07-21-2018, 11:28 AM
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman headed into the offseason with one very big mission.
The Vikings have gotten some strong one-season performances from their quarterbacks over the past decade. Brett Favre (in 2009) and Teddy Bridgewater (in 2015) made the Pro Bowl. Sam Bradford set an NFL completion percentage record in 2016. Case Keenum led Minnesota to the NFC Championship Game last season.
What the Vikings haven’t had at quarterback is stability. They haven’t had a regular starting quarterback for more than two straight years since Daunte Culpepper manned the spot from 2000-04 before suffering a knee injury midway through the 2005 season.
“We’ve got a very good defense, we’ve got a lot of good offensive weapons, but we haven’t been able to stabilize the quarterback situation,” Spielman said last month at a Vikings charity golf outing.
In their quest to do that, the Vikings elected not to re-sign Bridgewater or Bradford, who have battled serious injuries, or even Keenum. Instead, they signed free agent Kirk Cousins, who quarterbacked the Washington Redskins the past six seasons, to a three-year, $84 million fully guaranteed contract.
Spielman and the Vikings are banking on Cousins being the final piece for the Vikings to win their first Super Bowl.
Obviously, Cousins will need plenty of help. As the Vikings begin training camp next week, here are five players who will have a major say in the team’s chances of hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 3 at Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta:
https://www.twincities.com/2018/07/20/ki...uper-bowl/
The Vikings have gotten some strong one-season performances from their quarterbacks over the past decade. Brett Favre (in 2009) and Teddy Bridgewater (in 2015) made the Pro Bowl. Sam Bradford set an NFL completion percentage record in 2016. Case Keenum led Minnesota to the NFC Championship Game last season.
What the Vikings haven’t had at quarterback is stability. They haven’t had a regular starting quarterback for more than two straight years since Daunte Culpepper manned the spot from 2000-04 before suffering a knee injury midway through the 2005 season.
“We’ve got a very good defense, we’ve got a lot of good offensive weapons, but we haven’t been able to stabilize the quarterback situation,” Spielman said last month at a Vikings charity golf outing.
In their quest to do that, the Vikings elected not to re-sign Bridgewater or Bradford, who have battled serious injuries, or even Keenum. Instead, they signed free agent Kirk Cousins, who quarterbacked the Washington Redskins the past six seasons, to a three-year, $84 million fully guaranteed contract.
Spielman and the Vikings are banking on Cousins being the final piece for the Vikings to win their first Super Bowl.
Obviously, Cousins will need plenty of help. As the Vikings begin training camp next week, here are five players who will have a major say in the team’s chances of hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 3 at Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta:
https://www.twincities.com/2018/07/20/ki...uper-bowl/