Questions Answered: Free Agent Philosophy, Greg Joseph in 2023, Super Bowl Lessons Learned
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the February 13th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Questions Answered: Free Agent Philosophy, Greg Joseph in 2023, Super Bowl Lessons Learned
Q: What should we expect from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in 2023 free agency?
A: Last year is probably the best example to use while predicting what Adofo-Mensah will do this year.
He believes wholeheartedly in value, and in 2022, he signed two somewhat splashy players in Za’Darius Smith and Harrison Phillips. After that, he signed a bunch of “other guys,” headlined by names like Jordan Hicks and Chandon Sullivan.
Adofo-Mensah doesn’t have much more money than last year, so expect him to pluck a couple of bigger-name players, accompanied by the “value” additions. A lot of the haul will likely be on the defensive side of the enterprise.
Q: Do you think Greg Joseph will be back in 2023?
A: This is truly a coinflip. Joseph drilled five game-winning kicks in 2022 — and then missed six extra points. He was ultra-reliable, but he was also ultra-unreliable with dinker extra points. It was truly bizarre.
Because Adofo-Mensah explored Gabe Brkic last year before settling on Joseph, we’d expect the Vikings to go in a different direction this offseason. We’re not overly confident with this one, but jot us down for Joseph not returning in 2023.
Q: What can the Vikings learn from Super Bowl LVII?
A: They learned that you need the best quarterback on the planet, a productive tight end, and a defense that makes a few opportune plays.
The Vikings obviously won’t acquire Patrick Mahomes anytime soon, so they must try to nail the other two. T.J. Hockenson lives on the Vikings roster. Check.
Minnesota’s defense was opportune at times in 2022 but was generally bad otherwise. The team should seek to improve the defense this offseason, a process that has already begun with the hire of Brian Flores.
Improve the defense. Enhance Hockenson’s role. Pray the next guy drafted by the Vikings at quarterback is about 80% as good as Mahomes.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.