The free agency period is slowing down significantly but there still are some good players available. Obviously, the Vikings need a backup QB of some sort. He who shall not be named is off the radar apparently but there are still those who believe it is not dead yet. With Crab Legs Winston getting signed by the Giants, the available backup QBs are dwindling. The Vikings sure are slow playing this allowing all the nonsense to continue to be debated.

Minnesota Vikings News and Links

Report: Vikings ‘have had discussions’ with veteran QB Ryan Tannehill

The Minnesota Vikings have held discussions with veteran free agent quarterback Ryan Tannehill about a potential contract, according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz, though it doesn’t appear a deal is imminent at this time.

Tannehill sat out the 2024 season after his tenure with the Tennessee Titans came to end following 2023. In 11 NFL seasons, Tannehill has thrown for 34,881 yards, 216 touchdowns and 115 picks between the Miami Dolphins and Titans.

---

Vikings ‘want to give me the ball’: Jordan Mason excited for fresh start in Minnesota

New Vikings running back Jordan Mason is a man of few words. When asked Thursday, during his introductory press conference with Twin Cities media, what appeals to him about the Vikings, Mason simply stated, “I just love that [Kevin O’Connell] wants to give me the ball.”

---

Why are so many insiders keeping the Aaron Rodgers-to-Vikings door open?

Why are so many insiders saying the Minnesota Vikings are going with J.J. McCarthy at quarterback while at the same time suggesting McCarthy has more to prove in spring practices before the Vikings will close the door on Aaron Rodgers?

“The Minnesota Viking sand Rodgers were in touch over the last week or so. Inside the building, they were having serious conversations about if they even wanted to do this. Rodgers was sitting back, waiting for them to make a decision. In the end, the Minnesota Vikings made a decision to move on from that conversation—for now,” Dianna Russini said on a Scoop City episode that went public late Thursday night.

---

Russini says Aaron Rodgers is still on Vikings’ radar, guesses he’ll end up in Minnesota

There may come a day in the future where Dianna Russini looks like the smartest person in the football world. Why? Because the respected NFL insider isn’t backing down from the Aaron Rodgers-Minnesota Vikings connection.

After Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday that the Vikings are not pursuing Rodgers and instead going into the offseason with J.J. McCarthy as QB1, Russini acknowledged that Minnesota isn’t ready to commit to Rodgers while claiming the Vikings haven’t definitely decided they are ‘in’ or ‘out’ on the 41-year-old four-time MVP.

On Thursday, when Dan Patrick asked her to “guess” where Rodgers ends up, Russini hesitated before guessing Rodgers winds up with Minnesota. She made it very clear that she’s not reporting anything, only throwing out her educated guess. Here’s the back-and-forth moment between her and Patrick.

Patrick: If you had to bet though, just guess.

Russini: You know insiders hate this stuff. I hate guessing. Because you know, bobby the aggregator out there, it’s like headline, ‘Russini says Rodgers to Seattle, Sam Darnold’s getting cut.’”

Patrick: Do you want to do just a guess on any of those topics, so like the Giants or the Browns or the Steelers, with the Vikings, with retirement, with whatever one. Just give me one guess. Not a report. Again, this is not a report by Dianna Russini. This is not a report.

Russini: This is a guess! This is a guess! I feel like we have to just emphasize this.

Patrick: Yes.

Russini: I think Aaron Rodgers is going to be a Minnesota Viking. Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

Note: I give her props for sticking to her guns even though she’ll be proven wrong

---

Ryan Kelly & Will Fries on Bringing Combo to Vikings

Kelly once envisioned playing his entire career with one team, but after 121 regular-season games, three playoff contests and playing out his contract, he entered free agency. An NFL Players Association representative, Kelly was on a flight to a meeting last week during the negotiation process.

“Which is probably the worst place to be, since you can’t answer your phone,” he quipped Thursday. “So, big shoutout to [agent] Jimmy Sexton for [communicating] via text message.

“I think there were a few teams [interested]. And as I started looking at it, Minnesota was the most appealing place,” Kelly said. “I can probably go into super depth in this answer, but even in the AFC South, watching some of the NFC North teams, you watch different offensive lines throughout the year, and I think you can watch a team and how they play, their head coach, who they play for. Obviously, the NFLPA Report Card comes out every single year, and [the Vikings are] always number one or number two. So all those things kind of go into it. And what I saw from afar, more descriptively, was just how well the offensive line played together. You could tell that team really relies on the offensive line and their true ‘band of brothers’ mentality, and that’s what I was looking for.”

