Taking The Plunge

The Minnesota Vikings dipped their foot in the free agency pool on Tuesday when they signed quarterback Shaun Hill to backup Teddy Bridgewater. That transaction was barely a blip during a chaotic opening day of the annual spending spree. The Vikings lack of action during the first few days frustrated the fan base but it really shouldn't have come as a surprise. General Manager Rick Spielman said that the team would be "waiting in the weeds." He added that they might turn active if something "unique" came along. Well, something "unique" did come along yesterday and the Minnesota Vikings took the plunge into the deep end of the free agency pool.

Spielman started his Friday in Columbus, Ohio doing some draft preparation work at the Ohio State Pro Day. That's when he heard that the Miami Dolphins were shopping receiver Mike Wallace. After acquiring receiver Kenny Stills from the New Orleans Saints earlier in the day the Dolphins decided that it was time to unload the mercurial and sometimes annoying Wallace. Not to mention that he hadn't quite lived up to that big free agent contract of 2013. A contract that the Vikings played a significant role in elevating. Spielman wanted Wallace in 2013. He still wanted him in 2015. Working the phone from Columbus, the airport, and the plane, Spielman was able to work out a trade with the Dolphins. He finally had Mike Wallace. The Vikings traded a fifth-round pick in the upcoming draft for Wallace and a seventh-round pick. That's a pretty slight cost for a difference-making receiver. His contract, that contract that the Vikings played a role in elevating, is a whole other story. Getting that contract off of the books was a big part of the trade for the Dolphins. They had already paid him a lot and are on the hook for a little more. They didn't want to pay him any more. Now the Vikings will. They assume salary cap figures of $9.85 million this year, 11.45 in 2016, and 11.45 in 2017. Pretty steep but Wallace adds something that the Vikings offense didn't have before. A serious deep threat. As the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer had to defend against Wallace twice a year from 2009-12. Wallace was with the Steelers then and he was becoming one of the most dangerous deep threats in the league. It wasn't fun to defend against him. Speed changes games. Zimmer knew that then and welcomes it to his team now. Wallace surpassed 1,000 yards in 2010 and 2011. The Vikings have had only two 1,000-yard receivers since 2004. None since 2009. Wallace averages nearly 8 TDs per year. He had an underwhelming two years in Miami but still managed 930 yards in 2013 and 862 yards in 2014. He had 10 TDs last year. Those numbers would have easily paced the Vikings. The #1 receiver label is a manufactured one. Most accept it but few define it the same. Whatever the definition, nearly everyone says that the Vikings have been lacking a #1 receiver. At his best, many consider Wallace a #1 receiver. If nothing else, Wallace's addition gives the Vikings a deep and diverse receiver group:

Mike Wallace
Charles Johnson
Greg Jennings
Cordarrelle Patterson
Jarius Wright
Adam Thielen

You want to surround a quarterback with weapons. Especially a young and rapidly emerging quarterback like Teddy Bridgewater. Wallace is the deep threat but he can do much more than that. Johnson burst on the scene last year after bouncing around the practice squads and injured lists of the Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns. Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner called Johnson the team's best receiver by the end of the year. He gets open, wide open, a lot. His route running is terrific. The Vikings lucked into a gem in Johnson. Jennings is still an exceptional receiver. Like Johnson, he simply gets open, Moves the chaiins. Scores touchdowns. With his contract, everyone expects much bigger numbers from Jennings but much of his value is in his presence. Patterson is the wild card. He has the natural talent to be one of the most explosive football players in the league. His 2014 season was a complete miss. His training this offseason and his performance this coming season are critical to his future with the team. Wright simply makes plays. When a player like Wright is a team's fourth or fifth receiver you have a deep receiver group. With Jennings over 30 and Wallace turning 29 this August, the Vikings future receiving group probably starts with Johnson, Patterson, and Wright. That's not a bad place to start if Patterson becomes the player that he has the potential to be. Until then they still Wallace and Jennings impacting defenses. Thielen is a tremendous special teams player. He also provided some clutch catches last season. His presence my make the Vikings decision-makers seriously consider keeping six receivers on the game day roster, let alone the 53-man roster.

The sole drawback to Wallace's addition is his contract. The Vikings now have just over $20 million invested in Wallace and Jennings. Something needs to done about that. It's been rumored for a while that Jennings might need to restructure his contract. That's more likely now. Wallace's contract might need some noodling as well. He wasn't willing to do so in Miami which is one of the reasons that he's in Minnesota now. Currently, the Vikings have just under $10 million in cap space. They probably need more because they weren't through splashing around the pool on Friday.

Spielman had to get back to Minnesota yesterday because they were recruiting free agent defensive end Michael Johnson. As with Wallace, Johnson wasn't available when free agency opened on Tuesday. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released him on Wednesday and the Vikings had him on a plane to Minnesota on Thursday. This was another of those "unique" situations that Spielman mentioned. Also like Wallace, Johnson was a Vikings target in free agency. Wallace in 2013. Johnson in 2014. They missed on both then with a chance to add both now. Zimmer had coached Johnson from 2009-13 with the Bengals. They had formed a very close relationship. Zimmer hoped that he would bring Johnson with him to Minnesota last year. The Buccaneers won the bidding war. After an injury-riddled 2014 season the Buccaneers released Johnson and the Vikings immediately scheduled a visit. So did the Bengals. The Vikings got him first. Apparently, Johnson had every intention of returning to Cincinnati to continue his NFL career as a Bengals player. His visit to Minnesota was more out of respect for Zimmer than a true interest in playing for the Vikings. It sounds like that has changed. He enjoyed his visit, He was impressed with the Vikings organization. They made him an offer. When asked if the offer was lucrative, he responded "oh yeah." So, there's that. There's also Zimmer. That could be enough to pull Johnson to Minnesota. Michael Johnson sounds likely a truly sincere man. Loyalty is of great importance to him. When he was released by the Buccaneers his decision on his future was clear. He would return to Cincinnati, to his former teammates, his friends. There really was no decision. Zimmer changed all of that. Johnson would love to play for Zimmer again. Zimmer and the Vikings have made it a decision for Johnson. A very tough decision. Johnson has said that some tears will be shed when makes that decision. He also said that he will decide by Monday, at the latest.

If the Vikings land Johnson, Wallace and Johnson will be two tremendous additions. Two difference making additions. The offense changes greatly. The defense changes greatly. After a handful of days of doing very little (no offense Shaun Hill) the Vikings truly took the plunge.

Update: Well, this changes things. The Vikings released Greg Jennings. That helps their salary cap issues and changes the diversity of the receiver group.