Barr, Diggs or Hunter...

I think you offer fair, but doable, deals to all 3 and see who takes what.  If 2 of the 3 sign you have your answer there.  If all 3 sign it's a win,  if 1 or none sign...well we got problems.

Just a hunch that one will "self-select" for more money elsewhere.

Barr is going to be rushing the passer a lot this year and his value will increase as a result.  His spin move needs work, but he can really bend the corner like a top DE.  I'm expecting his best year yet.

I could see Devonte Downs or Jayron Kearse offsetting Barr's absence on the second level during those snaps.  I'm pretty high on Downs, obviously.

Diggs may be too expensive. He's got to want to stay, cuz other teams will readily throw a $15mil/yr contract at him.

I see Hunter in the same light.  

These 3 could command $45mil/yr in cap space.  I'm just not seeing how the math is gonna work.  So, A Trade would not surprise me.  I'm sure The Team wants to keep all three of these young studs, but they will also surely evaluate moving at least one of them for multiple picks.

I don't recall The Team Ever having this problem where their draft picks have been so strong that they exceeded team capanomics, but here we are.

Hats off to the GM and Coaching Staff.

I don't recall three QBs leaving the team in one year to all go start somewhere else, either.

As A Lifelong Fan, I can say I've never seen such a strong roster for my team.

The X Factor here will probably be injuries.  I don't wanna call it early or rank them.  If we win it all, there will be goodbyes, regardless, eh?

We don't have great depth at any three of those positions...I don't want to lose any of them...but keeping all three might require a second Minneapolis Miracle...

@"kahsmick" said: Barr is going to be rushing the passer a lot this year and his value will increase as a result.  His spin move needs work, but he can really bend the corner like a top DE.  I'm expecting his best year yet.

I could see Devonte Downs or Jayron Kearse offsetting Barr's absence on the second level during those snaps.  I'm pretty high on Downs, obviously.

Diggs may be too expensive. He's got to want to stay, cuz other teams will readily throw a $15mil/yr contract at him.

I see Hunter in the same light.  

These 3 could command $45mil/yr in cap space.  I'm just not seeing how the math is gonna work.  So, A Trade would not surprise me.  I'm sure The Team wants to keep all three of these young studs, but they will also surely evaluate moving at least one of them for multiple picks.

I don't recall The Team Ever having this problem where their draft picks have been so strong that they exceeded team capanomics, but here we are.

Hats off to the GM and Coaching Staff.

I don't recall three QBs leaving the team in one year to all go start somewhere else, either.

As A Lifelong Fan, I can say I've never seen such a strong roster for my team.

The X Factor here will probably be injuries.  I don't wanna call it early or rank them.  If we win it all, there will be goodbyes, regardless, eh?

What kind of picks would you expect for each of the 3?

Barr is getting 12 million on his 5th year option for us but new team would be reworked - the 5th year only applies to us, correct?

Diggs and Hunter are making 2 million this year and would be much more trade - able with those low numbers.

Not proposing trading any of them just curious because it is going to be difficult to keep all 3 and if we know one of them is going to be very difficult to sign (numbers are way off from the get-go) then getting picks is better then getting nothing.

Would all 3 command a first rounder plus some?

I will defer to fans who analyze contracts and trade value more than me.

I think any one of them easily garners a 1st round pick.

In terms of positional value?  Barr as a Hybrid DE/OLB with elite traits is going to be highly-rated.  But, Hunter with his youth, and size and injury-free history is right there with him.

Stud Defenders are like gold in this league.

As crazy as it sounds, Diggs is probably the Third Priority in this discussion, and he is probably Top 10 in the league at his position.  That's just nuts.  

The Dolphins couldn't keep Landry, and I think Diggs is right there with him as far as skill level and impact.  I would hate to see him go.

Part of me says get all these extensions done ASAP, but the cynical part of me says let's wait for a season of cheap contracts to play out and watch for injuries and performance before making the big decisions.

Its hard to envision a scenario where we keep 'em all.  Much like last year with our quirky QB quandry.

