The 2017 edition of NFL Free Agency officially kicked off yesterday afternoon. It really started at least two days earlier with the legal tampering/negotiating window. This silly window has been in place since 2013 and has made the first day of free agency fairly anticlimactic. During the two days of legal tampering, teams can talk to the agents of players, they can even agree to loose parameters of a contract, but they can not announce that agreement. That last part is ignored by pretty much everyone. Contract agreements are routinely announced early and the signings that flood the news when free agency officially opens have often been known for as much as two days. It seems that all teams do more than just negotiate during the two days of legal tampering. All but one. The Minnesota Vikings might be the only team that plays by the legal tampering rules. And it drives their fans nuts! For two days Vikings fans watch other teams come to agreements with players that they covet and they lose their minds. Shouts across Vikings Nation of "Vikings asleep again!,""Do something, Spielman!" The shouts are actually much worse. There are usually reports of the Vikings in on the bidding of a few prime free agents but those players always sign with another team. What's a devout fan to do when their team appears to do nothing? The reason why I think that the Vikings are the only innocent free agent player in the league is a simple one. I can't recall a single leaked Vikings signing in the five-year history of the NFL's silly legal tampering window. Soon after two of those windows closed the Vikings did announce a signing. In 2014 they signed defensive tackle Linval Joseph. Yesterday they signed tackle Riley Reiff. In both cases the signings were announced so soon after the opening of free agency that they had to have negotiated those deals during the tampering period. They just didn't announce an agreement as the other teams feel inclined to do. The Vikings have rarely been big players in free agency. That's another great cause of grief for their fans. They'd rather see their team sign every star player no matter the cost. The Vikings prefer to build through the draft and then supplement the roster in free agency. When the Vikings don't spend big this month it might be because they want to work out a new contract with cornerback Xavier Rhodes this summer. The team has a budget and a plan and Rick Spielman and his pals do their best to stick to them. Improving the offensive line is the Vikings biggest offseason priority and they were in on the bidding of at least three tackles that were signed by other teams. One of those tackles was one of their own. Matt Kalil. This is a player that's struggled with consistency since an outstanding 2012 rookie season. Despite those struggles, he's still a solid left tackle. A quality greatly needed in Minnesota. Unfortunately, the Vikings lost a bidding battle with the Carolina Panthers. A bidding battle that drove his contract up to north of $11 million. A ridiculous contract for a player that has struggled so much the last four seasons. The Vikings also lost a bidding battle to the Los Angeles Chargers for left tackle Russell Okung. This battle drove the contract to even greater, unbelievable heights. Four years, $53 million! My goodness, that's just reckless. These are the sorts of contracts that often turn into serious regret about a year later. The Vikings were wise to back away from the table in both instances despite missing out on a player that could help alleviate the offensive line woes. The Vikings were also reportedly in on the bidding for tackle Ricky Wagner. That was a tough one to lose. If he was option 1a for the Vikings. Reiff might have been 1b. But who really knows what goes on in the negotiating room. The fans of every team would be wise to remember that. Just because their team isn't signing a player doesn't mean they aren't trying. It's a two-way street. A team has to be interested in a player and the player has to have an interest in playing for that team and living in that city. Just because a fan loves a particular player-team pairing in their pretty dream doesn't mean that it becomes one in reality.
The Minnesota Vikings signed tackle Riley Reiff on Day 1 of Free Agency 2017. It's a start. Some fans might call it slow but it's a solid start. Teams rarely win titles in March.
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