Vikes Agree to Terms with DT Sheldon Richardson

After the Vikings agreed to terms with quarterback Kirk Cousins that have massive ramifications for the future of contracts in the NFL, I decided that I was going to write an article about the Vikings management and ownership, essentially thanking them for not only realizing the fact that this team is in the midst of an open window of opportunity but also that they’re willing to and attempting to take advantage of that fact by spending a lot of money on blue-chip players. Now, with the news that they’ve also agreed to terms with former Seattle defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, it appears that the team is literally going for broke and shooting a scud missile at that window to not only keep it open, but make it as wide as is humanly possible. Richardson, who is 27 years old and thus just entering his prime, is a huge get for this Vikings defense and is probably a top 5 player at his position but is definitely a top 10 (three-technique) defensive tackle (Thanks Luke/LBVikings). The signing is surprising, in that a lot of Vikings fans thought that the team would be tapped out financially after signing Kirk Cousins to the largest contract in the history of the NFL, so it should go to show the nay-sayers of Cousins that that move didn’t hamstring the team in terms of not only signing players that are already on the team but also players that… Aren’t.

Richardson was in town this morning to meet with the team and things clearly went well, as he signed a one-year deal for around $11 million (at least that’s the word on Twitter as of the writing of this piece). He’ll now end up on what is the best defensive line in the league, alongside defensive ends Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen, and playing on the interior next to fellow nose tackle Linval Joseph, creating a new version of the Wiliams Wall as a duo I’m now coining as Joseph Richardson, attorney at … Sacks. Buh. Terrible. Richardson was a first round pick (13th overall) out of Missouri for the New York Jets and has started all but two of the 73 possible games thus far in his career. He was born and raised in St. Louis and has just under 300 career tackles (286), 19 sacks, 43 tackles for loss, 60 QB pressures, one interception and seven pass deflections while also recovering five fumbles and forcing six. He also had two touchdowns in 2013 while playing for the Jets. He was the defensive rookie of the year for the Jets in 2013 according to the Associated Press after a season in which he was responsible for just under 80 tackles (78), 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble. After not starting the season opener he started the final 15 games of that season while earning Defensive Player of the Month honors in November of that year. 2014 was arguably the best year of his career thus far, setting a career high in 8 sacks, including three while playing against the Vikings in Minnesota. He was also named to the Pro Bowl that season.

It’s not hard to see why he’d want to join the Vikings after leaving Seattle as with the Jets, as well, as he’s accustomed to playing within great defenses. With his addition, he’s joining what should be considered the best defense in the NFL in the Vikings, with really only the Jacksonville Jaguars coming close to what the Vikings have on paper (it’s also the best defense that this franchise has ever seen). With the Vikings also being named as a team that’s in the running for safety Tyrann Mathieu, as well, it’s looking like the Vikings aren’t resting on their laurels or accomplishments from last season and that they realize that they need to keep improving if they want to finally win a Super Bowl for the state and fan base that are bringing their owners billions of dollars and really if they want to keep up with the Eagles, a team that improved dramatically thanks to time and it’s power to heal ACL injuries.

Vikings fans should be extremely excited that the owners of the Vikings are willing to reinvest that money into the product they put onto the field and while people seem to be upset about how they’re going about it and the people they’re bringing in, they have to realize that the alternative could be an ownership group that could’ve very easily spent just as much money on the quarterback position for two quarterbacks that are either super injury prone or unproven or simply not spent that money at all. I, for one, think that they’re amassing the most talented on paper team that we’ve ever seen in over 50 years as a franchise and couldn’t be happier to be covering that team.

So, let’s welcome Richardson to town!

SKOL!

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