quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

Yep. The doomsdayers will be out in force with "Cap Hell, time to tank, etc... It's been a broken record the last couple years.

But, we find a way and still are big spenders in FA. It worked well in 2024. Not so much in 2025.

With KAM gone, could this be the year we do well in both FA and Draft?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Tom Sykes

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

Yep. The doomsdayers will be out in force with "Cap Hell, time to tank, etc... It's been a broken record the last couple years.

But, we find a way and still are big spenders in FA. It worked well in 2024. Not so much in 2025.

With KAM gone, could this be the year we do well in both FA and Draft?

Worked well? Right … because we’ve gotten such great results and put ourselves in such a great place moving forward!

Just keep it rolling. Why change strategies when you can field the worst team in the playoffs every other year!

Woohoo!

I don’t know about tanking … my thing is about picking and choosing better how you spend and structure contracts … and where. Please invest your money on a roughly priority- based system, at qb, in the dl, ol, at cb, etc. Stop making TEs, FBs, RTs the near-highest-paid at their positions.

Not spraying it around every offseason without regard for the following two or three years. And stop structuring the bajeezus out of contracts so it feels like we have to rob ambulances for talent every year.

We are running in a mud to build the 2026 roster that we created two or three years ago.

IMO our coaching and personnel decisions have had way more to do with our mediocrity than our cap and contract mgmt … but gzuz, have a little foresight, the options / choices you make each year are directly tied to contract shenanigans you were orchestrating in previous years. These things go hand in hand.

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bill Johanesen

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

So you're saying keep all the overpriced deadwood except probably Hargrave? And shuffle the cap so it adversely impacts whoever the GM will be in the outyears to the tune of $65M?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

Yep. The doomsdayers will be out in force with "Cap Hell, time to tank, etc... It's been a broken record the last couple years.

But, we find a way and still are big spenders in FA. It worked well in 2024. Not so much in 2025.

With KAM gone, could this be the year we do well in both FA and Draft?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bill Johanesen

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

So you're saying keep all the overpriced deadwood except probably Hargrave? And shuffle the cap so it adversely impacts whoever the GM will be in the outyears to the tune of $65M?

Hargrave, Hockenson, Jones, Kelly, Okudah all need to be gone. Not sure if they are before or after June 1st.

For sure Re-structures include Murphy, Allen, Grenard and Van Ginkel. JJ, Darrisaw and O'Neill could be thrown in there also if we aren't void yearing the heck out of their deals.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bill Johanesen

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bill Johanesen

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

So you're saying keep all the overpriced deadwood except probably Hargrave? And shuffle the cap so it adversely impacts whoever the GM will be in the outyears to the tune of $65M?

Hargrave, Hockenson, Jones, Kelly, Okudah all need to be gone. Not sure if they are before or after June 1st.

For sure Re-structures include Murphy, Allen, Grenard and Van Ginkel. JJ, Darrisaw and O'Neill could be thrown in there also if we aren't void yearing the heck out of their deals.

That's a quite different plan from what you agreed to with Sweeney, who mentioned only Hargrave as a likely cut. Murphy and Allen especially need to go or take massive pay cuts. Add in other cuts for those who don't deserve their money and you don't have to restructure. Imagine a prospective GM candidate thinking oh so not only did I not have a say in free agency and the draft that just occurred, but you just shorted me $65M in cap room!

As asides:
- Okudah (2025 chump change $2M) is a UFA and I don't think is technically on the roster.
- Kelly is done due to concussions.
- O'Neill is in the last year of his contract so unless he is resigned any restructure is pure void year money.
- Same for Van Ginkel. Oh, and he ALREADY has $8.8M in void money.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bill Johanesen

When you fork over some $300+ million in new contracts (a figure that has been mentioned repeatedly in national media) to players that haven't worked out

AND you decide to keep them by converting OTHER contracts to signing bonuses

AND you basically don't cut anyone

AND your plan is to be big spenders

Well, that's straight out of the Kwesi On Steroids/Hold My Beer handbook!

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson

quote:

ORIGINAL: Tom Sykes

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

Yep. The doomsdayers will be out in force with "Cap Hell, time to tank, etc... It's been a broken record the last couple years.

But, we find a way and still are big spenders in FA. It worked well in 2024. Not so much in 2025.

With KAM gone, could this be the year we do well in both FA and Draft?

Worked well? Right … because we’ve gotten such great results and put ourselves in such a great place moving forward!

Just keep it rolling. Why change strategies when you can field the worst team in the playoffs every other year!

Woohoo!

I don’t know about tanking … my thing is about picking and choosing better how you spend and structure contracts … and where. Please invest your money on a roughly priority- based system, at qb, in the dl, ol, at cb, etc. Stop making TEs, FBs, RTs the near-highest-paid at their positions.

Not spraying it around every offseason without regard for the following two or three years. And stop structuring the bajeezus out of contracts so it feels like we have to rob ambulances for talent every year.

We are running in a mud to build the 2026 roster that we created two or three years ago.

