Purple Headlines of the Week: A New Free Agency Target, Tomlinson Contract, Coaching Changes
Josh Frey
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Another week of the NFL offseason has come and gone, and the Minnesota Vikings made headlines for multiple reasons yet again. Here are the top purple headlines of the week for the Vikings as we enter NFL scouting combine week.
Full Details on Dalvin Tomlinson’s Contract Situation
In the early portion of the week, it seemed that the Vikings likely would move on from Dalvin Tomlinson this offseason after the contracts of both he and Patrick Peterson voided on Tuesday. Especially for Tomlinson, this was important considering he would have added $7.5 million in dead money to the 2023 salary cap had his contract voided.
However, news broke later in the week that the Vikings had managed to avoid this possibility by getting Tomlinson to agree to extend his void date to March 15th, the opening day of free agency. This opens up the possibility of Minnesota locking him up to an extension prior to him hitting the open market.
The Vikings have need to retain as much of their veteran presence on the interior line as possible, and it could very well be a position where Minnesota focuses on adding depth this offseason.
Coaching Changes
The Vikings made a number of coaching changes at the assistant level this past week. No longer employed are coaches like Greg Manusky and Sam Siefkes, who left the team this week. Manusky promptly took a job with the Denver Broncos while Siefkes joined the Arizona Cardinals.
Meanwhile, Minnesota has made their replacements at these coaching spots already as well. On Friday, they hired both Lance Bennett and Mike Siravo onto the staff. Bennett will serve as a defensive quality control assistant while Siravo will be the inside linebackers coach. In addition, the Vikings promoted Grant Udinski to assistant QBs coach.
Bobby Wagner Hits Free Agency
The Los Angeles Rams seem to be committed to a rebuild because they’ve opted to begin sending out some of their star players. LB Bobby Wagner was one of these players, and he hits free agency likely as one of the more sought-after players of the offseason.
The Minnesota Vikings certainly have a need at linebacker, especially if either of Jordan Hicks or Eric Kendricks are released as cap casualties. It will be interesting to see what kind of interest the Super Bowl champion and six-time First-Team All-Pro member gets on the open market.
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 can often be found training for a marathon, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.