Reiff Released

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why do I have the feeling we are clearing money for a “splash” trade?

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I think the Vikings wanted to keep Reiff but Reiff realized his worth in today's market and didn't want to extend his deal. I've never been a Reiff fan but that doesn't mean we might not be worse in September at that spot without him. 

So this move frees up almost $12 mill on the cap then?

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@PurpleCrush said:
https://twitter.com/christomasson/status...8717314048

Man I wish Tice ran the Vikes OL. 

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@Vanguard83 said:
why do I have the feeling we are clearing money for a “splash” trade?

Probably for Geno Atkins and keeping Barr. Defensive side of the ball will get priority.

The offense "saved" this team last year - if you're glad they clawed their way from 5-11 to 7-9. That might have saved Zimmer's job. So, now he'll take the offense for granted. Rudolph won't be there, and his catches may have decreased but he blocked far better than Smith or Conklin, and by reputation alone he had coverage attention. Now Reiff is gone, so the most important position on the OL lost the most consistent player. Maybe he can be replaced by O'Neill or Cleveland, but will they play as well immediately? And then their former position becomes another "maybe", and LG remains a sucking wound.

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@JimmyinSD said:

@PurpleCrush said:
https://twitter.com/christomasson/status...8717314048

Wasn't that tried and proven wrong?  Reiff was a decent LT for Detroit,  they moved him to the right side when they got another LT and Reiff didn't look so hot,   he came to minny and played the left spot better than any have in 20 years (including guys coached by tice),   where does Tice think he would somehow be better on the right?

Yes. Lions drafted Taylor Decker to play RT, but in OTA's he competed with Reiff at LT and won the job, moving Reiff to the right, where he had his worst season to date in terms of PFF grade. 

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Not saying that I'm happy with this move, but Reiff is 32 & it's better to release a player a year too early rather than keeping him a year too late.

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This might have made sense IF the Vikings had decided around week 12 that 2020 was a "mini rebuild" year and started trying out some alternatives. Slide O'Neill to LT for a while, and/or Cleveland for a few games. Give Udoh four starts at RT. Maybe even put Hinton into a couple games, or, hell, throw Samia back into the mix and see if he could work out his issues on the field - he could have a future here, while Dozier does not.

Then you release Reiff with some data on what the line should look like in 2021. As it is, we don't know if anyone else can play LT, and any rookie is a gamble.

"Bonus" - they could have rested some other starters, rather than risking Cousins or Cook. Jake Browning could have thrown a pass in the NFL to see if he can backup Cousins, Mike Boone could have had more reps. And if we drop the meaningless "win" at Detroit the last week, and turn one of those skin-of-the-teeth victories over Carolina or Jacksonville into a loss, this team would be picking 7th or 8th. In that position, they might actually have a shot at picking Christian Darrisaw if it turns out they need him. Or does anyone really think if he is an automatic NFL starter at LT he is going to slide to 19 or so?

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Week 12 we were still competing for a playoff spot.

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@"BarrNone55" said:
Week 12 we were still competing for a playoff spot.

I forgot, we were a 4-6 powerhouse that could have charged into another wildcard loss.

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@Jor-El said:

@"BarrNone55" said:
Week 12 we were still competing for a playoff spot.

I forgot, we were a 4-6 powerhouse that could have charged into another wildcard loss.

Better, let's tell the locker room we are done competing. Brilliant!