The Vikings’ Internal Free Agent Who Should be a Priority to Re-Sign
K. Joudry
|
NFL free agency is roughly a week old and a lot has happened.
The Vikings’ internal free agent list has been dwindling. Some have agreed to new deals in Minnesota while others have taken their talents elsewhere. There is a specific player, though, who the Vikings should be very reluctant to see depart (and we’re not talking about LG Dalton Risner, someone who is a strong starter).
The Vikings’ Internal FA Who Deserves Another Contract
Admittedly, things haven’t always gone well for kicker Greg Joseph.
He was a bit of a journeyman before arriving in The Gopher State. The specialist has collected paychecks from Miami, Cleveland, Carolina, Tennessee, and Tampa Bay. The past three seasons, though, have featured some stability for Mr. Joseph. He got scooped up by Rick Spielman and then retained by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, allowing Joseph to be the K1 for the past three seasons in Minnesota.
Fans will remember the early miss from back in 2021. Mike Zimmer decided to give Joseph a shot at the game-winning kick from 37, but the ball didn’t get through the uprights. Afterwards, the crusty coach defended his player while Joseph accepted responsibility and vowed to be better.
The 2021 season featured Joseph going 33/38 on his field goal (86.8%). And then the PATs resulted in going 36/40, good for 90%.
The numbers in more recent seasons look a bit different. Joseph’s 2022 involved going 26/33 on field goals (78.8%) and 40/46 (87.0%) on extra point attempts. More recently, Joseph went 24/30 on field goals (80.0%) and 36/38 on extra point attempts (94.7%).
Obviously, the drop off from the 2022 season wasn’t encouraging. The major caveat is simply that even amidst all of the misses, Joseph proved to be incredibly clutch. The man drilled several game winners. In fact, he had one on Christmas Eve from 61 yards that made more than a few Minnesotans a bit more merry in time for Santa:
Should the Vikings — don’t miss this: the Vikings — really move on from a clutch-capable kicker?
Now, re-signing Greg Joseph isn’t the same thing as giving him the starting job. The goal would be to toss the veteran into a competition. Kicking, after all, is a pressure-packed job, so confronting and overcoming competitive pressure during the offseason is an approach with a lot of merit.
Aiding Minnesota with that approach is the recent addition of John Parker Romo. Like Joseph, Romo’s path has been a winding one that has been full of ups and downs. Most recently, the man was showing off his boot in the XFL.
Bringing him to town is a good thing. Give the man a chance to succeed during the offseason to see if he can become the top kicker for 2024. But, of course, nothing should be assumed. Romo needs to compete just like everyone else.
Would re-adding Joseph be in the team’s best interest? The pair of players could square off in the summer months as they push to become Minnesota’s 2024 kicker. And, perhaps, the team could even look toward the NFL Draft or from within the UDFA batch to scoop up someone else.
Greg Joseph will turn 30 on August 4th. Last season, he played in Minnesota on a 1-year, $2 million deal.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
Vikings Rumors: The Left Guard Evasion, Blockbuster Trade Incoming, & 2025 Financial Abundance
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.