There was good news yesterday. The league announced the cap would fall between 277.5M and 281.5M. This gives the Vikings more cap space to try and sign free agents. Which free agents though? Obviously interior offensive line and defensive tackle are areas most want to see them address first. But cornerback and possibly safety are also in need of new additions.

Which guards do you think will actually be available?

Trey Smith may be available on the open market but the Chiefs really need him. I think he stays in KC deflating the dreams of many goobers (er., fans) …

According to a recent report from The Athletic’s Nate Taylor, the Chiefs are not expected to use the franchise or transition tag on Smith (or any pending free agent). This isn’t terribly surprising news because of the restrictive nature of having all that salary cap money ($25M for franchise and $21M for transition) tied up while working toward a long-term deal. It doesn’t allow flexibility to make moves in free agency or otherwise.

However, this doesn’t mean the Chiefs will give up on retaining the former 2021 sixth-round pick and four-year starter at right guard. What could a potential long-term deal for Smith look like? We’ll explore that below.

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Will Fries sure sounds like he wants to stay in Indy and they do have the cap space …

“This place is special,” Fries said. “… From coming in here as a rookie with guys having my back when I didn’t play much and then getting an opportunity to start and then being able to start the year after that. There’s so many good people here.

“All I want to do is repay them with how hard I can work, playing the best I possibly can for those who believe in me and for my family and for myself. That’s what it’s meant to me to be here.”

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Tevin Jenkins looks like he will hit the open market …

Chicago Bears impending free agent guard Teven Jenkins will likely draw interest across the league this offseason. According to several reports, the Bears will likely part ways with Jenkins even though he was one the better pass protectors in the 2024 campaign.

In four seasons, Jenkins has never played a full year, missing 21 games due to injuries. The Packers can’t afford to spend big on a player who can’t stay on the field.

And that’s exactly what Jenkins is looking for—a big contract. He’ll likely aim for something in the range of Sam Cosmi’s four-year, $74 million extension with Washington. That’s an expensive gamble on a player with a long injury history.

Note: Jenkins is a significant risk.

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Mekhi Becton might become available but the Eagles fans sure want him to take a discount to return which is a possibility …

Now, Becton again faces free agency, this time as one of the best available offensive linemen set to hit the market. During a Wednesday morning appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic, ESPN’s Adam Schefter hinted at Becton potentially taking less or a fair market deal to stay with the Eagles and, most importantly, offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.

Becton said he’d prefer to play guard next year, no matter what team he plays for. His bond with this Eagles team and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland will factor in the decision.

“It meant a lot man,” Becton said. “Just reflecting back on the year, coming here not knowing what to expect, just coming here and waiting for my number being called then my being called very early. I accepted the challenge.

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James Daniels

Dulac, a reliable source for behind-the-scenes Steelers information, was asked his opinion on the odds of Daniels returning to the Steel City, and he kept it short and sweet: “none.”

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Aaron Banks

Arguably the worst offensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers in 2024 was Aaron Banks.

The three-year starting left guard had a solid 2023 season en route to a Super Bowl appearance. However, he couldn’t build off his breakout season in 2024. Banks was a shell of himself. There were numerous times when he whiffed or couldn’t hold his block.en route

He spent more time looking behind him at the defensive player who beat him than he did successfully mauling them. It was as if he turned the clock back into the timid player that he was his rookie season in 2021. Banks was unrecognizable and frustrating for the 49ers in 2024.

He would finish the season on Injured Reserve after suffering an MCL injury in Week 16 against the Miami Dolphins. His injury will not derail him for the 2025 season, which is crucial for him because he will be a free agent in March.

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Players like Patrick Mekari, Kevin Zeitler, Zach Martin, and Brandon Scherff are not high on the wish list but I suppose they will do.

I think Risner performed fairly well last year and has always been an above average pass blocker. I could live with Risner at right tackle.

Blake Brandel is an issue though. It was his first year starting though. Perhaps the team will feel he is going to continue to grow and that he will get better.

