All part of Kwesi's long-range plan
Interesting...Kwesi and crew knew all along that this would be the year that they would have this cap space and resources available THIS YEAR, and that's how they planned it and allowed it to roll out. Patience.
Q: No team appears to be spending as much cash on players in 2025. Was that part of the plan and does it inherently put more pressure on this year’s team?
A: This was a part of the plan the whole time, just knowing that we would have these resources, maybe moving on from that first core that we inherited and kind of came to this place here. Pressure — obviously I’m not one of the players on the field — but we brought in a lot of players that wake up every day trying to be the best version of themselves, so when you approach every day that way, I feel you don’t look too far in front of your face.
Yep, and you could see it coming a mile away. 2025 would be the year we'd go for all the marbles. We'd be free of our big QB salary, we'd have our QBOTF going into his 2nd or 3rd year, depending on if we drafted him in '23 or '24. We'd have miles of cap space to replace the 1-year contract players (Tillery, Bullard, Gilmore) we'd signed to keep us competitive in the interim. We had some bad luck along the way (inability to sign Wilkins), but also some good (players like Hargrave and Allen don't often get released).
Gives me some peace of mind that the Vikings know exactly where they are in terms of the cap in 2026 and have a detailed plan for it.
MaroonBells wrote:
Yep, and you could see it coming a mile away. 2025 would be the year we'd go for all the marbles. We'd be free of our big QB salary, we'd have our QBOTF going into his 2nd or 3rd year, depending on if we drafted him in '23 or '24. We'd have miles of cap space to replace the 1-year contract players (Tillery, Bullard, Gilmore) we'd signed to keep us competitive in the interim. We had some bad luck along the way (inability to sign Wilkins), but also some good (players like Hargrave and Allen don't often get released).Gives me some peace of mind that the Vikings know exactly where they are in terms of the cap in 2026 and have a detailed plan for it.
Think of what he could do if he learned how to draft....starters on rookie contracts..
badgervike wrote:
Think of what he could do if he learned how to draft....starters on rookie contracts..
Yes, even a below-average draft in 2022 would've helped this team a lot. Instead we got nothing.
MaroonBells wrote:
Yes, even a below-average draft in 2022 would've helped this team a lot. Instead we got nothing.
Lions have 13 projected starters on Offense and Defense on rookie deals
Packers have 12 projected starters on Offense and Defense on rookie deals
Vikings have 6 projected starters on Offense and Defense on rookie deals
It's tough to sustain and rebuild if you can't hit on the draft
MaroonBells wrote:
Yes, even a below-average draft in 2022 would've helped this team a lot. Instead we got nothing.
We need a longer window than what FA alone can provide.
Which is why I'm not 100% behind KAM...
I'm ok with the extension because of FA and continuity. But look at that DL room as an example. I like the signings (a lot) on paper, but how many are 30+ now?
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
purplefaithful wrote:
We need a longer window than what FA alone can provide.
Which is why I'm not 100% behind KAM...
I'm ok with the extension because of FA and continuity. But look at that DL room as an example. I like the signings (a lot) on paper, but how many are 30+ now?
We also have been very lucky with the Free Agents. Many of our FAs had injury history or are coming off injuries..corresponding to reduced salary demands...and so far it has worked out. I think we all remember the times it hasn't.
badgervike wrote:
Lions have 13 projected starters on Offense and Defense on rookie deals
Packers have 12 projected starters on Offense and Defense on rookie deals
Vikings have 6 projected starters on Offense and Defense on rookie dealsIt's tough to sustain and rebuild if you can't hit on the draft
I agree with your bottom line, but where are you getting this info? Just curious. Only counting 7 on the Lions roster. And not all of that is a good thing. For example, Tate Ratledge is one, but I'm sure they'd prefer Ragnow.
MaroonBells wrote:
I agree with your bottom line, but where are you getting this info? Just curious. Only counting 7 on the Lions roster. And not all of that is a good thing. For example, Tate Ratledge is one, but I'm sure they'd prefer Ragnow.
Looks like I missed a few Lion re-signings over the Summer. I have 9 / 10 starters on rookie contracts with the current Depth chart.
badgervike wrote:
We also have been very lucky with the Free Agents. Many of our FAs had injury history or are coming off injuries..corresponding to reduced salary demands...and so far it has worked out. I think we all remember the times it hasn't.
I also read where the Vikings have the 2nd fewest starts (in the league) from rookies over the last 3 or so years.
Kentis is right, Roseman is killing it in Philly in comparison.
I'm off my soapbox for today.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
StickierBuns wrote:
That's rough....and has to change or their window will close before it really ever got started.
Thats my biggest concern about his lack of drafting prowess - it's artificially shortening a window.
