Rumors Suggest Michael Pierce Will Return
Leading up to free agency, I was among those who thought that Michael Pierce was going to be cut by the Vikings.
At this point, it looks like I may have been wrong. Check out this tweet from Chris Tomasson of The Pioneer Press:
Michael Pierce is a great defensive lineman, so this will be good news if it ends up playing out like we all hope. Ideally, a new deal can give Minnesota a fair bit more cap space. If this is the case, it’ll be a double whammy: retaining an impact player and gaining financial flexibility.
My concern with Pierce has never been his abilities, or lack thereof. When he’s on the field, he’s a handful for the opposing offensive line. He’s surprisingly nimble for someone of his size, so he makes a noticeable impact as a pass rusher. He could end up being a great option as a 1T in Ed Donatell’s 3-4 scheme (which I’m in the process of learning about). Dalvin Tomlinson and Armon Watts would combine with Pierce to offer a really strong DT trio.
Currently, Michael Pierce will have a $10.235 million cap hit in 2022. He sat out the 2020 season due to Covid concerns and missed 9 games in 2021 due to injury. For this reason, the Vikings really couldn’t justify bringing him back at such a high cap number.
If the expected occurs, Pierce will have a 2022 hit that’s several million lower than before. Perhaps something in the $6-$8 million range, especially if there are some incentives kicked in.
Obviously, fans are looking for any news they can get their hands on. We’ll know about Pierce soon. We’ll hopefully learn about Danielle Hunter, as well, and one wonders if the team will bring in an EDGE player like Za’Darius Smith or Lorenzo Carter. Partnering all of these players together would lead to a strong defensive front for Donatell to build around.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”971194″ player=”26281″ title=”WATCH%203%20reasons%20why%20the%20Buffalo%20Bills%20should%20trade%20for%20Christian%20McCaffrey” duration=”97″ description=”The Buffalo Bills are certainly going to be in the market for a running back during the 2022 offseason. Whether it’s via free agency, the trade block or the NFL Draft remains to be seen.What we do know is that general manager Brandon Beane needs to find an upgrade. Simply put, Buffalo can’t rely on superstar quarterback Josh Allen to be its most consistent runner.Enter into the equation former NFL All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, who could potentially be had in a trade with the Carolina Panthers.” uploaddate=”2022-03-11″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/snapshot/971120_s_1647033088297.png” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/971120/971120.m3u8″]