About 10 hours after Kelly agreed to terms, he learned his new home would still be alongside Fries. The outcome was a surprise in the best kind of way.

“I could sit here and talk about him for all day, man,” Kelly said when asked about Fries, whom he nicknamed “Spud” in 2021. “I’ve played with a lot of talented players. I’ve played with first-rounders, I’ve played with undrafted guys, and I’ve played everywhere in between, right?

“And I think you look at him, a seventh-round pick, he comes in ‘21, and we were rolling for a while. I mean, we were one of the hottest teams in AFC, and it’s just kind of hard to figure out who he was going to be, right? ‘Is he going to be a guard, is he going to be a tackle?’ But the one thing he had was this mentality of, ‘No one’s going to outwork me.’ And also, he’s the ultimate glue guy. And I say that not because glue guy is a demeaning term.”

Kelly said Fries brings the necessary edge to the offensive line, along with a relentless work ethic that have contributed to him finding his niche.

Fries shared an anecdote about his dad having him flip tires and do push-ups with the added weight of chains when he was in fourth grade to build strength for football and baseball.

“It was just good hard work he had me doing, and I think from a young age, that really instilled a work ethic in me that, ‘I’m not going to be outworked by anyone.’ I would train and do everything I can in my power to be the best guard that I can be,” Fries said. “It was not fun at the time, but it’s great now thinking back on it. It’s kind of funny.”

The Vikings confirmed their belief in Fries’ trajectory with a substantial multiyear contract. He wants to reward that faith in him.

“There’s no expectation when you’re a seventh-rounder. Maybe you make the roster, maybe you don’t, maybe you’re on the practice squad. But I always knew that I belonged in the NFL, and I knew I belonged to be a starter, and I knew I could play at a really high level,” Fries said. “And that’s what I expect to bring here, is to play at a high level and be the best I can for this team.

“I think the only limitations are the ones that you put on yourself. So, you know, as long as you are willing to put in the work, you can accomplish, really, anything that you want,” he added. “It’s not easy. There’s a lot of early mornings, long nights and doing extra and doing stuff that people don’t want to do, but that’s what it takes. And there’s no secret, it’s just doing what others won’t, and being able to kind of push those things that are uncomfortable.”

Fries credited Kelly’s leadership and ability to communicate with helping his own development and merging their games together.

“He’s incredibly intelligent at making ID calls and having a feel for pressures and games, things like that. That’s a lot of stuff that’s rubbed off on me,” Fries said. “The way he sees the game, and he’s able to help me watch film and improve my game, it’s been huge, and for us to see the game through almost the same lens of eyes, that’s a big plus for the both of us.”

So, they are together again, even in an offseason of change, a concept not exactly foreign to Kelly, who noted that he played with 13 different quarterbacks over the course of his nine Colts seasons. The four-time Pro Bowler believes that fluidity will help him adjust to new teammates on the offensive line and another new quarterback.

Kelly shared thoughts of his early interaction with Vikings 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, who suffered a torn meniscus last August.

“Just having some brief conversations with J.J. so far, and getting kind of a feel for people — and in the facility, and how they view him as, you know, he’s fiery, man,” Kelly said. “He’s got some stuff to him now, and he’s got that energy that you want as a quarterback, right? And as a young guy who missed his entire rookie season, I think you need that edge where … he wants to prove who he can be in this league. He wants to lead this team to an NFC North title. He wants to go to the NFC Championship, win a Super Bowl.

“And I think he also understands there’s a lot that he hasn’t seen, doesn’t know,” Kelly added. “And so, you know, for the last nine years, for the most part, I’ve been in charge of the run game and the pass game, and all the blitz pickups. So I think that was what I bring to this table, is there’s a young guy who we really believe in, who we know has the fire and the passion to be great. He just might not be able to see everything right away. So it’s helping him, helping the offensive line, and leading the offensive line to run the ball and pass protect the way that we get more points. In this league, that’s how you do it.”

