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05-13-2023, 02:05 AM

Quote: @HappyViking said:
Did the Viking decision makers want him gone or did Z just want to leave? I wish he would've stayed. He was awesome until he hurt his knee. The D is worse without him, I do believe.

He didn't want to be here so they got what they could and freed up cash. Time to move on

05-13-2023, 03:47 AM

I don't think it's that he didn't want to be here as much as we weren't going to pay him the money he was expecting.

05-13-2023, 05:30 AM

So in 2025 our 6 and 7 are gone but we got a 5 back.... I can see the trade down to get that 6 back happening already :p

2025 picks: 1,2,3,4,5,5

@Wetlander said:

Quote:
It's solid comp for a guy who 1) didn't want to be here and 2) will be 31 years old when the season starts.

Frees up quite a bit of cap space for us this year and next year. Nice move by Kwesi.

We're starting to load up on 2024 picks... Have our 1st, 2nd, 4th, Lions 4th, Chiefs 5th, Browns 5th, and our 6th. If we end up dealing Dalvin for a Day 2/3 pick, we'll have some ammo to make a move for a rookie QB in 2024 if we go that route.

I wouldn't say "load up". We're finally back to 7 picks, but the missing 3 counts as more valuable than the Det 4 + Browns 5 together so we're still below average in draft capital. Better than we were coming into this year's draft though.

Still think Dalvin ends up cut.

Glad we got something for Z. Like I said months ago about Dalvin, a bag of Cheetos>nothing, so take the Cheetos and smile.

05-13-2023, 11:00 AM

Quote: @medaille said:
I don't think it's that he didn't want to be here as much as we weren't going to pay him the money he was expecting.

And the $ he was expecting was not the contract he signed? I'm still trying to put my finger on what caused this relationship to hit bottom and who's @ fault for the divorce?

05-13-2023, 11:15 AM

Quote: @purplefaithful said:

@medaille said:
I don't think it's that he didn't want to be here as much as we weren't going to pay him the money he was expecting.
And the $ he was expecting was not the contract he signed? I'm still trying to put my finger on what caused this relationship to hit bottom and who's @ fault for the divorce?

From what I've read, the Vikings were caught off guard by him asking for a new deal after he signed a 3 yr deal with them a year ago. If he changed agents and then got pissy because he thought he should get more money, can't blame the Vikings there. He's gonna be 31 and has dealt with injuries the past couple seasons in Green Bay and MN. He was good in the first half the season, but then he hurt his knee and didn't do much after that. This is the reason we signed Davenport.

05-13-2023, 11:36 AM

Vikings trade Za’Darius Smith: Why Minnesota moved on from the Pro Bowl pass rusherA breakup between the Vikings and Smith seemed imminent for months. In February, Smith prepared to sell his Minnesota home. In early March, he tweeted a thank you/farewell note to the Vikings organization — even though he remained under contract.
The Vikings brass did not publicly respond to Smith’s message. Privately, though, the team clarified that it had no plans to release Smith. More than a month passed, and in the aftermath of the 2023 NFL Draft, with Smith still occupying a spot on the roster, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah explained that conversations with Smith and his representation were ongoing.
Ultimately, Adofo-Mensah consummated a deal with one of his mentors, Brownsgeneral manager Andrew Berry.
Multiple factors motivated the Vikings to make the move. We’ve already mentioned one of them. In Week 1 last year — and, to be fair, throughout much of the first half of the season — Smith’s impact was unmistakable. He applied pressure on the quarterback and was often a one-man electric current that sparked Minnesota’s defense.
Through the first nine games, Smith tallied 9 1/2 sacks and a 20.8 percent pressure rate, both metrics which ranked in the top two among 164 players who accumulated 100 pass-rush snaps during that span. Then, in the final eight games, Smith totaled just 1/2 a sack and an 11.4 percent pressure rate, which ranked 130th and 63rd, respectively, during that span.
Multiple injuries hampered Smith’s play. He navigated a knee bruise as well as elbow soreness. Still, the Vikings were aware that Smith is only getting older. Smith will turn 31 in September.
Money was another key factor in the Vikings’ decision to move on from the three-time Pro Bowler. Minnesota, which has been constrained by its salary cap situation all offseason, has been seeking maneuverability. Smith was hoping for a landing spot with a team that would pay him what he felt he deserved.
The Vikings could have released Smith, but they would have owed about $8 million in dead cap. A trade, on the other hand, provided Minnesota a chance to improve its draft capital, even if it was going to have to take on some of the money in Smith’s deal. Also of note, if the Vikings had not moved on from Smith this offseason, they would have had to worry about a cap hit of more than $21 million for 2024.
Push finally came to shove Friday night as the Vikings inched ever closer to the salary cap. They had signed draft picks Mekhi Blackmon, Jay Ward, Jaquelin Royand Jaren Hall earlier in the day. First-rounder Jordan Addison, who was selected at No. 23, will have an estimated cap hit of $2.6 million, according to Over The Cap. The Vikings did not have enough room to sign him — until this move.
https://theathletic.com/4515672/2023/05/13/vikings-trade-zadarius-smith/

05-13-2023, 12:45 PM

Would've preferred to work something out with him, but trading him is 2nd best. I think most players like that--31, oft-injured, making $14M--are just released. See Bobby Wagner.

05-13-2023, 02:47 PM

Like Boone, Z was a big talker. Unlike Boone, Z was a big producer for half the season until he suffered a bruised knee. He appeared to quit the team and use the bruise as an excuse. I can only assume it was about money despite signing the contract himself.
Vikings ended up with some cap relief and a little draft capitol.
Lucky to get anything in return.
Hopefully they can get something for Cook, but I doubt it would be much, if anything.

05-13-2023, 04:10 PM

Quote: @MaroonBells said:
Would've preferred to work something out with him, but trading him is 2nd best. I think most players like that--31, oft-injured, making $14M--are just released. See Bobby Wagner.

Didn't he say goodbye before the Vikings even hired Flores? When a player goes public with his desires to no longer be with a team, it really didn't leave us with many options. Swapping 6th and 7th round picks for a couple of 5ths is better than releasing him for nothing and getting stuck with all of his dead cap so I say we move on and take this as a win.

05-13-2023, 07:16 PM

He talked a good game, and played a good game for half a year. Came off as a big team first, rah rah guy, but when it came down to it, he was a me first guy. Some rumors have it he was upset last season not being named a team captain. Who knows? If that’s gonna make you cry, good riddance.He didn’t want to be here, so would he have been a first half of the season Smith, or second half Smith this season?