HEADLINES

Harrison Smith

Vikings Pick Up Options On Harrison, Kalil

May 4th, 2015 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

1:33pm: The Vikings have officially exercised their options on Smith and Kalil, the team announced in a press release.

9:43am: The Vikings intend to exercise their fifth-year options on safety Harrison Smith and offensive tackle Matt Kalil, a source tells Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (Twitter link). Smith’s option was viewed as a lock to be picked up, but Kalil’s outlook remained uncertain until today.

Since entering the league as the 29th overall pick in 2012, Smith has evolved into one of the NFL’s most effective free safeties — in 2014, he had his best year yet, compiling 92 tackles, five interceptions, and three sacks for the Vikes.

Kalil, on the other hand, has struggled. Although he earned a Pro Bowl berth in his rookie season, and has started all 48 regular season games at left tackle for Minnesota since being selected fourth overall, the 25-year-old has regressed over the last couple years, according to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required). PFF assigned Kalil a -21.1 grade as a pass blocker in 2014, which ranked 83rd out of 84 qualified tackles.

While Smith will earn a relatively modest $5.728MM for the 2016 season, Kalil’s option is significantly more expensive, at $11.096MM. Still, neither player’s salary is fully guaranteed until the first day of the 2016 league year, so as long as Kalil doesn’t sustain a significant injury, the Vikes will still be able to move on from him after this season if they so choose.

Vikings Rumors: Smith, Kalil, Kendricks

May 3rd, 2015 at 9:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Vikings are going down to the wire in announcing their decision on whether or not to pick up the fifth-year options for Harrison Smith and Matt Kalil. GM Rick Spielman will announce those moves Monday, reports ESPN’s Ben Goessling on Twitter.

Today was initially the deadline for teams to decide on whether or not to extend their 2012 first-round picks, but since it fell on a Sunday, teams now have until midnight tomorrow to make those calls. Goessling noted he doesn’t expect drama with either decision, with Smith’s fifth year in Minneapolis certainly forthcoming.

Kalil’s option, which would cost $11.096MM, won’t be as easy of a decision. A late first-rounder in 2012, Smith’s become one of the league’s better safeties, while Kalil has regressed considerably since a promising rookie campaign, bottoming out last season with a Pro Football Focus ranking (subscription required) of 81st among 84 graded tackles.

Minneapolis Star-Tribune reporter Mark Craig expects Kalil’s option to be picked up (Twitter link).

Some other rumors coming out of Minnesota on Sunday night …

  • Beyond first-round cornerback Trae Waynes, the Vikings expect multiple-position availability from their draft picks, reports Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Chief among the potential versatile draftees are second-rounder Eric Kendricks (middle and weakside linebacker), third-rounder Danielle Hunter (multiple defensive line positions) and fourth-rounder T.J. Clemmings (left and right tackle), according to Tomasson.
  • The Vikings not drafting a safety is a vote of confidence for 2014 sixth-rounder Antone Exum, reports Tomasson. Spielman noted to Tomasson he’s “excited about” Exum’s progress despite the second-year safety only playing 16 snaps last season behind Smith and Robert Blanton, who both graded out positively last season on Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics.
  • Also from Tomasson: the Vikings will slot former Alabama tackle Austin Shepherd at guard, where he played at the Senior Bowl. The 6-foot-5 rookie said half of the teams he spoke to before the draft sought him at tackle, with the other half preferring to see how he can transition to guard.
  • Kendricks will be the Vikings rookie that flashes most this season, writes Matt Vensel of the Star-Tribune. Kendricks’ coverage ability stood out to draft experts, and Vensel notes the ex-UCLA backer has a good chance of starting Week 1 between Chad Greenway and Anthony Barr. Waynes could have to open the season behind either Captain Munnerlyn or Terence Newman.
  • Former Vikings offensive line coach Jim Hueber was surprised Clemmings, who he coached at Pittsburgh, made it to Day 3 without finding an employer, viewing the former college defensive lineman and standout basketball player as a steal, per Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Vikings GM: No Interest In Trading Peterson

April 28th, 2015 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Vikings GM Rick Spielman reiterated today that his team has “no interest” in trading Adrian Peterson before, during, or after the upcoming draft, tweets Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Repeating that his position – and the team’s position – on the running back has not changed, the GM said that “we can just end the Adrian Peterson stuff” (Twitter link).

