Report: The Vikings Have Had “Casual Dialogue” with Speedy WR
Josh Frey
|
After releasing Adam Thielen a couple weeks ago, the Minnesota Vikings may find themselves in the wide receiver market this offseason. Perhaps they could look to the draft to find another receiver, but there are certainly plenty of free agent options as well. Apparently, according to a report by KSTP‘s Darren Wolfson, the Vikings have had chats with one of these free agent receivers: former Kansas City Chief, Mecole Hardman.
Wolfson said in a tweet, replying to a fan inquiring about what the next Vikings free agency move could be, that the Vikings have had “casual dialogue” with the speedy WR. Of course, this doesn’t mean that anything is imminent or even likely at this point, but it is the closest we’ve seen to Minnesota making another acquisition this spring.
Later on, Wolfson downplayed the discussions in a reply to a tweet by the Vikes Insider account referencing his previous reply to the fan. Wolfson said his response was “not even worth an actual tweet”. Essentially, we shouldn’t get our hopes up quite yet in regards to a signing.
However, it still seems notable that the two sides have had a discussion of any kind. It could point to Minnesota eventually landing Hardman or some other free agent wide receiver down the road. We here at PurplePTSD have had our eye on Hardman as a potential fit for the Vikings in free agency for awhile already, so this news only amplifies those thoughts.
Hardman has become well-known across the league for being one of the fastest receivers we’ve seen. He recorded a blistering 4.33 40-yard dash during the combine in 2019, and to this point in his career, he’s totaled 151 receptions for 2,088 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. Hardman was at the peak of his powers in 2021, notching 693 receiving yards and a couple of touchdowns while Hill was still in Kansas City.
The wide receiver was on track to have a career-best season in 2022 before getting hurt just eight games into the season. He ended up recording 25 receptions, 297 yards, and 4 TDs. Had he played all 17 games, this would have been a pace for about 53 receptions, 631 yards, and 9 TDs.
Again, we shouldn’t expect a signing to be imminent at this point. The talks appear to be very preliminary. That being said, Hardman would be a very intriguing free agent for the Vikings to land because they could use another dynamic receiver to play alongside Justin Jefferson.
The star ran into some problems down the stretch of the 2022 season as teams zeroed-in on making sure he wouldn’t beat them by playing two-high coverage and double-teaming him. Jefferson recorded just one reception and 15 yards against the Green Bay Packers in Week 17, and he had just 47 yards against the New York Giants in the Vikings loss during the Wild Card round.
Hardman is a deep-threat player that can spread the field and force defenses into taking him into account. This could allow Jefferson to get open more often while making it easier for Kirk Cousins to get him the ball. We shall see if any steam between Hardman and Minnesota picks up in the coming days and weeks before the draft.
The Final 6 Unsigned Vikings Free Agents
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.