RUMOR: Harris to be traded for offensive lineman?

@"VikeMike52" said: Just read another unsubstantiated rumor that the Patriots are very interested in him. Could it be Harris for Thuney? Both are tag and trade candidates valued at around 3rd round value.

I figured, there are alot of floating around right now. 

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Jor-El" said:

@"MarkSP18" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"MarkSP18" said: Maybe they will stupidly give Cook a massive extension with that money?

You should probably just get used to it. Cook is a part of this. 

I never post what I think they will do.  I usually post what I would do.  Paying Cook big bucks does not seem like a good idea.

What would you offer him if you were GM and what are the chances you think he would accept your offer?

I like that you specify whether you're predicting the Vikings' actual actions or what you would recommend- too often we don't distinguish the two.
If it were me, I would ask him to play in 2020 on the contract he signed, and show us a full season of health and productivity. There are too many examples of teams losing piles of money by overpaying RBs (Todd Gurley, David Johnson, Jerrick McKinnon), NFL teams are not fighting to sign RBs, and a hallmark of the Gary Kubiak offense is running success without a premier RB. Cook wouldn't like that, but what are his options? Holding out and demanding a trade achieved nothing for Melvin Gordon last year. Besides, holding out is a weakened threat if the NFL season might be delayed or even canceled.

Whether or not they extend Cook, Vikings should pick another RB in the draft - maybe Darrynton Evans in the 3rd.
But I think the Vikings will give Cook a large extension soon.

I agree with you. The only thing I would say is that the market already knows about the "RB problem." You can argue about overpaying Gurley, McKinnon, etc., But the "problem" is already baked into their contracts. Last time I checked, among the top 50 highest paid players in the NFL, only 1 was a running back. 

This also spells out how RBs were the biggest losers with the new CBA. But analytics as a whole have really poked quite a few holes in the value of running backs, even those on rookie contracts. At the end of the day the value is in the O-line, and scheme. Regardless of how talented you are as a player what happens before you touch the ball has the most bearing on the outcome of the play. 

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"VikeMike52" said: Just read another unsubstantiated rumor that the Patriots are very interested in him. Could it be Harris for Thuney? Both are tag and trade candidates valued at around 3rd round value.

What I know. Do the Vikings have some level of interest in Thuney? Yes. Does it involve trading Ant straight up for Thuney.. ehhh, maybe not. 

@"pumpf" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"VikeMike52" said: Just read another unsubstantiated rumor that the Patriots are very interested in him. Could it be Harris for Thuney? Both are tag and trade candidates valued at around 3rd round value.

What I know. Do the Vikings have some level of interest in Thuney? Yes. Does it involve trading Ant straight up for Thuney.. ehhh, maybe not. 

So... either we don't want to trade Harris for Thuney... or it's not enough (for one of the teams)?  Any idea what the plan is for Harris?  PA said yesterday that our best hope is for a 5th rounder for him.  Is that how you see it?

@"pumpf" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"VikeMike52" said: Just read another unsubstantiated rumor that the Patriots are very interested in him. Could it be Harris for Thuney? Both are tag and trade candidates valued at around 3rd round value.

What I know. Do the Vikings have some level of interest in Thuney? Yes. Does it involve trading Ant straight up for Thuney.. ehhh, maybe not. 

So... either we don't want to trade Harris for Thuney... or it's not enough (for one of the teams)?  Any idea what the plan is for Harris?  PA said yesterday that our best hope is for a 5th rounder for him.  Is that how you see it?

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Jor-El" said:

@"MarkSP18" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"MarkSP18" said: Maybe they will stupidly give Cook a massive extension with that money?

You should probably just get used to it. Cook is a part of this. 

I never post what I think they will do.  I usually post what I would do.  Paying Cook big bucks does not seem like a good idea.

What would you offer him if you were GM and what are the chances you think he would accept your offer?