I think losing Diggs would have the biggest impact. The defense is so stacked that even if you took Hunter or Barr away from it it's still a very good defense. Thielen and, I guess, Wright or Treadwell as our wides changes the identity of the offense completely IMO.

To me, Hunter would be the least missed. His production is not irreplaceable - we seemingly are always stacked with depth at the position - I think if we can rotate our DTs I think we could rotate ends and remain schematically sound.

I think Diggs would be the most missed. I feel like Cousins having consistent targets will allow him to maximize his own potential here. Diggs may be replaceable, but i've watched our offense struggle enough over the years where I just don't know how easy it is schematically to replace a WR that works. When WRs play the position right, the offense becomes easier. When it's not, the entire offense can struggle.

Barr is a bit of the opposite of Hunter to me. When you think about these two players ceilings as players, Barr might already be there. Hunter is still kinda scratching the surface. One is carving out playing time begging to be given a role, the other has been put in a lot of positions to succeed as a player. I think Barr would definitely be missed, but I don't know if it's a Hunter like thing over his potential to make big plays or if its simply because we never seem to have another option at linebacker. Barr's performance jumps from "best LB in the game" to "another guy" through out the year. He needs to be more consistent, but he is a staple of our defense as it stands. He'd be priority 2 in my book.

The thing about Hunter is... no one thinks he's touched his potential. I agree; the guy seems like he could be a monster. He has flashed some special stuff. Who wants to lose out on that?

In terms of positional value and ease of replacement...  It's much easier to find good LBs than young, stud pass rushers or explosive WRs.

So if I can only have two and need to let one walk...  it's Barr. 

I think my primary motivator would be getting good value.  My secondary motivator would be ease of replacement.

All 3 of the guys have splashed a little bit, but none have really been premier players.  Also the Vikings are in the drivers seat as there aren't many better places to play than here.  I think Diggs is the hardest to replace as we've had a lot of tough luck with getting WRs to work out that I'm not as excited to go through that process again.  I trust our defense more to develop these young guys, but if Diggs is expecting $14.5M (unless it includes a lot of incentives), I'd let him wait it out and tell him we need to see more out of him to commit to that.  That said, I think a guy like Hunter who's coming in off a down year might be the easiest to resign at a reasonable price considering he's coming off a down year.

I like Barr, but I think he's had enough pro bowls to inflate his self worth to be more than his actual value.  I think he'll be the hardest to resign for a decent value and not that difficult to replace, even though we probably should have gotten another guy in the pipeline rather than waiting until next year.

Hunter then Diggs followed by Barr. That's my order of importance. Barr should be allowed to have a fully motivated contract year. That would make him a monster for all 60 minutes of every game. Diggs needs to stay on the field for 16 games we have done alright when he's been out. It would still be a blow if he moved on. Hunter plays a position that is hard to find or replace without a hit to our bread and butter unit. 

@"medaille" said: I like Barr, but I think he's had enough pro bowls to inflate his self worth to be more than his actual value.  I think he'll be the hardest to resign for a decent value

Right away, what came to my mind is not just the pro-bowls, but his "highlight" type plays. Those flashy plays that earned him a pro-bowl spot are ingrained into every team's mind, no doubt. When free agency starts, teams will throw money at him in hopes of bringing those types of plays to their franchise. His positives will be super inflated because teams are desperate to have a player who can scare the shit out of opposing QBs - Anthony Barr's best is exactly what teams around the league want on their defense. 

Lol, PF asked in another thread how much Diggs catch was worth. How much was Barr's Aaron Rodgers KO worth as interested teams watch it back on tape a month out of free agency? I think GMs will be drooling...

This year will be very interesting to head into the year watching these guys go and weighing this question out week by week.

@"suncoastvike" said: Hunter then Diggs followed by Barr. That's my order of importance. Barr should be allowed to have a fully motivated contract year. That would make him a monster for all 60 minutes of every game. Diggs needs to stay on the field for 16 games we have done alright when he's been out. It would still be a blow if he moved on. Hunter plays a position that is hard to find or replace without a hit to our bread and butter unit. 

