Questions Answered: Conklin Regret, an Irv Extension, Biggest Threat from ARI
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the October 28th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
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Q: Do you think the Vikings regret letting Tyler Conklin walk to the New York Jets?
A: No.
Conklin has a 52.1 Pro Football Focus grade and 230 receiving yards — at around a $7 million per-season pricepoint. Had he wanted to return to the Vikings for cheap — sure, the relationship could’ve been marvelous.
But Conklin wanted to cash in on his unexpected 2021 performance — and good for him — but he wasn’t worth the contract in Minnesota. Irv Smith’s 2022 cap hit is $1.8 million, so he made more sense this year.
Q: Will Irv Smith get an extension this offseason from the Vikings?
A: Probably not, at least not at the value he desires.
Vikings fans and pundits, plus national voices, forecasted a Smith breakout for four consecutive years, and it doesn’t appear that will occur during his rookie contract.
Depending on Smith’s asking price, his future in Minnesota is highly in question. He likely doesn’t want to return on his next contract at a modest price — and the Vikings won’t pay him top-tier TE cash.
These next 11 games could be Smith’s final stint with the Vikings.
Q: What is the biggest threat the Cardinals pose to the Vikings on Sunday?
A: Kyler Murray’s mobility.
Ed Donatell’s defenses notoriously struggle versus shifty quarterbacks, and Murray is about as slippery as it gets. The Cardinals passer can beat the opposition with his arm, too, and Minnesota’s secondary isn’t exactly top-notch.
Murray scampering all over the damn place give Arizona its best chance to win, so unless the Vikings spy the 25-year-old, they might experience a tricky time on Sunday.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).