I like that you specify whether you're predicting the Vikings' actual actions or what you would recommend- too often we don't distinguish the two.
If it were me, I would ask him to play in 2020 on the contract he signed, and show us a full season of health and productivity. There are too many examples of teams losing piles of money by overpaying RBs (Todd Gurley, David Johnson, Jerrick McKinnon), NFL teams are not fighting to sign RBs, and a hallmark of the Gary Kubiak offense is running success without a premier RB. Cook wouldn't like that, but what are his options? Holding out and demanding a trade achieved nothing for Melvin Gordon last year. Besides, holding out is a weakened threat if the NFL season might be delayed or even canceled.

Whether or not they extend Cook, Vikings should pick another RB in the draft - maybe Darrynton Evans in the 3rd.
But I think the Vikings will give Cook a large extension soon.

I agree with you. The only thing I would say is that the market already knows about the "RB problem." You can argue about overpaying Gurley, McKinnon, etc., But the "problem" is already baked into their contracts. Last time I checked, among the top 50 highest paid players in the NFL, only 1 was a running back. 

This also spells out how RBs were the biggest losers with the new CBA. But analytics as a whole have really poked quite a few holes in the value of running backs, even those on rookie contracts. At the end of the day the value is in the O-line, and scheme. Regardless of how talented you are as a player what happens before you touch the ball has the most bearing on the outcome of the play. 

I agree...to a degree. It would be a big mistake to discount how good Cook really is. Because the way you have it painted here, the Vikings already have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. 

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Jor-El" said:

@"MarkSP18" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"MarkSP18" said: Maybe they will stupidly give Cook a massive extension with that money?

You should probably just get used to it. Cook is a part of this. 

I never post what I think they will do.  I usually post what I would do.  Paying Cook big bucks does not seem like a good idea.

What would you offer him if you were GM and what are the chances you think he would accept your offer?

I like that you specify whether you're predicting the Vikings' actual actions or what you would recommend- too often we don't distinguish the two.
If it were me, I would ask him to play in 2020 on the contract he signed, and show us a full season of health and productivity. There are too many examples of teams losing piles of money by overpaying RBs (Todd Gurley, David Johnson, Jerrick McKinnon), NFL teams are not fighting to sign RBs, and a hallmark of the Gary Kubiak offense is running success without a premier RB. Cook wouldn't like that, but what are his options? Holding out and demanding a trade achieved nothing for Melvin Gordon last year. Besides, holding out is a weakened threat if the NFL season might be delayed or even canceled.

Whether or not they extend Cook, Vikings should pick another RB in the draft - maybe Darrynton Evans in the 3rd.
But I think the Vikings will give Cook a large extension soon.

I agree with you. The only thing I would say is that the market already knows about the "RB problem." You can argue about overpaying Gurley, McKinnon, etc., But the "problem" is already baked into their contracts. Last time I checked, among the top 50 highest paid players in the NFL, only 1 was a running back. 

This also spells out how RBs were the biggest losers with the new CBA. But analytics as a whole have really poked quite a few holes in the value of running backs, even those on rookie contracts. At the end of the day the value is in the O-line, and scheme. Regardless of how talented you are as a player what happens before you touch the ball has the most bearing on the outcome of the play. 

I agree...to a degree. It would be a big mistake to discount how good Cook really is. Because the way you have it painted here, the Vikings already have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. 

I agree with that. I should have clarified that it shouldn't discount how good Cook is. But the core idea would be to spend more on the O-line than it would be to spend big on a Cook extension. 

@"MaroonBells" said:

Yes, because a good offensive line can make both Cook and Cousins go. And as we've seen in other Kubiak offenses, it can make average backs very good. 

The more I think about it, the more I would love to turn an abundance of safeties into OL help. That's one less position we have to address in the draft. If you draft your safety in the 2nd round, you have two 1st rounders to address 3T, CB or WR.

