Ranking every free agent of the Zimmer-Spielman era
Matthew and Sam reverse-draft the 50 biggest free agents of last eight seasons. Who's finishes No. 1?
By Matthew Coller and Sam Ekstrom
During this momentarily lull in Vikings free agency activity — (cue a massive move in the next few hours!) — we decided to figure out who the best and worst free agent acquisitions have been since 2014, when Mike Zimmer was hired.
A few ground rules before we jump in: Not every free agent was included. We’d run out of room on Substack if we tried. Free agents on futures deals were excluded (sorry, Reid Fragel and Taylor Symmank). No CFL, XFL or AFL pick-ups unless those players had previous stints in the NFL. Only outside free agents were included; no internal re-signings. And camp cuts are up to our own discretion. For example, a player like Taylor Mays that never appeared to have any real foothold with the team won’t be included on the list. Whereas, a player like Kendall Wright, who was hyped as Jarius Wright’s immediate replacement, will make it.
Cost, performance and longevity all have bearing on the ranking. Underpaid and overachieving players will rank higher than those making more and producing the same or less. Free agent flubs making high salaries may rank lower than cheap fliers who never moved the needle. And tenure with the team matters, too. If an initial one-year signing ended up turning into a multi-year relationship with the Vikings, that counts for something.
To create the list, the two of us started from the bottom and drafted in alternating fashion, pulling from a list of 50 signings over the previous eight seasons. For fun, we reserved our top 10 selections to draft on Thursday’s podcast.
Alright, off we go…
#50: RT ANDRE SMITH (Sam)
Previous Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Contract: 1 year, $3.5 million
The man who was brought in to replace Phil Loadholt at right tackle — a former first-round pick no less — lasted four games before hurting his triceps and missing the rest of the season. Through those four weeks, he ranked 95th out of 99 tackles in the league. The 2016 season came apart in such grand fashion that few people remember Smith, whose departure occurred just before the wheels fell off.
#49: WR KENDALL WRIGHT (Matthew)
Previous Team: Chicago Bears
Contract: 1 year, $1 million
At the time of his signing, Wright seemed like a solid move. He signed for cheap after catching 59 passes in 2017 for Chicago. For whatever reason, Wright never caught on and lost the No. 3 receiver job in camp to Laquon Treadwell. Imagine that. He’s the lowest receiver on this list because he was more disappointing than other guys who were long shots.
#48: DT DATONE JONES (Sam)
Previous Team: Green Bay Packers
Contract: 1 year, $3.75 million
In 2017, he was thought to be a solution to the sudden loss of Sharrif Floyd, and it was extra sweet for Vikings fans that Jones came from the hated Packers. A $3.75 million wasn’t nothing, and Jones was considered a lock heading into training camp. But Jaleel Johnson and Shamar Stephen beat him out for defensive tackle spots as Jones’ career began to fizzle after a training camp cut.
#47: WR MICHAEL FLOYD (Matthew)
Previous Team: Arizona Cardinals
Contract: 1 year, $1.5 million
While Floyd made a handful of catches as a Viking, his signing was an extreme disappointment, from the four-game suspension to the bizarre kombucha tea scandal, it was eventful everywhere but the field. He gained just 78 yards in 2017 versus high expectations that he’d be the “pure deep threat” that the team had been missing.
#46: WR TAJAE SHARPE (Sam)
Previous Team: Tennessee Titans
Contract: 1 year, $1 million
Amazingly, some were calling Sharpe the solution at starting receiver when he signed on after the Stefon Diggs’ trade. It was evident at training camp that he wasn’t going to be a primary target, however, with Bisi Johnson and Justin Jefferson looking head and shoulders better. Sharpe never made a catch for the Vikings, released after 11 games.
#45: CB CHRIS JONES (Matthew)
Previous Team: Arizona Cardinals
Contract: 1 year, $750K
With injuries at cornerback the Vikings desperately picked up Jones off the free agent heap and he struggled mightily, giving up a 130.1 QB rating on throws into his coverage and missing a key tackle against Dallas that resulted in a Tony Pollard touchdown.
#44: LS JEFF OVERBAUGH (Sam)
Previous Team: Chicago Bears
Contract: 1 year, $465K prorated
It’s a little mean to use the longsnapping understudy as a punching bag, but Overbaugh almost became a major goat in the Minneapolis Miracle game, so he’ll have to take some heat. Called upon when Kevin McDermott hurt his shoulder, Overbaugh snapped for the final three games of the season. He missed a key block in the fourth quarter of the Divisional Round playoff game against the Saints, which led to a blocked punt and New Orleans’ eventual game-winning touchdown. Thanks to everything that happened afterward, Overbaugh is merely an amusing footnote.
