Vikes thread!

[glenn57]

Most of us! Some have evolved into the in smart age yet

WUSSIES!!!!!!!!!!!

[KEN W]

Hunter is in the final year of his contract and is set to make $5.5 million this season. He has been looking for a new contract, but has not found any common ground with the Vikings this offseason. A report last week indicated teams have been calling with trade interest and a holdout from minicamp could help push the Vikings toward a decision to move Hunter to another club.

Whether they’re interested in moving on without Hunter or not, the Vikings can fine Hunter for each day of mandatory work that he misses.

[Steve-o]

ESPN: Vikings' Danielle Hunter planning to skip minicamp

Skipping mandatory minicamp will subject him to mandatory fines of $16,459 for the first day and $32,920 for the second, according to the NFL's collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association

[LPS]

Don't quote me but I think he may have already lost $100,000 for not participating earlier.

[roony]

Don't quote me but I think he may have already lost $100,000 for not participating earlier.

[Steve-o]

Don't quote me but I think he may have already lost $100,000 for not participating earlier.

[KEN W]

He is probably one of those guys who says he has to provide food for his family.

[Gunner55]

Don't forget he played LB in a 3-4 defense last season, compared to DE in a 4-3, previously. A lot more pass coverage of TE's last season.

[Steve-o]

Hunter might have made more money had he waited a year or two to renegotiate or extend.  But if those injuries that sidelined him for a year and a half would have happened before his new contract - he might have made a lot less!

$72 million is a pretty good start for him and he stands to make quite a bit more money before his career is over.  Time will tell if there is a team willing to risk paying a long term contract to a skilled, aging player who now has a history of injury.

Here is a decent article laying out both sides:  The Difficulty with a Danielle Hunter Contract Extension

The Danielle Hunter Side

Back in June 2018, Hunter agreed to a five-year, $72 million contract extension with an average annual value (AAV) of $14.4 million.

• On September 1st of that year, Khalil Mack signed a six-year, $141 million contract extension with an AAV of $23.5 million.
• Joey Bosa signed a five-year, $135 million deal with an AAV of $27 million back in 2020. And Hunter has better stats than Joey Bosa.
• Last year, 33 year-old Von Miller signed a six-year, $120 million deal with Buffalo.
• 26 year-old Bradley Chubb, who has no where near the pressure stats of Hunter, signed a five-year, $110 million extension.

All of the above likely puts the Hunter side firmly in the, “we’ve been vastly underpaid for eight seasons (including rookie contract) with the Vikings and we’re not going to get shafted again” negotiating stance.

The Vikings’ Side

The Vikings may be somewhat sympathetic to the fact that Hunter has been underpaid, and indeed they restructured his contract a few times (to create cap space) but which also advanced Hunter money on his contract. But Hunter also missed about a year and a half of that contract due to injury.  Be that as it may, the Vikings’ new regime isn’t about to make Hunter whole for perceived losses on his last contract- which his agent negotiated, and he signed. The timing may have been inopportune for Hunter, but that’s not the Vikings’ fault.

[Steve-o]

Stefon Diggs repeating behaviors in Buffalo that preceded trade from Vikings

History might be repeating...

Stefon Diggs was a no-show for the first day of mandatory minicamp with the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday and head coach Sean McDermott said he's "very concerned" about the developing situation.   "Very concerned. Very concerned," McDermott repeated. "Right now, I'm not going to get into that any more."

After the Bills were knocked out of the playoffs in January by the Bengals, Diggs allegedly cleaned out his locker before coaches got into the locker room after the final whistle and then stormed out of the stadium. Diggs was also seen yelling at Bills quarterback Josh Allen during the second half of that game.  "Want me to be okay with losing?" Diggs wrote in a series of tweets after the loss. "Nah. Want me to be okay with our level of play when it's not up to the standard? Nah.  It's easy to criticize my reaction more than the result."

What's unfolded since has been nothing short of history repeating itself.

Diggs allegedly unfollowed the Bills on Instagram in April, which followed numerous mysterious tweets that have left people wondering what the 29-year-old's intentions were. That'll sound very familiar to Vikings fans. 

Before the Vikings traded Diggs to the Bills in early 2020, Diggs had created an unsettling situation by posting countless mysterious tweets and even going as far as to deny asking for a trade only to then say "there's truth to all rumors."

