Vikings Efficiently Outbid 5 Different Groups to Safe a Free Agent

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The Minnesota Vikings have earned a ton of reward for his or her first-wave free-agent signings, buying assistance on each the offensive and the defensive strains and re-signing high cornerback Byron Murphy Jr.

He’ll now deal with the protection duties on a protection that can look loads completely different, with defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave within the combine.

Vikings Efficiently Outbid 5 Different Groups to Safe a Free Agent

Robert Scheer-USA TODAY Sports activities.

Apparently, the franchise landed in a bidding warfare for his companies.

In keeping with Albert Breer, six groups have been pursuing him. “There was a lot of action on Fries—the Colts were trying to bring him back, and the Patriots, Giants, Seahawks and Cardinals were also involved.”

In the end, Fries landed an enormous five-year contract with a whopping wage of $88 million. He’s coming off an odd season that began with Professional Bowl-caliber play and ended with him on the cart in Week 5 with a damaged Tibia, prematurely ending his marketing campaign.

Nonetheless, the market appreciated his early play moderately than specializing in the damage.

Followers look on after the Detroit Lions defeated the Minnesota Vikings and have become the 2024 NFC North Champions at Ford Subject in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. © Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK through Imagn Pictures.

His common annual wage of $17.6 million ranks him tenth amongst guards within the NFL.

Lately, the Vikings selected to search out beginning guards in low cost buying, typically resulting in horrible offensive strains. That’s how the earlier regime ended up with guys like Dakota Dozier or Tom Compton.

Even this regime hadn’t made a lot of an funding to solidify the inside of the offensive line. Now, they lastly had some price range (and the willpower) to repair the issue.

Matt Krohn-Imagn Pictures.

It’s a brand new day in Minneapolis. Not solely did the Vikings enter a bidding warfare, however they opened their checkbook to ensure to win the battle. Guards are now not missed, and the followers lastly get their want for extra inside safety granted.

After the disappointing playoff loss, head coach Kevin O’Connell recommended that the offensive line can be a degree of emphasis:

“There’s no question we’ve got to find a way to be able to give a quarterback, especially with players like Justin (Jefferson), Jordan (Addison), T.J. (Hockenson), we’ve got to find a way to solidify just the interior of the pocket. There can be a thousand excuses made, whether it’s losing [Christian Darrisaw], or even midway through the game losing [Brian O’Neill] tonight, but for me, it’s the foundation of the interior of the pocket that we’re going to have to take a long look at.”

Jenna Watson-Imagn Pictures.

Fries enters an offensive line group that seems to be set at 4 of the 5 positions, with Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill dealing with the deal with duties, Fries at proper guard, and Kelly at middle. At left guard, final 12 months’s starter Blake Brandel must be thought-about the heavy favourite to maintain his job, barring any extra signings or draft picks.

Fries, 26, shall be an odd sight for Vikings followers if he can rekindle his pre-injury degree of play as a result of a guard that good hasn’t performed for the Vikings in a very long time.

Editor’s Notice: Info from PFF, Over The Cap, and Professional Soccer Reference helped with this text.