Trent Williams wants out of WashingtonThe Redskins, who have botched plenty of situations through the years, miscalculated the Williams situation.
Williams has insisted he won’t play for the Redskins again. His displeasure goes back to a misdiagnosis of a growth on his head that he said turned out to be cancerous. Washington stubbornly held onto him anyway.
Williams’ agent Vincent Taylor put pressure on the Redskins to get something done now by releasing a statement through ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
It seemed to be a bit of a warning that if the Redskins don’t act, Williams won’t be quiet about the team much longer. In fact, that process started with Taylor’s statement.
Redskins haven’t made Williams move yetWashington has wasted a lot of time on a situation that is clearly not going to get better. The Redskins could have traded Williams last year, but didn’t. They could have done it this month, but haven’t yet even with the NFL’s trading market being as active as ever.
Williams is a seven-time Pro Bowler and just 31 years old. Even though he didn’t play at all in 2019 and his displeasure with the Redskins has gotten fairly ugly, a lot of teams need offensive line help and Williams is the rare option who could be acquired.
That is, if the rebuilding Redskins ever decide to get whatever value they can out of one of their tradable assets. Williams would appreciate that.

@"purplefaithful" said:

@"pumpf" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"VikeMike52" said: Just read another unsubstantiated rumor that the Patriots are very interested in him. Could it be Harris for Thuney? Both are tag and trade candidates valued at around 3rd round value.

What I know. Do the Vikings have some level of interest in Thuney? Yes. Does it involve trading Ant straight up for Thuney.. ehhh, maybe not. 

So... either we don't want to trade Harris for Thuney... or it's not enough (for one of the teams)?  Any idea what the plan is for Harris?  PA said yesterday that our best hope is for a 5th rounder for him.  Is that how you see it?

I turn in my Viking fan card if that went down for a 5th rounder...

@"Jor-El" said:

@"purplefaithful" said:

@"pumpf" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"VikeMike52" said: Just read another unsubstantiated rumor that the Patriots are very interested in him. Could it be Harris for Thuney? Both are tag and trade candidates valued at around 3rd round value.

What I know. Do the Vikings have some level of interest in Thuney? Yes. Does it involve trading Ant straight up for Thuney.. ehhh, maybe not. 

So... either we don't want to trade Harris for Thuney... or it's not enough (for one of the teams)?  Any idea what the plan is for Harris?  PA said yesterday that our best hope is for a 5th rounder for him.  Is that how you see it?

I turn in my Viking fan card if that went down for a 5th rounder...

Oh come on. Ten posts into the thread reporting the trade, people would start saying that Harris was a malcontent, overrated, not a good fit, and that our GM did a fantastic job turning a UDFA investment into a draft pick.

@"Wetlander" said:

@"Jor-El" said:

@"purplefaithful" said:

@"pumpf" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"VikeMike52" said: Just read another unsubstantiated rumor that the Patriots are very interested in him. Could it be Harris for Thuney? Both are tag and trade candidates valued at around 3rd round value.

What I know. Do the Vikings have some level of interest in Thuney? Yes. Does it involve trading Ant straight up for Thuney.. ehhh, maybe not. 

So... either we don't want to trade Harris for Thuney... or it's not enough (for one of the teams)?  Any idea what the plan is for Harris?  PA said yesterday that our best hope is for a 5th rounder for him.  Is that how you see it?

I turn in my Viking fan card if that went down for a 5th rounder...

Oh come on. Ten posts into the thread reporting the trade, people would start saying that Harris was a malcontent, overrated, not a good fit, and that our GM did a fantastic job turning a UDFA investment into a draft pick.

Uh, I get the feeling you posted this just to stir the pot.  Keep trolling, you might get a bite soon!

Wondering who most posters would have wanted us to keep of the 11 players that have moved on so far:

11 players :  Defense - Kearse, Sandejo, Rhodes, Waynes, Mac, Weatherly, Griffen, Joseph (5 starters!)

                    Offense - Diggs, Kline and Treadwell (2 starters) 

Obviously the most surprising and has created the most angst is the Diggs trade.  I was not for the trade until all the behind the scenes instances were revealed.  I had attributed his tweets as a typical immature, diva type young talented WR that was very competitive.  I did not know about him missing meetings and practices and the timing of his tweets that were not cryptic at all when you line them up. For some posters Diggs being a growing malcontent was not enough reason to try and trade him.  For me, I don't want a unhappy malcontent player who wants to be traded on my team.  I think we got a very good return for him.  Maybe koolaid for some but I had the same take on Harvin years ago.  

