Purple Headlines of the Week: Former Vikings CB Hits Free Agency, Contract Incentives, the Next Adam Thielen?
Another week of the Vikings offseason has come and gone, and we are now just 98 days away from Minnesota taking the field to open their 2023 regular season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As the season continues to get closer, here are all the purple headlines from this past week.
Vikings Add New WR
This week, the Vikings added a new receiver who is taking a very similar route to the one that Adam Thielen found himself on. Garrett Maag, a native of Inver Grove Heights, signed onto the Vikings 90-man roster after spending his collegiate years at North Dakota State University.
While Maag didn’t spend his college years at Minnesota State-Mankato, the parallels between he and the early years of Thielen are certainly apparent: undrafted free agent, Minnesota native, athletic receiver. He joins the Vikings as the 13th receiver to sign onto the roster, and it continues to look like the battle to make the 53-man roster will be a ferocious one at this position.
Cam Dantzler Released by Commanders
Back in March, the Vikings made the surprising decision to cut ties with CB Cameron Dantzler after just three years with the team following being a third-round pick in 2020. The CB had made 26 starts over those three years, including nine in 2022 before missing the majority of the second half of the season with injury.
Following being released by Minnesota, Dantzler was claimed by the Washington Commanders, and the assumption was that the young CB would compete for a starting spot on Ron Rivera’s defense.
However, no such event would come to pass as Dantzler has been released by the team before even getting to compete at training camp. Now, the cornerback hits free agency once again looking for a new team to spend his fourth NFL season with.
Contract Incentives for Byron Murphy and Alexander Mattison
This week, we learned the contract incentives for both CB Byron Murphy and RB Alexander Mattison due to a report from Ari Meirov. Here is a look at Mattison’s incentives for 2023:
- 750-999 rushing yards: $250,000
- 1000+ rushing yards: $500,000 (original $250,000 plus additional $250,000)
And for Murphy:
- 70% of defensive snaps: $250,000
- 75% of defensive snaps: $500,000 ($250,000 plus original $250,000)
- 80% of defensive snaps: $750,000 ($250,000 plus original $500,000)
- 85% of defensive snaps: $1 million ($250,000 plus original $750,000)
- Named First-Team All-Pro: $1 million
- Named Second-Team All-Pro: $500,000
- Makes Pro Bowl on original ballot: $250,000
The assumption for now is that Mattison will be the starting RB in Minnesota this season, thus why his incentives are largely based on production. Meanwhile, Murphy is coming off a back injury that limited him to just nine games in 2022, so if he puts in the work this offseason to play the majority of the season and help stabilize a young Vikings secondary, he will earn up to $1 million based on snap counts.
In Case You Missed It…
For the extra studious Vikings fans, as usual, we have our list of other headlines to check out that you may have missed throughout the week. Happy reading!
- Jalen Nailor Is Lighting It Up at OTAs
- Exploring the Vikings Other RB Stalemate
- Justin Jefferson Is the Favorite to Win OPOY in 2023
- Vikings Tight End Retires
- Vikings Part Ways with Longtime Scout
- The Vital Offensive Stat that Must Change for the Vikings in 2023
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. 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.