Vikings Check Major Offseason Box
The Minnesota Vikings have mostly built the roster for the upcoming season. Sure, there might be a slight change here or there, but the roster appears to be largely set at this point.
After last month’s draft, the Vikings had the task of having all their rookies sign their first NFL deals and they quickly found common ground with eight of their nine rookies. The one missing piece was Jake Golday, the club’s second-rounder.
His signature completes the puzzle. The Vikings announced Golday’s deal on Tuesday.
NFL rookie contracts are set from a total financial standpoint and the contract length is also pre-negotiated in the CBA. The one thing that was the hold-up in this case and in most other rookie contract delays is the guarantees and potentially some fine print.
For Golday, it was obviously the guarantees, particularly whether his fourth year should be fully guaranteed or just partially and how much. Every year, more and more players secure fully guaranteed deals.
The line keeps moving back. A year ago, the top 40 all signed fully guaranteed contracts. This year, that line has been creeping closer to the 51st spot Golday was drafted in last month. The exact guaranteed numbers have not been announced, but he signed a four-year, $9,600,932 contract.
Golday was drafted to add some youth to the linebacker room, and presumably, eventually take over as a starter from Blake Cashman or Eric Wilson as an off-ball linebacker.
The Cincinnati rookie, however, has experience as a pass-rusher, which is why theories about him taking over for Andrew Van Ginkel and providing immediate depth there have floated around in Skol Nation.
For what it’s worth, Golday started his Vikings chapter as a traditional linebacker in rookie minicamp.
Vikings.com’s Rob Kleifield wrote after the minicamp, “Golday traveled with the inside ‘backers during position drills Friday. As versatile as he may be, that’s where he is expected to get his first sips of NFL water. And what a good spot to be — learning beside ‘Green Dot’ Blake Cashman and a couple former Bearcats in splash play zealot Eric Wilson and downhill militant Ivan Pace, Jr.”
At Cincinnati, Golday starred as a linebacker, playing a versatile role. Early in his college career, at Central Arkansas, he played the role of an edge rusher.
Kleifield still brought up Golday’s potential edge-rushing journey: “While Golday builds his baseline there and on special teams, he absolutely could factor into the edge conversation, too, because he brings experience and savvy as a rusher and dropper.”
In his two campaigns at Cincinnati, Golday tabulated 163 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks. His versatility is ideal for Brian Flores, who puts players in a position to succeed rather than blindly play by the rules.
Last year, Flores occasionally deployed linebacker Wilson on the edge. That and his blitz frequency could both take advantage of Golday’s rushing skills. To be put in those situations, he needs to study the playbook and be able to play in a variety of spots.
The rookie commented, “I’m going to spend as much time as I need in the playbook to make sure I know all the positions so that I can be put at any spot on the field [and] so I don’t have to be taken off the field.”
A player like Van Ginkel is so good because he’s seemingly always in the right spot. He knows his job and the jobs of the players around him, as well as the offensive tendencies. That comes with experience and with a willingness to learn.
Golday’s football IQ and work ethic have drawn praise throughout his Vikings tenure. He could be a key figure early under Flores, while paying huge dividends down the line.
At the very least, he adds more youth to a linebacker group that desperately needed it. Now that he’s under contract, he is ready to compete in next week’s OTAs.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.