Players Who Won’t Be in Minnesota in 2022
The National Football League saw a flurry of activity over the past 24-48 hours. While the major Vikings headlines were all about Kirk and his restructured contract, it is worth taking note of the players who will not be in Minnesota for the 2022 season.
Xavier Woods
Adam Schefter reported that Vikings safety Xavier Woods is signing a three-year, $15.75 million deal with the Carolina Panthers. Woods played fairly well last season for Minnesota, recording three interceptions in a complementary role to Harrison Smith. Unfortunately, the Vikings are not able to afford the price tag on Woods. They will either have to go shopping for a new starting safety this offseason or hand the role over to Cam Bynum. Bynum also played well in 2022 in limited action, recording an interception of his own in one of his three starts.
Mason Cole
Another player the Vikings will lose to free agency is center Mason Cole. Cole played well in limited action with the Vikings, starting in seven games before suffering a season-ending elbow surgery. Cole will sign a three-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to Schefter, which will leave the Vikings wanting even more depth on the interior of the offensive line.
With the Vikings so thin on the iOL, it would have been nice for them to hit on a big name in the early stages of free agency. However, as the day progressed, more and more names signed with teams not in Minnesota.
Brandon Scherff
A big name Vikings fans would have liked to see land in purple today was five-time Pro Bowl guard Brandon Scherff. Unfortunately, in this instance, the Vikings did not have the available cap space to make the move and Scherff will sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, protecting Kirk is a must if the Vikings want to win moving forward and they will likely look elsewhere for guards before the end of the free agency period.
Austin Corbett
The other guard that a lot of Vikings fans had their eyes on is Austin Corbett, who, like Xavier Woods, will be headed to the Carolina Panthers for the 2022 season. Already, the pickings are getting slim on the interior offensive line; at this point, the Vikings may have to move iOL up their list of draft needs by the time the free agency period is over.
Teddy Bridgewater
Lastly, not a player the Vikings would have potentially targeted, but Teddy Bridgewater will definitively not be returning to his home in Minnesota next season. He has found a home in Miami, and will be on a one-year “prove it” deal.
Stay tuned for more updates as the free agency period progresses.
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