---

Proposed Vikings trade adds $9 million Titans quarterback as J.J. McCarthy insurance

Moton has the Titans trading Levis and a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2025 fifth-round pick. Regarding this proposal, Moton offered the following:

They may prefer an experienced quarterback who can push J.J. McCarthy for the starting job rather than someone who expects to start over him. If so, a young signal-caller who’s played in a notable number of regular-season games would be an ideal addition.

According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, the Titans “would like to transition” from Will Levis.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler told The Dan Patrick Show that the Titans would be “pretty comfortable” with taking Cam Ward at No. 1, which would explain why they may want to move on from Levis, who started in 21 games over the last two seasons.

If McCarthy has a setback in his recovery from two meniscus tears or a rough offseason, Levis can provide veteran insurance until the Vikings get their quarterback of the future ready to lead the huddle.

---

Does any NFL team have a better quartet of pass-catchers than the Vikings?

We’ve identified the top three wide receivers and No. 1 tight end from every team in the NFL and only the Lions, Chiefs and Eagles have an argument to have a better top four pass-catchers than the Vikings. Here’s a team-by-team review.

.

Cincinnati Bengals: Debatable

Ja’Marr Chase, WR

Tee Higgins, WR

Mike Gesicki, TE

Andrei Iosivas, WR

Chase and Higgins might be a better 1-2 punch than Jefferson and Addison (maybe), but the Vikings’ depth is better.

.

Detroit Lions: Debatable

Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR

Jameson Williams, WR

Sam LaPorta, TE

Tim Patrick, WR

The gap between Minnesota’s top three wide receivers and Detroit’s isn’t very large, and you can argue that LaPorta is a younger version of Hockenson, but we’ll still take Minnesota by a hair.

.

Philadelphia Eagles: Debatable

A.J. Brown, WR

DeVonta Smith, WR

Dallas Goedert, TE

Jahan Dotson, WR

Hockenson and Goedert are comparable and Moore doesn’t have a huge edge, if any, or Dotson. Jefferson and Addison versus Brown and Smith is a good debate.

---

Every team’s best trade asset ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft

Houston Texans: S Jalen Pitre

The Texans’ foundational stars on both sides of the ball seem secure (although Laremy Tunsil defied that). But the team could look to make a deal for one of its safeties.

Houston traded for C.J. Gardner-Johnson this offseason, who registered a strong 77.7 PFF overall grade with the Eagles last year. On top of that, the team returns second-year piece Calen Bullock as well as veteran Jimmie Ward. Pitre (73.9 PFF overall grade) still feels like a key cog in Houston’s defense with his well-rounded skill set, but having one more year left on his contract could make a trade possible. After all, nothing can be ruled out with general manager Nick Caserio calling the shots.

.

Los Angeles Chargers: G Zion Johnson

The Chargers won’t be ready to part with Quentin Johnston just yet, although the former first-rounder might be on thin ice going into Year 3. That leaves Johnson as a different marquee player who might be close to an exit.

Los Angeles signed guard Mekhi Becton and center Andre James in free agency, while Bradley Bozeman and Trey Pipkins are each back in the fold. Johnson’s 62.5 PFF overall grade leads Chargers guards since 2023, but his fifth-year option will probably get declined — and a trade may ensue.

.

New York Jets: G Alijah Vera-Tucker

The Jets are confronting a similar situation to what Seattle stared down this offseason: a slew of impressive players with expiring contracts. New general manager Darren Mougey is in an unenviable position, picking between extending young stars and moving on from others. The stud with the highest chance of being traded would probably be Vera-Tucker.

Vera-Tucker finally stayed healthy last year, and his play paid dividends with a 74.5 PFF grade in both pass blocking and run blocking. The two years before, though, Vera-Tucker didn’t even reach 450 snaps. It might seem unfathomable to move on from such a versatile 25-year-old offensive lineman, but the Jets can’t pay everyone — and Vera-Tucker would net a bigger return than someone like Breece Hall or Joe Tippmann.

.

Tennessee Titans: S Amani Hooker

The Titans upgraded a roster devoid of much star power in free agency, but there still aren’t a ton of immediate or realistic trade assets. One player who might qualify as an underrated option is Hooker.

While playing 848 snaps — third on Tennessee — Hooker notched a solid 66.3 PFF coverage grade with just a 68.4 passer rating allowed when targeted. Plus, the Titans will return safety Quandre Diggs and signed Xavier Woods. The 26-year-old Hooker, on the books for just one more year, is a versatile chess piece who teams might go after.