#43: WR JOSH DOCTSON (Matthew)
Previous Team: Washington Football Team
Contract: 1 year, $720K
We fell for the Doctson hype in similar fashion to Floyd and Wright. As a former teammate of Cousins with some previous success, there were expectations that he’d enhance the cursed WR3 position. Instead he very briefly appeared in one game.
#42: LT JAKE LONG (Sam)
Previous Team: Atlanta Falcons
Contract: 1 year, $885K
You never want to be the final stop in a journeyman’s career, but the Vikings were desperate in 2016 to find a tackle after losing Andre Smith (see above) and Matt Kalil. Jake Long, the former No. 1 pick, had suffered back-to-back ACL tears, but the Vikings gave him another shot. He gave it his all for four games, but his Achilles gave out on the final drive of a loss at Washington.
#41: S GEORGE ILOKA (Matthew)
Previous Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Contract: 1 year, $880K
Poor George. When the Vikings signed him late in 2018 camp, there was talk of using him as a third linebacker or “chess piece” to give Mike Zimmer’s defense an extra layer. When Iloka did see the field, he gave up a long pass to Taysom Hill and was benched for the rest of the year. The Vikings brought him back in 2020 and he tore his ACL.
#40: RB RONNIE HILLMAN (Sam)
Previous Team: Denver Broncos
Contract: 1 year, $760K
He was brought in to provide depth after Adrian Peterson’s 2016 knee injury, but Hillman offered just 2.8 yards per attempt and was waived that November.
#39: P MATT WILE (Matthew)
Previous Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
Contract: 1 year, $550K
The Vikings’ battery in 2017 was effective so naturally the Vikings cut their kicker and punter after that. Wile replaced Ryan Quigley and struggled to hold for Dan Bailey. He’s only punted six times since the Vikings cut him the following year.
#38: DE ANTHONY ZETTEL (Sam)
Previous Team: San Francisco 49ers
Contract: 1 year, $1 million
Pundits talked him up as a key depth piece at defensive end and maybe even 3-tech. Instead, he spent virtually every rep of 2020 training camp with the third team.
#37: WR TAVARRES KING (Matthew)
Previous Team: New York Giants
Contract: 1 year, $880K
We theorized that the Vikings signed King because he caught two touchdowns against the Eagles in 2017 and they wanted to use him against the Eagles in 2018. Well, he never got the chance and was cut in camp.
#36: WR JORDAN TAYLOR (Sam)
Previous Team: Denver Broncos
Contract: 1 year, $745K
In the long, unending road to find a WR3, Jordan Taylor was ever-so-briefly thought to be the man. He looked sharp in 2019 OTAs, putting to rest the notion that his bad hips were going to be a problem. Come training camp, though, he was vastly overmatched and cut during camp.
#35: DE COREY WOOTTON (Matthew)
Previous Team: Chicago Bears
Contract: 1 year, $1.5 million
The former Bear had 10 sacks and started 22 games in the previous two seasons before joining the Vikings. He did not carry that over to Minnesota, where he got zero starts, 1.0 sacks and never played in the NFL again.
#34: DT WILL SUTTON (Sam)
Previous Team: Chicago Bears
Contract: 1 year, $690K
Made a bid to make the 2017 team at defensive tackle but came up short along with Datone Jones (No. 48 on the list).
#33: DT DAVID PARRY (Matthew)
Previous Team: Indianapolis Colts
Contract: 1 year, $630K
Believe it or not, Parry actually sacked Aaron Rodgers in the 29-29 tie in 2018. He was cut after that and then briefly returned five weeks later and then was cut again and hasn’t seen an NFL field since.
#32: DT KENRICK ELLIS (Sam)
Previous Team: New York Giants
Contract: 1 year, $745K prorated
It feels weird to have a player as anonymous as Ellis above some big names on this list, but it helps Ellis that he had zero expectations and was used in an extremely limited and specific way on the 2015 Vikings. He received 89 uneventful snaps that season and called it a career.
#31: RB STEVAN RIDLEY (Matthew)
Previous Team: Atlanta Falcons
Contract: 1 year, $775K
You might be asking why Stevan Ridley is so high on the list when he was only a Viking for three days and never appeared in a game. Well, because never playing for them is actually better than having a negative impact and it was funny that we all wrote about how he would take the spot Dalvin Cook left after an ACL tear and Ridley was cut almost as soon as the articles were posted.