Why would Diggs skip minicamp now? Is it contract related? Probably not considering his average annual salary of $24 million makes him tied with DK Metcalf as the fifth highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.  Trading Diggs would be very difficult for the Bills because, as NFL Network's Tom Pelissero points out, Diggs's contract carries a significant cap hit. According to OverTheCap, his 2023 cap his is just over $13 million and the Bills currently are only $5.5 million under the cap.

Is Diggs done in Buffalo? If history is a sign of things to come, it's not good news for the Bills. Well, unless they trade Diggs and land a Justin Jefferson like the Vikings did with the first-round pick they got in the trade.

I hope JJ isn't taking notes.   

[glenn57]

  what a diva!!!!!!!!!

i would of liked to see him play for bud grant!!!!!!!!!

[Steve-o]

Do you remember Ahmad Rashad?  His name was originally Bobby More and he changed it to Ahmad Rashad in 1972 when he converted to Islam.  Bud Grant could never figure out how to say "Ahmad" and always called him "Ock-mod."  I always figured that was Bud's subtle expression of his disapproval or lack of acceptance and not his inability to pronounce "Ahmad."

Yes, I don't think ol' Bud would suffer today's divas.  However, in the many interviews he did in his declining years, he did recognize that today's players were different and probably wouldn't respond to the old coaching styles.

Actually, Bud and Ahmad had a really good relationship and I heard an interview of Ahmad (probably after Bud died) that testified to it.  He was talking about how no one was allowed to wear gloves in the cold, but he let Ahmad wear them because he figured Ahmad would perform better with them.

[Steve-o]

Speaking of Bud Grant - also from Bring Me the News...

Not always the stoic Canadian who stalked the sidelines never smiling.   

Honoring Bud Grant: A legendary prankster

• For example he once had running back Teddy Brown fake arrested at practice.
• And when he was coaching the Blue Bombers, he had one of his players fake shot with a 22-pistol.
• And then there was the time that he stashed two dead birds in Sid Hartman's new convertible.

[KEN W]

So what is the Vikings strategy going forward????

They DO NOT see Cousins as their franchise QB that can win them a Super Bowl. Otherwise they would not let him be playing in the final year of his contract. They are looking to get a QB in next year's draft.

They are trying to build a Super Bowl offense for Kevin O'Connel. Just missing a QB. So they will look at trading up next year to get who they want. Plus the defense was 30th last year. So it basically can't get worse. Basically a middle of the road team looking for the right QB.

[fishwidow]

I have a good friend born and raised in Winnipeg. He tells the story that, as a young man, he played in some kind of basketball pickup game with Bud Grant on the opposing team. At one point early in the game he attempted to block Bud and caught him off balance and Bud ended up on the floor. Bud gave him the look, and for the rest of the game he said he was elbowed, pushed, and had his feet stepped on. He says that by the end of the game he was completely worn out and pretty well bruised.

[Steve-o]

There was also a pretty good trust relationship between Bud and Jim Marshall, who ran the locker room.

If a player needed to get in or out of the Mankato dorms after hours during training camp, they didn't do it without Jim's blessing.

[Steve-o]

Its tough to be a Bears fan... 

Another insane Justin Jefferson stat

Jefferson has been with the Vikes just three seasons and has 4,825 receiving yards.  With 235 more receiving yards, Jefferson will have more career receiving yards than any receiver in the history of the Chicago Bears.

 

[dutchboy]

Does Walter still hold the NFL single game rushing record set against the Vikings?

[LPS]

How many yards was that and which game?  Saw them all. 

[dutchboy]

Looks like he is 5th now with the kid beater being #1.