IMO our coaching and personnel decisions have had way more to do with our mediocrity than our cap and contract mgmt … but gzuz, have a little foresight, the options / choices you make each year are directly tied to contract shenanigans you were orchestrating in previous years. These things go hand in hand.

I'll stick by that we hit it big in FA in 2024. Darnold, Grenard, Van Ginkel, Cashman, Redmond, Jones.

That's not why we are the worst team in the playoffs every other year. It's the drafts. Any competent drafting(to go along with the FA hits we had) and we would be in the hunt every year. But, KAM spent 85% of his drafts on stiffs.

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Tom Sykes

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson

quote:

ORIGINAL: Tom Sykes

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

Yep. The doomsdayers will be out in force with "Cap Hell, time to tank, etc... It's been a broken record the last couple years.

But, we find a way and still are big spenders in FA. It worked well in 2024. Not so much in 2025.

With KAM gone, could this be the year we do well in both FA and Draft?

Worked well? Right … because we’ve gotten such great results and put ourselves in such a great place moving forward!

Just keep it rolling. Why change strategies when you can field the worst team in the playoffs every other year!

Woohoo!

I don’t know about tanking … my thing is about picking and choosing better how you spend and structure contracts … and where. Please invest your money on a roughly priority- based system, at qb, in the dl, ol, at cb, etc. Stop making TEs, FBs, RTs the near-highest-paid at their positions.

Not spraying it around every offseason without regard for the following two or three years. And stop structuring the bajeezus out of contracts so it feels like we have to rob ambulances for talent every year.

We are running in a mud to build the 2026 roster that we created two or three years ago.

IMO our coaching and personnel decisions have had way more to do with our mediocrity than our cap and contract mgmt … but gzuz, have a little foresight, the options / choices you make each year are directly tied to contract shenanigans you were orchestrating in previous years. These things go hand in hand.

I'll stick by that we hit it big in FA in 2024. Darnold, Grenard, Van Ginkel, Cashman, Redmond, Jones.

That's not why we are the worst team in the playoffs every other year. It's the drafts. Any competent drafting(to go along with the FA hits we had) and we would be in the hunt every year. But, KAM spent 85% of his drafts on stiffs.

2024 was a very good FA haul. I doubt anybody has said otherwise.

So, improving the roster, check, winning offseason media scorecards, check … a humdinger.

2022,2023, 2025 - not so much … some good ones, some stinkers.

I just prefer to measure the FA success of the team, including the business operation, on the football success of the team. Of course there are a lot of other factors than FA … not just the draft (which is critical).

I get it. Playing with monopoly money as a fan is fun. Instant gratification is fun.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Phil Riewer

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

TJ and Jones have to be gone also.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bill Johanesen

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bill Johanesen

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

So you're saying keep all the overpriced deadwood except probably Hargrave? And shuffle the cap so it adversely impacts whoever the GM will be in the outyears to the tune of $65M?

Hargrave, Hockenson, Jones, Kelly, Okudah all need to be gone. Not sure if they are before or after June 1st.

For sure Re-structures include Murphy, Allen, Grenard and Van Ginkel. JJ, Darrisaw and O'Neill could be thrown in there also if we aren't void yearing the heck out of their deals.

That's a quite different plan from what you agreed to with Sweeney, who mentioned only Hargrave as a likely cut. Murphy and Allen especially need to go or take massive pay cuts. Add in other cuts for those who don't deserve their money and you don't have to restructure. Imagine a prospective GM candidate thinking oh so not only did I not have a say in free agency and the draft that just occurred, but you just shorted me $65M in cap room!

As asides:
- Okudah (2025 chump change $2M) is a UFA and I don't think is technically on the roster.
- Kelly is done due to concussions.
- O'Neill is in the last year of his contract so unless he is resigned any restructure is pure void year money.
- Same for Van Ginkel. Oh, and he ALREADY has $8.8M in void money.

You are going to have to show me where I agreed with just those moves that Sweeney mentioned.

The agreement with him is that there are ways to get cap space. I guess I should have been more specific.

Can we at least agree that the poor drafting has set us to do more in FA than we should?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Tom Sykes

quote:

ORIGINAL: Phil Riewer

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

TJ and Jones have to be gone also.

I’m interested to see if Brz tidies up these situations that should be addressed, or if the coaching-player buddy system becomes even more entrenched.

If we’re going to be the only team run by a forensic accounting swat team, would hope we’d clear some dead weight for newer blood.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Tom Sykes

quote:

ORIGINAL: Phil Riewer

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

TJ and Jones have to be gone also.

I’m interested to see if Brz tidies up these situations that should be addressed, or if the coaching-player buddy system becomes even more entrenched.

If we’re going to be the only team run by a forensic accounting swat team, would hope we’d clear some dead weight for newer blood.

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

quote:

ORIGINAL: Tom Sykes

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson

quote:

ORIGINAL: Tom Sykes

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

Yep. The doomsdayers will be out in force with "Cap Hell, time to tank, etc... It's been a broken record the last couple years.

But, we find a way and still are big spenders in FA. It worked well in 2024. Not so much in 2025.