Our defense and specifically our secondary was our weakness all last year and year before with Rhodes rapid decline.  Glad we saved 8 million by cutting Rhodes.  Waynes I would have wanted to try and retain after checking the market rate and he ended up getting close to 15 million a year which is ridiculous.  So I support that decision as well of not paying Waynes that kind of money.  Sucks because we are now without either starting CB but each of those decisions I support.  

Joseph has been in rapid decline as well with the injuries mounting.  I think he got around a 2 year 16 million K.  Griffen is also another veteran who we do not have the money for and I don't have a major problem with letting him move on.  

The losses of Sandejo, Kearse, Kline and Treadwell....no comment and no real loss IMO.

I have to say I am not happy about losing Mac and Weatherly the most.  Two young players that I think/thought had some nice upside that I would have wanted to retain.  

So we have lost about 7 starters and added only 1 which is not inspiring for anyone but we all knew we were in for major changes.  For the most part we are blowing up the Defense which had underperformed and was overpaid.  

We now are looking at the less expensive free agent market, cuts and draft for 6 starters and depth.  That is a lot no doubt.  Am I thrilled about this offseason...not at all...but it is early and we needed change.

@"FSUVike" said:

@"Wetlander" said:

@"Jor-El" said:

@"purplefaithful" said:

@"pumpf" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"VikeMike52" said: Just read another unsubstantiated rumor that the Patriots are very interested in him. Could it be Harris for Thuney? Both are tag and trade candidates valued at around 3rd round value.

What I know. Do the Vikings have some level of interest in Thuney? Yes. Does it involve trading Ant straight up for Thuney.. ehhh, maybe not. 

So... either we don't want to trade Harris for Thuney... or it's not enough (for one of the teams)?  Any idea what the plan is for Harris?  PA said yesterday that our best hope is for a 5th rounder for him.  Is that how you see it?

I turn in my Viking fan card if that went down for a 5th rounder...

Oh come on. Ten posts into the thread reporting the trade, people would start saying that Harris was a malcontent, overrated, not a good fit, and that our GM did a fantastic job turning a UDFA investment into a draft pick.

Uh, I get the feeling you posted this just to stir the pot.  Keep trolling, you might get a bite soon!

He's not wrong. The purple koolaid must be helping some folks stay safe cuz you can't say one damn negative thing about a team that has lost 11 Players since the start of Free Agency and only added 1, easily the widest discrepancy in the League, without a dozen posters shouting you down.

@"FSUVike" said:

@"Wetlander" said:

@"Jor-El" said:

@"purplefaithful" said:

@"pumpf" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"VikeMike52" said: Just read another unsubstantiated rumor that the Patriots are very interested in him. Could it be Harris for Thuney? Both are tag and trade candidates valued at around 3rd round value.

What I know. Do the Vikings have some level of interest in Thuney? Yes. Does it involve trading Ant straight up for Thuney.. ehhh, maybe not. 

So... either we don't want to trade Harris for Thuney... or it's not enough (for one of the teams)?  Any idea what the plan is for Harris?  PA said yesterday that our best hope is for a 5th rounder for him.  Is that how you see it?

I turn in my Viking fan card if that went down for a 5th rounder...

Oh come on. Ten posts into the thread reporting the trade, people would start saying that Harris was a malcontent, overrated, not a good fit, and that our GM did a fantastic job turning a UDFA investment into a draft pick.

Uh, I get the feeling you posted this just to stir the pot.  Keep trolling, you might get a bite soon!

He's not wrong. The purple koolaid must be helping some folks stay safe cuz you can't say one damn negative thing about a team that has lost 11 Players since the start of Free Agency and only added 1, easily the widest discrepancy in the League, without a dozen posters shouting you down.

@"FSUVike" said:

@"Wetlander" said:

@"Jor-El" said:

@"purplefaithful" said:

@"pumpf" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"VikeMike52" said: Just read another unsubstantiated rumor that the Patriots are very interested in him. Could it be Harris for Thuney? Both are tag and trade candidates valued at around 3rd round value.

