Expect Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to Keep the Vikings Franchise Tag in its Holster for 2023
K. Joudry
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Unless something totally unforeseen happens, the Vikings franchise tag will go unused in 2023. Some of that is due to the snug salary cap and some of that is due to who Minnesota may lose in free agency.
If, for instance, Minnesota was staring down potentially losing Justin Jefferson, then Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would seriously consider the franchise tag (instead, look for a Jefferson extension). This year’s batch of internal free agents – led by Patrick Peterson, Duke Shelley, Dalvin Tomlinson, Garrett Bradbury, Andrew DePaola, and Khyiris Tonga – don’t ascend to Jefferson’s level.
In the end, it’s hard to see a scenario where Adofo-Mensah will lean on the tag.
The Vikings Franchise Tag
The last time Minnesota used the tag was on Anthony Harris. Minnesota was going into a transition period for their defense, especially on the backend. Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer wanted to retain their safety tandem – Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris – since they had been elite in the 2019 season (one that sent the Vikings to the playoffs).
Unfortunately, things didn’t go particularly well for Harris. In 2019, he allowed a passer rating of 44.2. That number skyrocketed to 118.1 in 2020. He went from allowing 0 TDs to 4 TDs. His PFF grade dropped from 91.1 (1st overall) to 66.2 (38th overall).
Since then, we haven’t seen the Vikings franchise tag leave its holster.
Recently, Spotrac published a very helpful, detailed piece discussing the tag options (alongside some players to keep in mind). Predictably, there are no Vikings included among the listed names.
One thinks of Bradbury, who had a strong 2022 season (a reality that very few saw coming). It’s very possible that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell want to keep the first-round center in town for a little longer. The issue with the franchise tag is that an offensive lineman would cost $18,244,000.
The less discussed cousin of the franchise tag – the transition tag – would still count for $16,660,000. Folks, there’s simply no way Minnesota will do this.
The corner position (where Peterson and Shelley both had nice seasons) presents similar hurdles. Minnesota would need to go to $18,140,000 for a franchise tag or $15,791,000 for a transition tag. DT (Tomlinson, Tonga) would feature a $18,937,000 franchise tag and a $16,068,000 transition tag.
These options, in short, are prohibitively expensive for the Vikings. If Adofo-Mensah wants to keep his guys in a purple uniform, he’ll need to negotiate deals in the old fashioned manner. No tag tomfoolery for Minnesota in 2023.
The Likelier Option
Forced to guess, I’d say Adofo-Mensah would be very open to handing out some 1-year deals during the offseason.
Was Bradbury’s improvement for real? What about Shelley’s sensational season? Can Peterson keep producing into his mid-30s? These questions might prompt the purple GM to explore a shorter deal to help guard against paying a player for several seasons of potentially subpar play.
When we step back from just the internal players, we can say with some confidence that the Vikings will be looking to do some business.
There is some concern among Vikings fans that Minnesota won’t be able to manoeuvre through the impending free agency period. Those concerns are misguided (at least to a certain extent). True, Minnesota won’t be able to outbid a team like the Bears, but there are ways to bring in impact free agents.
One thinks of last season’s deal for Za’Darius Smith – which carried a tiny $3.167 million cap hit in 2022 – as simply one example of Adofo-Mensah getting creative. The GM is going to lean on all kinds of tricks to make it all work heading into 2023.
From our current vantage point, though, the Vikings franchise tag (and transition tag) won’t be making an appearance in 2023.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