#30: G DAKOTA DOZIER (Sam)
Previous Team: New York Jets
Contract: 1 year, $895K
Yeesh. I’d call it an upset that Dozier wound up this high on the list, frankly, after the season he had in 2020. The justification might be that he was a valued backup in 2019 and technically won a 2020 training camp competition against (checks notes)… Aviante Collins. Also was durable on a team with injury issues at guard.
#29: CB TRAMAINE BROCK (Matthew)
Previous Team: San Francisco 49ers
Contract: 1 year, $980K
This is not a joke: People speculated when the Vikings picked up Brock that he would replace Trae Waynes as the starter at outside corner. He played 51 snaps as a Viking.
#28: P RYAN QUIGLEY (Sam)
Previous Team: Arizona Cardinals
Contract: 1 year, $2 million
Punted for the Vikings’ division title team in 2017. Quigley avoided touchbacks with zero on the year, but his average punt distance was lowest in the NFL. The Vikings cut him the week before the season in 2018.
#27: LB HARDY NICKERSON JR. (Matthew)
Previous Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Contract: 1 year, $825K
While he did have a shining moment with an interception off Drew Brees, Nickerson Jr. will be remembered as one of the linebackers responsible for allowing six touchdowns to Alvin Kamara on Christmas day.
#26: G VLAD DUCASSE (Sam)
Previous Team: New York Jets
Contract: 1 year, $795K
He will always be most famous for being the subject of a Teddy Bridgewater quote. When rookie Bridgewater was trying to deflect praise, he said the Vikings were just as much Vlad Ducasse’s franchise as they were his. Bridgewater then ran the same quote back several weeks later, giving Ducasse a few more mentions in the newspaper than he otherwise would’ve gotten. Ducasse ranked 95th out of 118 guards that year.
#25: LB JASPER BRINKLEY (Matthew)
Previous Team: Arizona Cardinals
Contract: 1 year, $830K
We love guys that leave and come back. That was Brinkley. He was a Vikings fifth-round pick, started the 2012 season and then left for Arizona. He returned in 2014 and defended the run admirably but allowed a 125.4 QB rating on throws into his coverage (per PFF).
#24: LB EMMANUEL LAMUR (Sam)
Previous Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Contract: 2 years, $6 million
Though he only played 116 defensive snaps in his two seasons as a backup linebacker in Minnesota, Lamur was a special teams stalwart. It might’ve been nice to get more than that, however, at Lamur’s price tag.
#23: K DAN BAILEY (Matthew)
Previous Team: Dallas Cowboys
Contract: 1 year, $1.75 million
If we did this list last year, it would have been so much more kind to Bailey. He made 84.2% of his field goals between 2018 and 2019 before melting down last season and hitting just 15 of 22 field goals and missing six extra points.
#22: RB AMEER ABDULLAH (Sam)
Previous Team: Detroit Lions
Contract: 1 year, $810K
Who would’ve guessed this would turn into a four-year relationship? Abdullah signed on for his fourth straight one-year deal to be Minnesota’s likely kick returner and third- or fourth-string running back. To be honest, it’s a fairly banal niche for a player that keeps coming back. But hey, whatever works. Abdullah has three receiving touchdowns over the previous two seasons.
#21: QB SEAN MANNION (Matthew)
Previous Team: Los Angeles Rams
Contract: 1 year, $895K
Sean Mannion seems to have the respect of the coaching staff and Kirk Cousins and hasn’t had to play. So it’s worked out.
#20: T/G MIKE REMMERS (Sam)
Previous Team: Carolina Panthers
Contract: 5 years, $30 million
It probably wasn’t entirely Remmers’ fault that he flamed out with the Vikings after two seasons. His work at tackle was solid, at least, in 2017 when he got to block for the mobile Case Keenum, but the team seemed a little too eager to move him to guard at the first opportunity. Remmers’ play in 2018 didn’t do Kirk Cousins any favors in his first year, leading to his release. Now Remmers has the best job a guard can imagine: Blocking for Patrick Mahomes.
#19: QB SHAUN HILL (Matthew)
Previous team: All of them
Contract: 2 years, $6.5 million
After Teddy Bridgewater’s injury, Shaun Hill bridged the gap to Sam Bradford by starting Week 1 against Tennessee. It may have been an Eric Kendricks pick-six that really won the game but Hill didn’t lose it. Credit where it’s due.
