Now Confirmed: The Vikings Got Lucky in 2024
A year ago, the Minnesota Vikings had one of the best free agency groups in franchise history; one could argue it was the best period. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah landed three premier defenders in Blake Cashman and Pro Bowlers Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard. Aaron Jones and Sam Darnold easily outplayed their respective deals, too.
Vikings Didn’t Miss Out in Free Agency
The one guy he didn’t get, however, was Christian Wilkins, one of Brian Flores’ old friends from his Miami days. That connection and the obvious need at defensive tackle were enough to make it a reasonable idea that Wilkins would join the organization in free agency.
In March of 2024, roughly two weeks after he had joined the Las Vegas Raiders on a whopping four-year, $110 million contract, there were some rumblings that the club was really close to luring the big-name player to the Twin Cities.
KSTP’s Darren Wolfson explained on SKOR North’s Mackey and Judd Show this month, “O’Connell alluded to this on Monday, just how much work, how much the Vikings were in on some of these defensive tackles, namely Christian Wilkins. Like, what the Raiders gave Wilkins, I think surprised the Vikings. Those 48 hours leading into the official start of free agency, like I’m telling you, the Vikings were feeling very very good about their chances of landing Christian Wilkins.”
And that came after the Vikings were linked to the defender prior to free agency. At the start of free agency, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini tweeted: “Christian Wilkins is a top target for many teams including the Vikings, Browns, Texans, and Lions, per sources. He is expected to have a robust market.”
The defender said “no thanks” and signed the huge contract with the Raiders. Instead, the Vikes used the available money to sign the two Pro Bowl edge rushers and handed out some contract extensions.
This week, the Raiders released Wilkins only one season after the agreement.
ESPN’s Ryan McFadden reported: “The Las Vegas Raiders have informed defensive tackle Christian Wilkins that he has been released, the team said Thursday. Wilkins will be released with the designation of terminated vested veteran, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Wilkins has been recovering from a Jones fracture, which he suffered in his left foot last October. Because of how Wilkins has treated the rehab from his injury, the Raiders voided the remaining $35.2 million of guaranteed money left on his contract on June 4, sources said.”
In his first season in Las Vegas, Wilkins appeared in only five games and recorded 17 tackles and two sacks.
McFadden added, “The belief was that Wilkins needed another surgery on his foot; he balked at getting it, sources told ESPN. The Raiders then voided the guaranteed money left on his deal due to ‘failure to maintain his physical condition to play.'”
The NFLPA has now filed a grievance.
Ironically, the Vikings could now sign the defender and reunite him with his former head coach, Flores, and ex-teammate Van Ginkel. However, the once-pressing need at defensive tackle is no more, as the franchise acquired Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave in free agency, pairing the pass-rushing threats with run-stuffer Harrison Phillips.
Still, if he’s healthy and cheaper than his actual worth, why not turn the defensive line into a nightmare for opposing coordinators and quarterbacks? There’s a reason why Wilkins received such a huge contract just 16 months ago.
At the end of the day, the Vikings dodged another bullet. They also benefited from Kirk Cousins‘ decision to leave Minnesota and head to Atlanta instead. His contract is now Atlanta’s problem, making him an expensive backup.
Sometimes the moves you don’t make are just as important as the ones you do make. And in the Vikings’ 2024 free agency, GM Adofo-Mensah checked both boxes.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.