The Minnesota Vikings are in the midst of making many tough decisions to get out of salary cap hell.
Cutting Kyle Rudolph, the longest-tenured Vikings player from last year’s roster, was an inkling of what the offseason may have in store.
“We’re going to have to be very creative this year,” general manager Rick Spielman said in his first media availability since Minnesota cut Yannick Ngakoue in October. “We’re going to have to make a lot of tough business decisions. That process is getting started this week and next week.”
While roster cuts are always the bloodiest moves in the NFL offseason, letting longtime players who have developed with the team walk in their debut of free agency can have the same sting.
That’s the shadow looming over fifth-year linebacker Eric Wilson.
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Rick Spielman Raises Concern about Keeping Eric Wilson
Wilson, 27, has been a wild success story coming out of the Vikings organization.
Undrafted in 2017, Wilson earned a spot on special teams and quickly became one of the Vikings’ most valuable depth pieces. Wilson proved his mettle in his first year as a full-time starter after outside linebacker Anthony Barr suffered a season-ending torn pectoral injury.
He tied for NFL lead at his position in combined interceptions (3), fumble recoveries (2) and forced fumbles (1). All-Pro middle linebacker Eric Kendricks called Wilson a “walking turnover.” And while turnovers are often a fleeting statistic among linebackers, Wilson provided needed durability in the 2020 season — playing 1,034 defensive snaps for 96% of the team’s total on defense.
Spielman said the Vikings’ plans this offseason could lead anywhere. However, it remains unlikely the Vikings retain Wilson, per the Star Tribune’s Andrew Krammer.
“Keeping the Vikings’ defensive core together is the goal, according to Spielman, who admitted ‘it’s hard to spend that much money on three linebackers’ when asked about Wilson’s pending free agency after 25 starts in the past three seasons,” Krammer wrote.
Wilson looks like the odd-man-out after Spielman doubled down on Barr’s value to the defense, calling him a “critical piece” to coach Mike Zimmer’s defense.
“Anthony is a critical piece — I know Coach Zim has spoken about it — of our defense. Just him on the field creates some offensives coaches, they have to scheme for him,” Spielman said. “But it’s all going to depend how the pieces are going to fit in place.
“We went through a lot of different scenarios. If we got Danielle Hunter and [Michael] Pierce back, and then you have Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks back – you can’t fill every hole with expensive players.”
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Wilson Garnering High-Value in Free Agency
The level of interest Wilson garners in free agency could determine his asking price in negotiations with Minnesota.
Wilson made $3.26 million last season on a one-year tender with the Vikings. His production could warrant a $9 million or $10 million annual salary, Over The Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald told Pioneer Press reporter Chris Tomasson. That price tag is likely out of Minnesota’s range.
However, Wilson’s struggles to stop the run could hurt his value in a deep linebacker free agency class. He posted a 38.3 run-stopping grade by Pro Football Focus, ranking 85th out of 99 qualifiers.
If Wilson does find a new team to move onto, Spielman tabbed rookies Troy Dye, Blake Lynch or free-agent add Ryan Connelly as candidates at inside linebacker.
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Vikings Unlikely to Re-Sign ‘Walking Turnover’ on Defense: Report