free agency, the more able they are to draft best player available.

But I love where the Vikings sit at the moment. An offseason that looked to be very restrictive could be very wide open.