Vikings Linked to $70 Million Pro Bowl Playmaker

Adofo-Mensah, Vikings

Getty Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (R) and Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings interact before the start of a preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium on August 20, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

The NFL Combine is where all the offseason rumors either dissolve or crystalize as league executives and agents gather in the same space for the first time this offseason. This is when many executives begin to put out feelers to free agents’ representation.

Appearing on the SKOR North podcast on February 23, KSTP’s Darren Wolfson was asked about what positions the Minnesota Vikings may prioritize in signing pricier free agents in their prime.

Wolfson revealed that Minnesota should keep two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Tremaine Edmunds on its radar.

Edmunds, 25, admitted he’s looking forward to entering free agency after five seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He’s expected to garner plenty of interest in free agency as one of the most explosive linebackers in the league, with the Vikings among potential suitors.

“Maybe I’ll be able to advance a little more in depth, intel-wise, next week, but those are two names I think you can have on your radar, ” Wolfson said, adding that New York Jets center Connor McGovern is also a potential free-agent target for the Vikings.


Tremaine Edmunds Rounded Out Defensive Playmaker Profile With Bills

Selected 16th overall in the 2018 draft, Edmunds impressed with his size, speed and tenacity at Virginia Tech as a 6-foot-5, 253-pound prospect that ran a 4.54 40-yard dash at the combine.

“Edmunds combines elite size, speed and explosiveness into a productive, versatile linebacker package that will have evaluators salivating,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote, projecting Edmunds to be a perennial All-Pro player in the NFL. “Edmunds has posted high-impact production over the last two seasons and he still has room to get bigger and better. He will make mental mistakes and his instincts are subpar, but he has an ability to mitigate those issues with his athletic ability. Edmunds can play in any alignment at any linebacker spot and has All-Pro potential no matter where he lands.”

Edmunds made an immediate impact as a core defender that helped build the Bills into a perennial contender. He’s logged over 100 tackles in each of his first five seasons. He’s shown to be a playmaker all over the field, tallying five career interceptions, 32 tackles for loss and 6.5 career sacks.

Despite earning Pro Bowl nods in 2020 and 2021, Edmunds has been a bit polarizing by Pro Football Focus (PFF) metrics, ranking 60th and 74th among qualifying linebackers during those two Pro Bowl seasons.

He put it all together in 2022 by excelling in coverage this past season. Edmunds posted a 90.0 coverage grade by PFF that bolstered his 81.9 overall grade (including postseason) which ranked fifth among qualifying linebackers.

PFF ranked Edmunds the 17th-best free agent of the 2023 offseason. He’s projected to garner a four-year, $70 million deal.

“Edmunds made huge strides in coverage in 2022, a major weakness in his game through his first four seasons. He is a truly freakish athlete and will be 25 years old throughout his entire sixth NFL season in 2023,” PFF wrote. “Edmunds’ 86.9 coverage grade in 2022 was the third-best mark among off-ball linebackers, and he forced an incompletion on 10.3% of targets into his coverage while allowing just four explosive receptions the entire season (0.9% of targets into his coverage, ninth among linebackers). Edmunds also missed just 6.5% of potential tackles, the lowest rate of his career and another huge sign of continued growth from a football intelligence and play recognition standpoint.”


Vikings Have Clear Path to Adding Tremaine Edmunds

While the Vikings are still $24.4 million over the salary cap, the path to adding Edmunds is clear with an over-the-hill linebacking core that should be replaced.

Starters Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks have been among the most obvious cut candidates this offseason, considering both linebackers are over 30 years old and performed poorly last season.

Cutting both linebackers would create $14.5 million in cap space compared to just $3.4 million in dead cap. Those cap savings would bring Minnesota close to the annual average value of PFF’s projected contract for Edmunds. A long-term deal with the 25-year-old would likely be backloaded with a lion’s share of his earnings, making his weight on the books much lighter while Minnesota is still cap strung through at least next season.

Edmunds would pair with 2022 third-round pick Brian Asamoah, who impressed in his limited reps last season. The young duo could be likened to thunder and lighting with Asamoah as the undersized speedy coverage linebacker and Edmunds being an explosive all-around threat Asamoah can learn under.

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