OTOH, one could argue its a really good veteran team which few rookies would crack (kinda like a rook DL trying to crack the starting rotation in 1973)
But thats about as positive a take as one could leave with...
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
badgervike wrote:
We also have been very lucky with the Free Agents. Many of our FAs had injury history or are coming off injuries..corresponding to reduced salary demands...and so far it has worked out. I think we all remember the times it hasn't.
I see this as the second most crucial aspect with regard to this years results ;second only to JJM. Last year the Vikings were unusually fortunate to have most of their free agents play well and stay healthy. This is a competitive team providing free agency continues to work out for them this year.
StickierBuns wrote:
That's rough....and has to change or their window will close before it really ever got started.
And this is what I mean when I say a GM's most important job is identifying young talent and drafting well because that is the lifeblood of your roster. You don't draft well, and you have to dip into free agency and spend money on roster holes that weren't addressed due to poor drafting. It's what we've seen play out to this point. Anybody can sign known talents in free agency and manipulate the cap with a good numbers guy like we have in Brez. That's not impressive. Find me a starting corner in the 5th round, now that's impressive.
Also, it's kind of ironic that his first big move was trading down for Lewis Cine and stockpiling draft picks, to drafting the least amount of players in the league over a four year period.
supafreak84 wrote:
And this is what I mean when I say a GM's most important job is identifying young talent and drafting well because that is the lifeblood of your roster. You don't draft well, and you have to dip into free agency and spend money on roster holes that weren't addressed due to poor drafting. It's what we've seen play out to this point. Anybody can sign known talents in free agency and manipulate the cap with a good numbers guy like we have in Brez. That's not impressive. Find me a starting corner in the 5th round, now that's impressive.
Also, it's kind of ironic that his first big move was trading down for Lewis Cine and stockpiling draft picks, to drafting the least amount of players in the league over a four year period.
The draft is a crapshoot and there aren’t any GMs who, over a period of time, do it significantly better or worse than any other GM. In fact, I think that might be the biggest myth in football, and one that I believed for a lot of years.
Think about it: all NFL teams have several coaches, scouting staffs, and access to the same mountains of film and resources. And since every team has this, it doesn’t make sense that there would be a lot of variance in their draft results. In fact, I would argue that I could put a monkey with a consensus big board in a war room and, over time, that monkey’s results would likely finish somewhere in the middle. Why do we hate fantasy drafting with guys who use a magazine? Because that guy has just as much chance to win as we do.
Take Howie Roseman. I keep hearing how he’s this great drafting GM. He had two really good drafts in 2021 and 2024. The rest are a mix of hits and misses like every other GM. But his early drafts were not very good at all. Between 2014 and 2020 none of his 1st round picks worked out. Marcus Smith, Nelson Agholor, Carson Wentz, Derek Barnett, Andre Dillard and Jalen Reagor. That’s SIX straight 1st round picks that were either mild or massive busts. Did he improve, or did he just get a little luckier? Both maybe?
But what he did VERY well was build through trades and free agency. Does anyone think the Eagles win the Super Bowl without AJ Brown, Saquon Barkley, Mekhi Becton, Darius Slay, CJ Gardner-Johnson and Zach Baun? Probably not. And the Eagles didn’t draft any of them.
Miss on a JJ Arcega Whiteside, Nelson Agholor and Jalen Reagor? Go get yourself an AJ Brown. Miss on Miles Sanders? Go get Saquon. Roseman is also tighly aligned with this coaching staff. Eagles were able to look at a 1st round bust like Mekhi Becton and see potential in their blocking scheme. They were right. Zach Baun was limited to special teams in New Orleans. Eagles see a fit in their defense, they sign him and he goes from nobody to 1st team All Pro.
MaroonBells wrote:
The draft is a crapshoot and there aren’t any GMs who, over a period of time, do it significantly better or worse than any other GM. In fact, I think that might be the biggest myth in football, and one that I believed for a lot of years.
Think about it: all NFL teams have several coaches, scouting staffs, and access to the same mountains of film and resources. And since every team has this, it doesn’t make sense that there would be a lot of variance in their draft results. In fact, I would argue that I could put a monkey with a consensus big board in a war room and, over time, that monkey’s results would likely finish somewhere in the middle. Why do we hate fantasy drafting with guys who use a magazine? Because that guy has just as much chance to win as we do.
Take Howie Roseman. I keep hearing how he’s this great drafting GM. He had two really good drafts in 2021 and 2024. The rest are a mix of hits and misses like every other GM. But his early drafts were not very good at all. Between 2014 and 2020 none of his 1st round picks worked out. Marcus Smith, Nelson Agholor, Carson Wentz, Derek Barnett, Andre Dillard and Jalen Reagor. That’s SIX straight 1st round picks that were either mild or massive busts. Did he improve, or did he just get a little luckier? Both maybe?