What I know. Do the Vikings have some level of interest in Thuney? Yes. Does it involve trading Ant straight up for Thuney.. ehhh, maybe not. 

So... either we don't want to trade Harris for Thuney... or it's not enough (for one of the teams)?  Any idea what the plan is for Harris?  PA said yesterday that our best hope is for a 5th rounder for him.  Is that how you see it?

I turn in my Viking fan card if that went down for a 5th rounder...

Oh come on. Ten posts into the thread reporting the trade, people would start saying that Harris was a malcontent, overrated, not a good fit, and that our GM did a fantastic job turning a UDFA investment into a draft pick.

Uh, I get the feeling you posted this just to stir the pot.  Keep trolling, you might get a bite soon!

He's not wrong. The purple koolaid must be helping some folks stay safe cuz you can't say one damn negative thing about a team that has lost 11 Players since the start of Free Agency and only added 1, easily the widest discrepancy in the League, without a dozen posters shouting you down.

It certainly isn't a great offseason for Minnesota, but where it will all end up remains to be seen yet. Its March. I think most should have understood that the team was up against the cap and these moves were coming to some aspect. The Vikings took a swing at the brass ring when they signed Cousins and it didn't work out in Year 1. Year 2 they got to the Final Four of the NFC, but did so as a wildcard, the last seeded team. I think the organization thought they'd have done better, but that's not how its turned out. 

It might be a step back for one year is required. I'm not doom and gloom but at the same time its obvious at least to me this will be a lesser team that is going to heavily rely on the offense to win games. And it won't be a deep team by any stretch, a few injuries will bring down the house of cards. But let's see what ends up happening come beginning of September.

@"Wetlander" said:

@"FSUVike" said:

@"Wetlander" said:

@"Jor-El" said:

@"purplefaithful" said:

@"pumpf" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"VikeMike52" said: Just read another unsubstantiated rumor that the Patriots are very interested in him. Could it be Harris for Thuney? Both are tag and trade candidates valued at around 3rd round value.

What I know. Do the Vikings have some level of interest in Thuney? Yes. Does it involve trading Ant straight up for Thuney.. ehhh, maybe not. 

So... either we don't want to trade Harris for Thuney... or it's not enough (for one of the teams)?  Any idea what the plan is for Harris?  PA said yesterday that our best hope is for a 5th rounder for him.  Is that how you see it?

I turn in my Viking fan card if that went down for a 5th rounder...

Oh come on. Ten posts into the thread reporting the trade, people would start saying that Harris was a malcontent, overrated, not a good fit, and that our GM did a fantastic job turning a UDFA investment into a draft pick.

Uh, I get the feeling you posted this just to stir the pot.  Keep trolling, you might get a bite soon!

He's not wrong. The purple koolaid must be helping some folks stay safe cuz you can't say one damn negative thing about a team that has lost 11 Players since the start of Free Agency and only added 1, easily the widest discrepancy in the League, without a dozen posters shouting you down.

I guess I've missed the posts praising our off-season to date.  I actually think it's been a terrible off-season...  so far. 

We made some cuts that needed to be made, but other than shoring up our special teams and adding a stud NT, we let the majority of our depth walk.  We're really thin in our secondary and our pass rush has taken a major hit with Griffen and Weatherly gone.

Unless Spielman nails the draft and Zimmer pulls a rabbit out of his hat with some of these Day 2/3 rookies, we'll likely take a step back this year.

Maybe we sign Clowney and find a few bargains on the FA market, but at this point I would agree with you that the roster looks a lot more questionable than it did last off-season.

I don't see anyone turning cartwheels over our off-season. With an extremely tight cap and a massive number of FAs, I expected zero signings, so to get Pierce was a boon.

Fully expected Diggs to be gone, so that's not a surprise. Pleased with the haul, but I'll be pissed if we spend a Day 1 pick in a WR outside the Big 3 WRs in this class. Too many guys who will be available in the third or later, Van Johnson, the kid from Minnesota, or Lynn Bowden, who will likely have similar impact.

The only truly puzzling move was Kline, and oh look, he's still available.