The obvious dream is Trey Smith. After that I might go for Jenkins but like Kwesi said, there will be a walk away price. That may mean they go for Daniels who is coming off an Achilles injury.

I would not be surprised if the team does not sign any of the top free agent guards.

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Minnesota Vikings News and Links

Local Insiders Seem Prematurely Sold on Vikings’ Ultimate Plan for Sam Darnold

But if you ask local Minnesota Vikings insiders, they don’t need to wait for the combine. Birds are seemingly chirping into insider ears around town already, and the message being conveyed to these local beat reporters is very similar.

Over the weekend, Kevin Seifert (ESPN) reported that the Vikings are most likely to let Darnold walk in free agency this offseason, instead of re-signing him or slapping him with the franchise or transition tag. But Seifert isn’t the only one.

On Tuesday, Alec Lewis — who covers the Vikings beat for The Athletic — wrote essentially the same thing. In an article where he ranked the Darnold offseason outcomes from least to most likely, the Vikings insider that he too lands on the final conclusion that Minnesota will wind up letting Sam walk in free agency.

To strengthen his stance, Alec points to Kwesi’s preferred path to success, which has always included a good QB on a rookie contract. In the end, he sees that internal process as the deciding factor in why the Vikings eventually decide to let Sam walk just like they did Kirk Cousins.

If McCarthy’s health continues to trend the way it is, and the Vikings decide their roster is better off without a hefty cap hit at QB, and no other team expresses interest in trading for Darnold, and the Vikings want to create a chance for a compensatory pick, letting Darnold walk is the understandable path.

There aren’t guarantees. McCarthy showed promise last fall, but young quarterbacks come with uncertainty. The team’s free-agent signings could cancel out any compensatory pick. Still, this is the most realistic route if the Vikings are still committed to their chosen path before 2024 (letting Kirk Cousins hit free agency to build an optimal roster around a young QB).

But what if the Minnesota Vikings find a trade market for Darnold?

Lewis reveals the biggest caveat to his Sam Darnold projection, though, and it is worth much more than a footnote in his theory. He’s operating under the assumption that “no other team expresses interest in trading for Darnold”.

In other words, whoever is feeding this information to local insiders has seemingly convinced them that franchise tagging Sam Darnold will result in nothing more than an underwhelming trade market for a $40 million QB they ultimately do not want on roster.

But it’s this caveat that has me expecting a 180 degree turn in reporting — surrounding the likelihood that Minnesota uses the franchise tag on Sam Darnold — once the scouting combine starts next week.

Let’s not forget that just last week, there was an NFL GM and agent telling Jason La Canfora (Washington Post) that the Vikings would be stupid to let Darnold walk to free agency. QB needy teams that he has talked to would love to get their hands on Sam, even if it comes at a steep price.

Several executives from quarterback-needy teams, who would have at least some interest in Darnold, suggested he’s not going anywhere. I hear that J.J. McCarthy, who lost his entire rookie year to injury, still has significant work to do to rebuild his body, let alone adjust to the NFL. “They have to tag Darnold,” the first GM said. “Those guys aren’t stupid.”

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Hall of Fame WR Cris Carter says Vikings should keep QB Sam Darnold

“When you have quarterbacks that play well in your system like Sam Darnold did, I would not let him go in free agency,” Carter said. “I would franchise (tag) him … and then let him and J.J. (McCarthy) have a competition come the fall.”

Carter pointed to the prowess of NFL Coach of the Year winner Kevin O’Connell as a reason for Darnold’s success.

“What [O’Connell] does with the quarterbacks there is just phenomenal. It is incredible what he was able to get out of Sam Darnold, because we thought we knew Sam Darnold,” he said.

“I think they expanded [the offense] from when Kirk Cousins was there because of Sam’s ability to be more mobile,” Carter said. “That’s underrated. His overall athleticism, his ability to be able to get out of trouble and make plays on his own, throwing on the run was exceptional this year. And he’s just 27 years old.”

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