“If our ownership had interest in trading Adrian Peterson he probably wouldn’t be here today,” Spielman said, according to Tomasson (via Twitter).

Of course, while Spielman attempted to put the Peterson rumors to bed by repeatedly insisting that the Vikings have no interest in moving the 30-year-old, that’s a little different than definitively stating no deal will be made. So I imagine the speculation will continue at least through this week’s draft, even if the Vikes don’t intend to make a move.

Spielman offered up a few more noteworthy quotes during today’s conversation with the media, so let’s round up the highlights….

  • Spielman doesn’t see a ton of difference between the seventh overall pick and the 20th overall pick in this year’s draft, so it’s not surprise that he’s looking to moving down from No. 11 if possible (Twitter links via Tomasson and the team).
  • According to Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune (Twitter link), Spielman said the Vikings’ options are “wide open” at No. 11, and mentioned wide receiver, offensive line, defensive end, and defensive back as potential positions of interest. A trade up is unlikely, per the GM.
  • The Vikings have made decisions on the fifth-year options for safety Harrison Smith and offensive lineman Matt Kalil, but won’t announce those moves until after the draft, tweets Tomasson. Smith’s 2016 option is a lock to be exercised, but Kalil’s, which would cost $11.096MM, is far less certain.
  • Asked about not having made a big splash in free agency, Spielman said he’d prefer to fill needs by signing a bunch of players on one-year, prove-it contracts rather than adding a big-dollar player (Twitter link via Tomasson).

NFC Mailbags: Saints, Lions, Bears, Vikings

April 4th, 2015 at 10:36am CST by Ben Levine

We took a look at ESPN.com’s AFC mailbags earlier this morning. Let’s now shift our focus to the NFC…

  • Mike Triplett believes the only way the Saints move on from Drew Brees is if they are confident in their backup plan. While the quarterback’s production has dropped, Triplett is still confident Brees will be one of the best at his position in 2015.
  • While the Lions could fill the majority of their roster holes via the draft, Michael Rothstein focuses on a couple of positions that could be fixed in free agency. The writer points to left guard, suggesting free agents Justin Blalock or Rob Sims.
  • 2015 will be a big season for Bears defensive end Cornelius Washington, writes Michael C. Wright. The player still has two years left on his contract, but he hasn’t shown much during his brief time in the NFL. With all the veteran defenders on the roster, there’s a chance that Washington could be on the outside looking in.
  • Ben Goessling points to safety Harrison Smith as being the Vikings player most likely to receive an extension prior to the season. The writer suggests the organization also explore an extension for kicker Blair Walsh.
  • Rob Demovsky says the Packers should now focus their attention on locking up defensive tackle Mike Daniels and cornerback Casey Hayward. However, considering the money thrown around this offseason, Demovsky says it may be in the players’ best interests to explore free agency.

NFC North Links: Packers, Briggs, Bell, Smith

February 7th, 2015 at 1:59pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Packers kept three quarterbacks on the active roster last season for the first time in five years, but it is unclear whether the team will elect to do so again in 2015, writes Weston Hodkiewicz of PackersNews.com. Matt Flynn served as Aaron Rodgers‘ backup but the team was worried that putting Scott Tolzien on the practice squad would leave him vulnerable to being signed away from the roster.

If the Packers need the extra roster spot next season, they will have to make a choice between the two players. However, Rodgers hopes that he will once again get a chance to have both of them in the room with quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt. “Both different personalities, but great teammates,” Rodgers said. “Those guys are a lot of fun. It would be great to have them back.”