We are thinking the same. I look forward to seeing how it plays out.  I am caught between knowing the significance of this one year and the Superbowl possibilities but looking forward to following seasons and stacking draft picks. DE and WR seems more difficult to replace.  I have seen a few here comment that Barr is a guy that helps make Zimmer’s defense go.  I frankly dont know the ins and outs enough to disagree. But it seems that Barr’s freakish speed and athleticism make his true value apparent in a blitz heavy or as an incredibly rare value pass rusher in a 3-4 defense. It might also be the best thing for Barr’s career.  He might have the highest trade value and the smallest hit on the defensive talent pool in Zimmer’s scheme. The right team might give up a first and a fourth to get him. I am sure others will be very happy to disagree.

Diggs worries me due to his always getting hurt then disappearing.   If that's a pattern that continues into the future he won't be worth top 10 WR money IMO.

Barr is better then most here give him credit for but he can be replace more easily than the others.

Hunter - I don't think they will lose him.  He will be signed first of the group I bet.

Honestly, I think Hunter leaving would have the least negative impact as the D-line depth and talent is super deep. We've got nobody to replace Barr or Diggs depth-wise that would make any kind of impact....nothing in the depth pipeline at all. 

@"StickyBun" said: Honestly, I think Hunter leaving would have the least negative impact as the D-line depth and talent is super deep. We've got nobody to replace Barr or Diggs depth-wise that would make any kind of impact....nothing in the depth pipeline at all. 

It could be hard to argue that. Being deep is not the same as talent though. I just believe the defensive line quality is harder to replace. There's a reason history names famous defensive lines. I don't remember one LB unit name. There's another factor here worth mentioning. Richardson is only playing on a one year deal. The unit consisting of Griff, Hunter and Richardson might prove in late game and post season situation to be the most valuable. I'm with poiple here I don't understand the ins and out of the defense to know Barr's true importance. My eyes tell be Barr seems out of the play often and Diggs is still chasing a 1000 yard season because he's yet played all 16 games. I would be willing to move Barr past Diggs on my list of importance. Wouldn't it be great if we figured a way to keep all 4 including Richardson? 

For me the order of signing importance is Diggs, Hunter then Barr...

For the very reasons stated in this thread. What has me intrigued is Diggs with KC @ QB. 

I hate to type this but, I think the best senerio for the team is to trade Diggs and Waynes.
Treadwell can replace SD with Hill and Hughes replacing TW.
I think they can get at least a 2nd rd pick for each player,  which is better than any comp. picks.
I don’t see enough money being available for all the contracts coming up.
Good problem to have.

@"StickyBun" said: Honestly, I think Hunter leaving would have the least negative impact as the D-line depth and talent is super deep. We've got nobody to replace Barr or Diggs depth-wise that would make any kind of impact....nothing in the depth pipeline at all. 

You're probably right in the short-term, but long-term I think it may prove to have the biggest impact. Assuming Hunter leaves you're likely losing Robison, Richardson, and Hunter after this season. That leaves you a gap both at 3-tech and DE since nobody else on the roster has taken a full workload. 

After that you're left with Everson at age 31 and Linval Joseph at age 30. So you're not really getting any younger either. 

Resigning Hunter has to be a priority in my opinion. Even over Diggs. People are going to give Hunter grief since he didn't fill up the stat sheet in 2017 but his game tape was absolutely phenomenal and a team on the FA market is going to throw $15-18M+ at him without much hesitation. 

Losing Barr would hurt the least. Hunter's still 23... Brian Robison was 23 when he was drafted.  Hunter's ceiling hasn't been touched yet.

Diggs can play inside or outside, run any route you want, get open and make contested catches.  Plus he plays big in the bright lights (USB stadium opener vs GB, 2017 opener vs. NO, Minneapolis Miracle). Him leaving would also hurt Thielen, who would promptly get doubled every way possible.

Barr  just hasn't seemed to grow that much from his rookie year. Some of that is likely Zimmer's "just do your assignment" preference, but sometimes he seems to be just taking up space... and not as much of it as a 6'5/250/4.5 should.