Vikings Territory: Vikings Named One Of NFL's ‘Biggest Losers' For 2021 Offseason

Press release from Vikings Territory:

July 5, 2021

With approximately $14 million remaining in cap space during the month of July — an oddity as a standalone feat for the organization — the Minnesota Vikings offseason seems to be trucking along swimmingly per close onlookers of the team.

True to form for a Mike Zimmer-led team, Minnesota also attained veteran leadership at cornerback, securing the services of Patrick Peterson, Bashaud Breeland, and Mackensie Alexander. And that’s on top of second-year corner, Cameron Dantzler, who figures to build on his rookie year success.

But that’s where the cleavage begins for the fans’ opinion of the offseason and that of national punditry.

Why? Well, he believes the franchise will rue missing out on Justin Fields during the 2021 NFL Draft, a quarterback who landed with the rival Chicago Bears.

“The Jets landed their quarterback in April’s draft. So did the Chicago Bears, who traded up to No. 11 to take Ohio State’s Justin Fields. The Minnesota Vikings, however, missed out on the quarterback they wanted. The Vikings wanted Fields and lost him to a bitter division rival. […] Minnesota’s desire to nab Fields suggests their time with Kirk Cousins is running short. While the Vikings did take Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond in the third round, he was not the team’s first choice. Perhaps Mond will develop well and work out as Minnesota’s future starter. However, if Fields goes on to have a long and fruitful career with the Bears, the Vikings are going to wish they pulled the trigger on a trade.“

If the organization truly wanted Fields, yes, folks will always side-eye Fields’ performance in Chicago. The Bears are long deprived of quarterback consistency — as were the Vikings before Kirk Cousins was acquired — so Chicago had to do something, once and for all. Now, the Bears will determine when to transition to Fields as head coach Matt Nagy is unusually vocal about his short-term commitment to Andy Dalton, a free agent acquired before Fields was drafted.

First, if the Cousins experiment ends with a whimper while Fields rapidly trends upward, Minnesota will resent now moving up for Fields in the April of 2021. Or — if Fields takes over Dalton early in 2021 while the Vikings hover around a .500 or worse record, immediate regret will loom palpably.

If the Vikings can make a deep playoff run and the Bears bungle the rollout of Fields, none of this will matter.

This press release was produced by Vikings Territory. The views expressed here are the author’s own.