With KAM gone, could this be the year we do well in both FA and Draft?

Worked well? Right … because we’ve gotten such great results and put ourselves in such a great place moving forward!

Just keep it rolling. Why change strategies when you can field the worst team in the playoffs every other year!

Woohoo!

I don’t know about tanking … my thing is about picking and choosing better how you spend and structure contracts … and where. Please invest your money on a roughly priority- based system, at qb, in the dl, ol, at cb, etc. Stop making TEs, FBs, RTs the near-highest-paid at their positions.

Not spraying it around every offseason without regard for the following two or three years. And stop structuring the bajeezus out of contracts so it feels like we have to rob ambulances for talent every year.

We are running in a mud to build the 2026 roster that we created two or three years ago.

IMO our coaching and personnel decisions have had way more to do with our mediocrity than our cap and contract mgmt … but gzuz, have a little foresight, the options / choices you make each year are directly tied to contract shenanigans you were orchestrating in previous years. These things go hand in hand.

I'll stick by that we hit it big in FA in 2024. Darnold, Grenard, Van Ginkel, Cashman, Redmond, Jones.

That's not why we are the worst team in the playoffs every other year. It's the drafts. Any competent drafting(to go along with the FA hits we had) and we would be in the hunt every year. But, KAM spent 85% of his drafts on stiffs.

2024 was a very good FA haul. I doubt anybody has said otherwise.

So, improving the roster, check, winning offseason media scorecards, check … a humdinger.

2022,2023, 2025 - not so much … some good ones, some stinkers.

I just prefer to measure the FA success of the team, including the business operation, on the football success of the team. Of course there are a lot of other factors than FA … not just the draft (which is critical).

I get it. Playing with monopoly money as a fan is fun. Instant gratification is fun.

The overriding problem is that free agents are supposed to supplement a core. The Vikings keep having to sign free agents to be the core

quote:

ORIGINAL: marty

Re-sign Van Ginkel!

quote:

ORIGINAL: Tom Sykes

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

quote:

ORIGINAL: Tom Sykes

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson

quote:

ORIGINAL: Tom Sykes

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson

quote:

ORIGINAL: TJSweens

The Vikings can just convert the salaries of JJ, Darrisaw, O'Neil, Hockenson and Greenard to signing bonuses and save up to $65M in cap space. Hargrave will likely be cut to save another $10.45M.

Yep. The doomsdayers will be out in force with "Cap Hell, time to tank, etc... It's been a broken record the last couple years.

But, we find a way and still are big spenders in FA. It worked well in 2024. Not so much in 2025.

With KAM gone, could this be the year we do well in both FA and Draft?

Worked well? Right … because we’ve gotten such great results and put ourselves in such a great place moving forward!

Just keep it rolling. Why change strategies when you can field the worst team in the playoffs every other year!

Woohoo!

I don’t know about tanking … my thing is about picking and choosing better how you spend and structure contracts … and where. Please invest your money on a roughly priority- based system, at qb, in the dl, ol, at cb, etc. Stop making TEs, FBs, RTs the near-highest-paid at their positions.

Not spraying it around every offseason without regard for the following two or three years. And stop structuring the bajeezus out of contracts so it feels like we have to rob ambulances for talent every year.

We are running in a mud to build the 2026 roster that we created two or three years ago.

IMO our coaching and personnel decisions have had way more to do with our mediocrity than our cap and contract mgmt … but gzuz, have a little foresight, the options / choices you make each year are directly tied to contract shenanigans you were orchestrating in previous years. These things go hand in hand.

I'll stick by that we hit it big in FA in 2024. Darnold, Grenard, Van Ginkel, Cashman, Redmond, Jones.

That's not why we are the worst team in the playoffs every other year. It's the drafts. Any competent drafting(to go along with the FA hits we had) and we would be in the hunt every year. But, KAM spent 85% of his drafts on stiffs.

2024 was a very good FA haul. I doubt anybody has said otherwise.

So, improving the roster, check, winning offseason media scorecards, check … a humdinger.

2022,2023, 2025 - not so much … some good ones, some stinkers.

I just prefer to measure the FA success of the team, including the business operation, on the football success of the team. Of course there are a lot of other factors than FA … not just the draft (which is critical).

I get it. Playing with monopoly money as a fan is fun. Instant gratification is fun.

The overriding problem is that free agents are supposed to supplement a core. The Vikings keep having to sign free agents to be the core

Sure, I understand this. And I understand you have to be creative in that situation and find nooks and crannies to hide and defer money to compensate FAs. Of course. I’ts just not an ideal way to operate.

I confess I was really happy with last offseason’s haul. Positionally, IMO it was spot on (except for CB) to where we needed to improve (both lines). None of that worked out (both lines) like I had hoped … I didn’t know the FAs, just that we were addressing positions.

Its like a double whammy if the FA doesnt work out and you used contract sorcery to bring them.

This stuff compounds on itself … it just does. Decisions are affected.

Some people believe there’s always a creative way to deal with it. I think its more of a roller coaster than it needs to be, with a little discipline.