---

Four NFL prospects to watch at 2025 International Player Pathway program pro day

On March 26, the 13 members of the IPP’s Class of 2025, representing 12 different countries, will take the field for a workout in front of NFL scouts as part of the University of South Florida’s pro day. Last year, all 32 NFL teams and most CFL teams had representation at the event. Five additional IPP specialists showcased their abilities a few weeks ago at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

The IPP program is designed to offer elite athletes from around the world with experience in other sports — like rugby, basketball, track, Gaelic football and Australian football, among others — the opportunity to earn a spot on an NFL roster. There are several athletes in this year’s class with some — albeit limited — football experience. Since the IPP program’s inception in 2017, 41 international players have signed with NFL teams (23 IPP athletes were on NFL squads last December alone). Six of these players — Jordan Mailata (Australia), Jakob Johnson (Germany), Efe Obada (United Kingdom), Sammis Reyes (Chile), Thomas Odukoya (Netherlands) and David Bada (Germany) — have held active roster spots.

As a reminder, these players can be signed as a free agent or, if eligible, selected during the 2025 NFL Draft. Each NFL team is permitted one roster exemption for a qualifying international player from the start of the club’s offseason program through the roster reduction to 53 players. At that time, qualifying international players are eligible to be signed to a 17th practice squad roster spot reserved for international athletes across any of the 32 teams.

Laki Tasi, defensive lineman: The 21-year-old has played at the highest levels of rugby in Australia, picking up the sport in his early teens and eventually playing in the rugby league and rugby union. At 6-6, 348 pounds with 34-inch arms, Tasi has very good size and the tools to be a big interior defensive lineman, along with the toughness and makeup to play in the trenches. He possesses a strong and intriguing combination of developmental tools, stature and mindset.

Janeiro Wakeham, offensive lineman: Wakeham is a massive human, measuring 6-9 and 320 pounds with 36-inch arms. The 21-year-old Fijian is a rugby union player who spent time with Stade France and most recently Eagling Trailfinders. He has a very high degree of physical and mental toughness, is an intense competitor and possesses incredible tools to develop. This is his first real exposure to the game of football, and Wakeham, who speaks both English and Fijian, has shown much improvement in learning the terminology since his arrival at IMG Academy.

---

Yore Mock

Trade Recap

Trade Partner: Chiefs

Sent: Round 1, Pick 24, Round 3, Pick 97

Received: Round 1, Pick 31, Round 3, Pick 66, Round 4, Pick 133

..

Trade Partner: Raiders

Sent: Round 1, Pick 31

Received: Round 2, Pick 37, Round 4, Pick 108, Round 6, Pick 215

..

Trade Partner: Raiders

Sent: Round 4, Pick 133

Received: Round 5, Pick 143, Round 6, Pick 213

..

Trade Partner: 49ers

Sent: Round 5, Pick 143

Received: Round 5, Pick 147, Round 7, Pick 252

…

37. Malaki Starks S Georgia 6’0.07” 197

---

66. Darien Porter CB Iowa State 6’2.7” 195

---

108. Shemar Turner DL Texas A&M 6’3.1” 290

---

139. Will Howard QB Ohio State 6’4.2” 236

---

147. Jaydon Blue RB Texas 5’9.0” 196

---

187. Logan Brown OT Kansas 6’6.3” 311

---

213. Oronde Gadsden II TE Syracuse 6’4.5” 243

---

215. Jaylin Lane WR Virginia Tech 5’9.6” 191

---

252. Kain Medrano LB UCLA 6’2.7” 222

---

UDFA

James Burnip P Alabama

Jacory Croskey-Merritt RB

Isaac TeSlaa WR Arkansas

Joshua Simon TE South Carolina

Tyler Cooper OL Minnesota

Bryce Cabeldue OL

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins DL

Jared Harrison-Hunte DL

Robert Longerbeam CB

Marques Sigle S

Cody Lindenberg LB

---

---

Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:

• No discussion of politics or religion
• No feeding of the trolls
• Leave the gender hatred at the door
• Keep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)
• Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tags
• No pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employer
• If you can’t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go away
• While navigating the open thread, just assume it’s sarcasm