#18: G ALEX BOONE (Sam)
Previous Team: San Francisco 49ers
Contract: 4 years, $26.8 million
It’s really a shame Boone didn’t last longer with the Vikings because of his larger-than-life persona. He ended up doing more radio shows with Matthew Coller than he had starts with Minnesota, who cut him before his second season for reasons that weren’t entirely clear. Boone’s contract suggests the Vikings viewed him initially as a long-term fix, but Nick Easton beat for the job in 2017.
#17: LS KEVIN MCDERMOTT (Matthew)
Previous Team: Baltimore Ravens
Contract: 2 years, $1.26 million
McDermott lost part of his finger and returned to the game to keep snapping in 2018 against the Rams. He deserves to be higher on this list just for that alone. Oh, and he certainly outperformed his predecessors.
#16: G JOSH KLINE (Sam)
Previous Team: Tennessee Titans
Contract: 3 years, $15.75 million
It looks more and more like injury might’ve ended Kline’s career prematurely, though we’ve heard nothing definitive. All we know is that Kline was productive when healthy at right guard, and the Vikings cut him early in the 2020 offseason. He couldn’t have been more different in personality from Alex Boone, but the two can share the distinction of being starting Vikings guards who didn’t get a chance to fulfill their contracts.
#15: WR ALDRICK ROBINSON (Matthew)
Previous Team: San Francisco 49ers
Contract: 1 year, $790K
Mr. Touchdown. A former teammate of Kirk Cousins, Robinson brought some speed to the field after the Vikings cut Kendall Wright. He didn’t contribute a ton, but five of his 17 receptions were touchdowns. Robinson never played in the NFL again.
#14: K KAI FORBATH (Sam)
Previous Team: New Orleans Saints
Contract: 1 year, $760K prorated
Of all the released Vikings kickers that are floating around out there, Kai Forbath might be the only one that didn’t have an epic implosion that led to his demise. He just flat-out lost a training camp competition to rookie Daniel Carlson… who lasted all of two weeks. Forbath went 100% on field goals his first year in relief of Blair Walsh, then went 12 out of 16 from 40 yards and beyond in 2017, not including his 53-yarder in the Saints playoff game.
#13: NT MICHAEL PIERCE (Matthew)
Previous Team: Baltimore Ravens
Contract: 3 years, $27 milion
This ranking is based on projection since Pierce opted out of his first season as a Viking. He is expected to be an early-down run stuffer, which makes his price tag pretty high at $9 million per year.
#12: P BRITTON COLQUITT (Sam)
Previous Team: Cleveland Browns
Contract: 1 year, $930K
Joined the squad in 2019 and seemingly stabilized their battery with his ability to hold on placekicks. Also stabilized the punting position, considering he was their fourth punter in as many seasons at the time of his arrival. Has a great reputation in the locker room and is set to be the punter in 2021.
#11: S ANDREW SENDEJO (Matthew)
Previous Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Contract: 1 year, $1.3 million
Another guy that left and returned, Sendejo was signed back in 2019 after a brief time in Philadelphia. Jayron Kearse tweeted “not this again” after the signing. Sendejo turned in an heroic performance against the Saints in the 2019 divisional playoff, playing nickel corner and all phases of special teams.
#10: CB PATRICK PETERSON (Sam)
Previous Team: Arizona Cardinals
Contract: 1 year, $8 million
We’ve reached our Top 10.
Hey, Peterson might be a great for the Vikings, mentor the young corners and shut the critics up. But it’s also possible he could blow up into one of the most infamous free agent signings in recent memory. At that price tag, Peterson needs to perform, and his recent performance doesn’t support that notion. Veterans over 30 with question marks usually sign for half of Peterson could make this coming year. All that said, Peterson is an eight-time Pro Bowler, and having the potential of giving him a second life in Minnesota makes him a Top 10 signing, if only for the clout attached to his name. If he’s good, fans will be making some adjustments to their old Adrian Peterson #28 jerseys.
#9: CB CAPTAIN MUNNERLYN (Matthew)
Previous Team: Carolina Panthers
Contract: 3 years, $14.25 million
Munnerlyn’s three seasons in Minnesota were solid. He was consistent and unspectacular, rarely missing a tackle and rarely providing a game-changing play. It was a testament to his play that toward the end of his time in Minnesota, teams tried to scheme to keep him off the field in the underrated nickel role.
