Well, folks, at least we didn’t have a boring bye week. During the bye, Rick Spielman decided to trade Yannick Ngakoue to the Baltimore Ravens. In so doing, the Minnesota Vikings have signaled their intent to begin a rebuild. The question at this point, then, rests not in whether Minnesota will commit themselves to a rebuild but, rather, how long the rebuild will last.
Minnesota Vikings Begin Rebuild
By trading Ngakoue to the Ravens, Spielman has acknowledged his initial mistake. Spielman, in essence, is signalling that Minnesota’s leadership badly misjudged the team’s competitiveness. When the trade first happened, the belief was that Danielle Hunter would play, meaning the Vikings would have a formidable tandem at defense end. Spielman’s misguided faith in his team’s ability has been costly. As Over the Cap notes, he does deserves some credit for recognizing his mistake and seeking to partially rectify it, but Spielman still forfeits some draft capital and cap space.
Perhaps the biggest news of the bye week, though, rests in the decision about Hunter’s neck injury. During training camp, the Vikings suggested that Hunter’s injury was a mere “tweak.” It’s long been evident that his injury is far more serious. Hunter is actually dealing with a herniated disc in his neck. Hunter and the Vikings have wisely chosen to move forward with surgery. The question now shifts to whether Hunter can return to his usual elite self. If he can, will he play in Minnesota?
#Vikings star Danielle Hunter is having surgery to clean up a herniated disc, knocking him out for 2020, per me & @TomPelissero. MIN has a decision this offseason: Make Hunter the highest-paid defender in football or trade him. Have we seen the last of him in a Vikings uniform👀
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 22, 2020
It’s unclear where Ian Rapoport is getting his info, but the talk of a Hunter trade or extension seems unlikely. Hunter still has three more years left on his contract after the 2020 season. The Vikings will want to see how he performs post-neck surgery before committing any new money to him. Moreover, trading Hunter would be an awful decision seeing as how the Vikings likely wouldn’t get fair value. The likeliest scenario rests in Hunter returning for the 2021 season, playing well, and then perhaps seeking an adjustment to his deal. If the Vikings feel compelled to adjust Hunter’s salary in the upcoming season, perhaps they’d consider converting some of his base salary into guaranteed money.
Without Ngakoue and Hunter, Minnesota’s defense will continue to struggle. The best case is a bend-but-don’t-break style of defense that merely allows the Vikings to keep their head above water. There have been far too many injuries and there is far too much inexperience to expect much more than average play, even with Mike Zimmer.
Success in The 2021 Season
In his recent press conference, Spielman disagreed with the notion that Minnesota is entering a rebuild: “Well, our No. 1 goal is to win football games […] As we move forward into the season we still have 10 games left and a lot of football left. No one here in this organization thinks that the season is over right now.” As Spielman noted, the Vikings will “find out pretty quick” whether the team can pull off a miracle comeback given that they’re heading into three-straight divisional games after the bye. One wonders if another disaster against the Green Bay Packers will prompt Spielman to continue trading away players. The NFL trade deadline is November 3rd, two days after the Packers game.
There have been plenty of trade rumors about Minnesota’s veteran players, Adam Thielen, Riley Reiff, Anthony Harris, and Kyle Rudolph foremost among them. All of these players would be attractive to competitive teams. Reiff has been connected to the Tennessee Titans and the Dallas Cowboys, whereas Harris has been connected to the Cleveland Browns. Thielen and Rudolph would be great fits for the New England Patriots. Making these trades would be wise. Minnesota’s salary cap situation isn’t great; Over the Cap suggests that they’re currently $3 million above the salary cap for next season. Trading some of these players – especially if it involves getting draft picks in return – would certainly make sense.
Otherwise, the priority shifts to developing young talent. Will Jeff Gladney or Cameron Dantzler develop into top-tier corners? Can D.J. Wonnum translate athleticism into elite production? How much better can Justin Jefferson get? These are questions that Minnesota ought to be asking as they begin their rebuild. The sooner they find answers, the sooner the Vikings will get through their rebuild.
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