Here are some other links from around the NFC North:

  • Longtime Bears stalwart Lance Briggs could be looking for a new team for the first time in his career. However, there is one team that he has already crossed off his list, in the division rival Packers, writes David Just of the Chicago Sun-Times. Briggs said so very succinctly when asked yesterday about the possibility (via Twitter).
  • Lions running back Joique Bell is coming back from offseason surgery, and looking forward to another chance at getting into the playoffs, writes Justin Rogers of MLive.com. The biggest thing for Bell is bringing back star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, suggesting that Calvin Johnson will have to restructure his contract to make sure they can re-sign him. “We’ll have to talk to Calvin, see if he can do something,” Bell said. “We just need him back. Come back, Suh.”
  • Vikings safety Harrison Smith is also coming back from surgery and focused on his future. As he is coming closer to free agency, he has made sure the team knows he is interested in staying in Minnesota for a while, writes Matt Vensel of StarTribune.com. “That’s all I’ve thought of doing,” Smith said. “I have no intentions of going anywhere else. I’ll just let [my agency] handle it. I’m just here to play football and we’ll see what happens.”

NFC Notes: Bucs, McCown, Vikings, Falcons

December 23rd, 2014 at 8:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers could wind up picking No. 1 overall, but head coach Lovie Smith isn’t thinking about it, as Pat Yasinkas of ESPN.com writes.

“That can’t even come into the equation,” Smith said. “[In Sunday’s loss to Green Bay], even though we didn’t play as well, the guys fought right up until the end — they weren’t thinking about that pick or anything like that. This week we’re going to do the same thing. We’re going to make decisions that will give us the best chance to win by being able to look at players that we haven’t seen, that may come into the equation a little bit, but we’re going to do everything that we possibly can to try and win the game and let everything else take care of itself.”

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • Although Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown will turn 36 next summer, he’s not thinking about retiring after this season, as Pat Yasinkas of ESPN.com writes. “I don’t know if it’s at that point yet,” McCown said. “Obviously right now at this point in the season your body is tired and all those things. But once you get away from it and kind of reassess things, I feel good. My plan right now is to keep playing.”
  • Wide receiver Jarius Wright and safety Harrison Smith are two Vikings players eligible for contract extensions this offseason, and as Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press details in a pair of pieces, Wright thinks he’s done enough to warrant a new deal, while Smith says he loves Minnesota and has no interest in playing anywhere else. Within that second piece, Tomasson also spoke to a few other Vikings about potential extensions, including tackle Matt Kalil.
  • Former Browns CEO Joe Banner is advising the Falcons, with a focus on the team’s new stadium business, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
  • Packers coach Mike McCarthy told reporters, including Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter), that his personnel department really liked center Travis Swanson coming out of the draft. Of course, Swanson wound up being selected by the Lions in the third round of this year’s draft instead.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Teammates React To Peterson’s Absence

September 14th, 2014 at 8:06pm CST by Rob DiRe

While the Vikings have decided not to address the Adrian Peterson situation until Monday, his absence became a huge part of the story of the team’s 30-7 loss to the New England Patriots.

Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune captured some of head coach Mike Zimmer’s press conference following the loss.

“I don’t want to discuss the Adrian issue at all today,” said Zimmer. “This is about the football game here. We’ll talk about it Monday or whenever we have the press conference on.”

While Tesfatsion noted many players declined to comment on playing without the star running back, there were some players willing to discuss it. Tom Pelissero of USA Today noted that even players who were willing to broach the subject, they had no answers for the media.

“He’s one of the best players in the NFL. Obviously, everybody knows that,” said linebacker Chad Greenway. “The reality is there’s going to be some interesting times ahead. We don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“I don’t think we have any excuses for what happened out there today,” said center John Sullivan. “If you go out and execute the way we did on the first drive the entire game, this question isn’t being asked right now.”

“We obviously don’t condone any of the alleged (actions),” said safety Harrison Smith. “But we’re going to stand behind our guys, and that’s pretty much all I’ve got to say.”

The entire organization was still frustrated following the blowout loss. Zimmer made an emphasis on how little the lack of Peterson influenced the game.

“It didn’t affect the team,” said Zimmer. “You know what affected the team? Throwing interceptions. Getting a field goal blocked. Not tackling well enough. Having penalties on defense.”

The team will likely not have Peterson rejoin the team anytime soon, and must go into a game against the 0-2 Saints without their best offensive weapon. The team’s new best player on the offense also commented on how the team is handling the situation, according to Mark Craig of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).

“We just have to get that mindset,” said Cordarrelle Patterson. “28 probably ain’t going to be here with us.”