Report: Vikings Kicker Competition Leaning Toward Vet
K. Joudry
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Minnesota very wisely chose to bring in someone to push Greg Joseph during the offseason. Rather than simply hand him the job, Minnesota is forcing him to earn it. Well, the early days of the offseason suggest that Joseph has the upper hand. A recent piece from former Vikings GM Jeff Diamond suggests that the Vikings kicker competition isn’t looking good for rookie Gabe Brkic.
Take a peak at the GM’s description of Brkic’s performance:
If Wednesday’s field goal kicking was any indication, undrafted rookie Gabe Brkic will have to be a lot better in training camp to have a shot at unseating incumbent Greg Joseph. He was better in the closing stages of this minicamp practice (with Brkic missing several field goal attempts, including one inside of 40 yards).
The rookie kicked for Oklahoma in college. For the past two years, he has made an identical 20 of 26 field goals in each season. The 76.9 field goal percentage is far from impressive. The Vikings likely saw potential in him, prompting the team to bring him aboard to create a kicker competition. Now, the offseason is far from over, so it’s still possible the rookie can really challenge the veteran.
Joseph played reasonably well last season, offering mostly strong kicking for the Vikings. Going 33 for 38 on field goals is solid. The greater concern perhaps rests in his modest extra point stats – 36 for 40, 90% – and the timing of some of his misses. One wonders if the Vikings season might have been different if Joseph hit that Week 2 field goal to beat the Cardinals.
Currently, Joseph has an unguaranteed $2.433 million deal for 2022. The lack of guarantees means Minnesota can move on with ease, and yet the overall cap hit isn’t insignificant for a kicker. If I’m not mistaken, that puts Joseph at 20th overall in terms of 2022 kicker cap hits, which sounds about right. If he puts together a strong season, expect Minnesota to explore a longer, more lucrative extension.
The Vikings kicker competition is far from over. In fact, we’re still toward the beginning. However, Joseph was already the favorite, and some early struggles don’t help the rookie Brkic. If things proceed as expected, we’ll see Joseph as the purple kicker in Week 1.
Purple PTSD Also Read: How Adam Thielen Earned His Spot in Minnesota
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