Written By Chris Schad
In recent history, the Minnesota Vikings have been willing to throw their weight around when it comes to free agency. As Brett Favre, Steve Hutchinson and Pat Williams were brought in to immediately shore up weaknesses, Minnesota found themselves rising from the bottom of the NFC North to an ill-advised throw short of the Super Bowl.
This spring, the Vikings haven’t brought the goods. Instead of going after high-priced players that could immediately plug holes, they’ve decided to take a more conservative approach. As a result, fans are longing for the days when the front office used poison pills, private jets and Winter Park quarantines to ensure Christmas came in March.
As they wait for the Adrian Peterson saga to reach its conclusion, it’s understandable for the Vikings to wait for the $15.3 million elephant in the room to leave. However, fans may not be able to understand why the aggressiveness hasn’t been there when the team could be one key player away from the playoffs.
That answer could lie across the border, where the Green Bay Packers have mastered the art of a quiet offseason. Instead of spending like mad in free agency, the Packers have used their spare change to lock up their key cogs found via the draft while lesser parts leave for “greener pastures.”
The most recent example of this has taken place this offseason. With several free agents set to hit the market, the Packers decided to lock up Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga to long-term contracts. Meanwhile, lesser pieces Devon House and Tramon Williams were allowed to leave for overpriced contracts.
It’s not a new concept for Green Bay, as over the years they’ve also locked up other key players (ex. Clay Matthews and Aaron Rodgers) while using free agency to supplement their roster. This is why general manager Rick Spielman stated that they would sit back “unless something unique popped up.”
“Unique” is the key to free agency in the National Football League. When a player that’s not “unique” is signed to a massive free agent deal, they’re released within two or three seasons without making an impact.
Ask yourselves which would benefit the Vikings more. A couple years of a free-agent heading toward the end of their prime (think Greg Jennings) or four or five years of Harrison Smith, Xavier Rhodes, Anthony Barr and Teddy Bridgewater (all of whom will be entering theirs soon)?
Some Vikings fans may be holding back vomit just thinking about copying the Packers, but any approach with a consistent record of success is worth stealing — and that’s what Spielman is attempting to do.