1   Adrian Peterson   296   MIN   Minnesota Vikings vs. San Diego Chargers, November 4, 2007
2   Jamal Lewis   295   BAL   Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns, September 14, 2003
3   Jerome Harrison   286   CLE   Cleveland Browns vs. Kansas City Chiefs, December 20, 2009
4   Corey Dillon   278   CIN   Cincinnati Bengals vs. Denver Broncos, October 22, 2000
5   Walter Payton+   275   CHI   Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings, November 20, 1977
6   O.J. Simpson+   273   BUF   Buffalo Bills vs. Detroit Lions, November 25, 1976
7   Shaun Alexander   266   SEA   Seattle Seahawks vs. Oakland Raiders, November 11, 2001
8   Jamaal Charles   259   KAN   Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos, January 3, 2010
9   Jonathan Taylor   253   IND   Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, January 3, 2021
DeMarco Murray   253   DAL   Dallas Cowboys vs. St. Louis Rams, October 23, 2011
11   Doug Martin   251   TAM   Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Oakland Raiders, November 4, 2012
Mike Anderson   251   DEN   Denver Broncos vs. New Orleans Saints, December 3, 2000
13   Derrick Henry   250   TEN   Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans, January 3, 2021
O.J. Simpson+   250   BUF   Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots, September 16, 1973
Spec Sanders   250   NYY   New York Yankees vs. Chicago Rockets, October 24, 1947
16   Willie Ellison   247   RAM   Los Angeles Rams vs. New Orleans Saints, December 5, 1971
17   Corey Dillon   246   CIN   Cincinnati Bengals vs. Tennessee Oilers, December 4, 1997
18   LaDainian Tomlinson+   243   SDG   San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders, December 28, 2003
Cookie Gilchrist   243   BUF   Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets, December 8, 1963
20   Derrick Henry   238   TEN   Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, December 6, 2018
21   Barry Sanders+   237   DET   Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, November 13, 1994
Emmitt Smith+   237   DAL   Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles, October 31, 1993
Jim Brown+   237   CLE   Cleveland Browns vs. P

[LPS]

Fun to look at those old records. 

[glenn57]

i seee a VIKINGS player made the news, and not for his charity work!!! an OL, Oli Udoh was cited 3 times in a few days for speeding and reckless driving.

e's a big guy so maybe his feet are a bit heavy!!!!!

[Steve-o]

Dalvin Cook STILL has an offer on the table from the Vikings worth about $7M that he is in no hurry to sign - with the Vikes OR the Fish.

Vikings Have Offer on the Table for 4-Time Pro Bowler

“There is a $7 million offer on the table for him to accept in Minnesota if he wants to go back — don’t think he wants to go back,” Esiason said, adding that Cook’s agent is trying to play the offer off other teams to drive a bidding war.

Dalvin Cook Still Has Offer on Table, But RB Unwilling to Accept, per Report

While the veteran has reportedly been offered multiple contracts since being released by Minnesota on June 8, one team remains at the forefront of discussions: the Dolphins. Although it was reported back on June 27 that Miami offered Cook a spot on the roster, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported that Cook is in no rush to accept the offer.

“The one thing I would point out is that the Dolphins remain interested,” Darlington said, via Bleacher Report. “They still have an offer on the table, one though that Cook is not willing to accept. I can see him certainly trying to draw up other leverage, he is still interested in joining the Dolphins. But at this point, again, not willing to commit to the deal they have on the table.”

[LPS]

I think the Vikes need to start lowering the offer at regular intervals.   That will kick his agent in the azz. 

[Steve-o]

That might have worked back in the days of Max Winter, Bud Grant, Ron Yary, Jim Marshall, etc., but I don't think that strategy flies with today's modern athletes and agents.

He ain't coming back here on a one-year deal - even if it is for 7M.  If he gets hurt here in that year, is career is done and future earnings are shot.

The buzz says he's waiting til training camp - probably for some other starting running back to get hurt - and the demand and his price will go up.

[Bobberineyes]

Wonder what Mattison is thinking about this,  in his eyes he's getting most of the snaps going forward.

[Steve-o]

It means nothing...    but still... 

Justin Jefferson Catch in Vikings-Bills Wins ESPY Award for 'Best Play'

The Vikings receiver was recognized Wednesday at the 2023 ESPN ESPY Awards, taking home the "Best Play" honor for his gravity-defying, 32-yard catch on fourth-and-18 at Buffalo last season.

[glenn57]

  hey....... he gets an Espy trophy!!!!!!!!

[Steve-o]

Are any of you guys watching the Netflix miniseries "Quarterback" featuring Patrick Mahomes, Marcus Mariota, and our very own Kapt. Kirk?

[glenn57]

nope!!!!!!!!