But what he did VERY well was build through trades and free agency. Does anyone think the Eagles win the Super Bowl without AJ Brown, Saquon Barkley, Mekhi Becton, Darius Slay, CJ Gardner-Johnson and Zach Baun? Probably not. And the Eagles didn’t draft any of them.
Miss on a JJ Arcega Whiteside, Nelson Agholor and Jalen Reagor? Go get yourself an AJ Brown. Miss on Miles Sanders? Go get Saquon. Roseman is also tighly aligned with this coaching staff. Eagles were able to look at a 1st round bust like Mekhi Becton and see potential in their blocking scheme. They were right. Zach Baun was limited to special teams in New Orleans. Eagles see a fit in their defense, they sign him and he goes from nobody to 1st team All Pro.
And that's all fine and dandy, but don't hamstring yourself by putting a guy in charge that has zero scouting experience or experience playing the game himself. That doesn't help your cause when trying to navigate a draft that's a crapshoot as is. Like I've said, much of the perception around Kwesi could swing wildly depending on McCarthy and Turner (who I both think will turn out to be good players)...but still needs to be shown. Stay tuned.
Agree on Roseman, but where he's proven to be really good is adding guys AFTER the 1st round and identifying talent. Mailata, Dickerson, Jurgens, Steen, Goedert, Ringo, DeJean, etc. That's the difference. Roseman has been able to identify later round talents that are now starters and supplementing a Super Bowl caliber roster. Kwesi has been here for four years...where's the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th round starters or major contributors? That's where GM's make their money
Give me results over Draft wins all day long, and KAM has them. He's earned an extension and got one. Good for him.
That said his drafts have been bad. Turner and McCarthy having big years would wipe the slate clean and I'd have more faith going into 2026 Draft Day. If Turner is so-so but McCarthy is good, that's still great frankly. If both look shaky (I do NOT think this will be the case but logic says it's possible)... then God help us all.
JANUARY 2026-
Season go good- Wow! We're set up so well for the future! Stacked roster, affordable QB. Add some pieces and run it back! SKOL!
Season go bad- We fluked our way to 14 wins two years ago with Sam Darnold and overpaid a GM who's never had a good draft in his life! Fire everyone!
That's life in the NFL.
supafreak84 wrote:
And that's all fine and dandy, but don't hamstring yourself by putting a guy in charge that has zero scouting experience or experience playing the game himself. That doesn't help your cause when trying to navigate a draft that's a crapshoot as is. Like I've said, much of the perception around Kwesi could swing wildly depending on McCarthy and Turner (who I both think will turn out to be good players)...but still needs to be shown. Stay tuned.
Agree on Roseman, but where he's proven to be really good is adding guys AFTER the 1st round and identifying talent. Mailata, Dickerson, Jurgens, Steen, Goedert, Ringo, DeJean, etc. That's the difference. Roseman has been able to identify later round talents that are now starters and supplementing a Super Bowl caliber roster. Kwesi has been here for four years...where's the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th round starters or major contributors? That's where GM's make their money
Roseman has as much playing, coaching and scouting experience as Kwesi. As far as those players go, Mailata had never played a down of American football before being drafted in the 7th round. He was a shot in the dark they got lucky on, but good on Roseman for seeing his potential. Steen and Ringo are not players that would go in his win column, at least not yet anyway. The rest are 2nd rounders, and we haven’t had a 2nd rounder in three straight drafts. That has an impact. However, those 2nd round assets are tied up like tranches in TJ Hockenson, Dallas Turner and JJ McCarthy.
Kwesi's free agents have been good and his 2022 draft was historically bad. But we won’t have a good picture of where Kwesi stands as a drafting GM until after we see what we get from JJ, Turner and Blackmon.
MaroonBells wrote:
Roseman has as much playing, coaching and scouting experience as Kwesi. As far as those players go, Mailata had never played a down of American football before being drafted in the 7th round. He was a shot in the dark they got lucky on, but good on Roseman for seeing his potential. Steen and Ringo are not players that would go in his win column, at least not yet anyway. The rest are 2nd rounders, and we haven’t had a 2nd rounder in three straight drafts. That has an impact. However, those 2nd round assets are tied up like tranches in TJ Hockenson, Dallas Turner and JJ McCarthy.
Kwesi's free agents have been good and his 2022 draft was historically bad. But we won’t have a good picture of where Kwesi stands as a drafting GM until after we see what we get from JJ, Turner and Blackmon.
I guess we can all agree that it's "wait and see" on Kwesi's draft acumen until we know what we have in McCarthy, Turner, and Donovan Jackson. These three turn into the players I think they will be, then the perception of Kwesi and his ability to draft competently goes waaaaay up and we no longer have this conversation
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