#8: RB LATAVIUS MURRAY (Sam)
Previous Team: Oakland Raiders
Contract: 3 years, $15 million
Was he the world’s most efficient running back? No. But in his two years in Minnesota, Murray turned into a key piece of an NFC Championship qualifier after recovering from an ankle injury, handled himself professionally through a pay cut as Dalvin Cook took over the offense and acted as a glue guy in the locker room. There’s a reason Murray continues to be a valued commodity in the league despite having just a 4.2 yards per carry average. He blocks really well, he runs hard and is a great presence to have on the team.
#7: LT RILEY REIFF (Matthew)
Previous Team: Detroit Lions
Contract: 5 years, $58.75 million
The Vikings couldn’t have asked for much more from Reiff when they signed him prior to the 2017 season. He started 58 of a possible 64 games and finished with average PFF numbers compared to his peers. The team always seemed to be trying to replace him, but he gave up just one sack in his final season.
#6: QB KIRK COUSINS (Sam)
Previous Team: Washington Football Team
Contract: 3 years, $84 million
Some of you probably would’ve put Cousins 50th, and I get it. He’s different from every member of this list because of the price tag. Big picture, he has thus far failed to get the Vikings any closer to their Super Bowl goal at an exorbitant price. That keeps him out of the top five. Cousins is still an upper-half quarterback that makes some incredible plays, however. His inconsistency is maddening, but his high points are awfully high. There’s always the outside chance he’ll have that elusive Matt Ryan or Jared Goff or Joe Flacco season and make the Super Bowl, but it’s getting to the point where an exit plan needs to be devised.
#5A: DT DALVIN TOMLINSON (Matthew)
Previous Team: New York Giants
Contract: 2 years, $22 million
Again, this one is a projection but based on Tomlinson’s extremely consistent numbers in New York, his personality, character and approach to the game, it’s hard to see this one going sideways. Tomlinson is going to stuff the heck out of the run and be a disruptor. He isn’t a steal for the price or a franchise-changer but he’ll be good.
#5B: DT SHELDON RICHARDSON
Previous Team: Seattle Seahawks
Contract: 1 year, $8 million
For Sheldon, Minnesota was a quick pitstop before heading off to get a big contract with the Cleveland Browns but while he was a Minnesota Viking he certainly did the job. He ranked 14th in QB pressures among defensive tackles and legitimately took over games against San Francisco and Green Bay in 2018. His tenure would have been more memorable had the Vikings made the playoffs.
#4: DT TOM JOHNSON (Sam)
Previous Team: New Orleans Saints
Contract: 1 year, $845K
No GM picks up a 29-year-old with five career sacks and expects them to stick around for five seasons. Tom Johnson is one of the jewels of the Rick Spielman era, capitalizing on basically a one-year trial in 2014 and turning it into a starting 3-tech job with the Vikings. Ended his Minnesota career with 20.5 sacks, and honestly, the Vikings still miss him.
#3: CB TERENCE NEWMAN (Matthew)
Previous Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Contract: 1 year, $2.25 million
Legendary. That’s the way teammates thought of Terence Newman. He didn’t just play late into his 30s, he played really, really well late into his 30s and became an extra coach inside the locker room. His move from outside to nickel corner in 2017 played a huge role in the Vikings’ No. 1 defense. Nobody would have ever expected to get that much out of a veteran corner whose best days were supposed to be two teams ago.
#2: NT LINVAL JOSEPH (Sam)
Previous Team: New York Giants
Contract: 5 years, $31.5 million
Few people knew who Joseph was when the Vikings signed him in 2014, and not enough people outside of Minnesota appreciated the work he did in his time in purple. His peak from 2015-17 was one of the best nose tackle stretches of the decade. He ranked fourth, 10th and sixth, per PFF, in those three seasons, combining for 107 run stops. He’s the best short-yardage stopper I’ve seen on this beat.
#1: QB CASE KEENUM (Matthew)
Previous Team: Los Angeles Rams
Contract: 1 year, $2 million
The Vikings signed Keenum because they figured it was important to have someone who could handle a handful of games if Sam Bradford went down. Never in their wildest dreams would they have expected him to lead a 13-3 season that took them to the NFC Championship Game and created an everlasting all-time great franchise moment in the Minneapolis Miracle. You can’t do much better in terms of bang for buck than that.
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My goodness is that a depressing list and an indictment on why this team is where it is
Great meaty article by you and Sam