Minnesota Vikings’ pursuit to improve just got a bit easier, as one of their top targets just saw a major status change
Every so often, outside news has a major impact on the Minnesota Vikings, and they got that on Monday morning.
The trade deadline is coming up, and the Minnesota Vikings are expected to be active in trying to improve the roster. At 5-0, the Vikings are potentially a couple of pieces away from being a true Super Bowl contender.
Monday morning brought news that the Indianapolis Colts fired general manager Chris Ballard.
It’s never a good sign for the health of a franchise to see the general manager fired during the season, but it does mean that a fire sale could be happening.
Vikings could take advantage of Colts firing Chris Ballard
With a potential fire sale on the board, who could the Vikings try and target? There are a few intriguing options out there, but the biggest one is arguably running back Jonathan Taylor. I wrote about him earlier Monday morning before Ballard was fired, mentioning a second-round pick as a possibility.
“The most intriguing option might be the Indianapolis Colts’ Jonathan Taylor. In my view, both the general manager and head coach are on the hot seat, so I don’t know if Indianapolis would entertain it, but they did just lose to the Tennessee Titans, and they are set to come to Minnesota next week. Even so, the 27-year-old’s extension is movable. The Colts would carry $10 million in dead money next year, but Taylor’s $6.98 million base salary and $1.02 million in per-game roster bonuses would prorate to Minnesota. With a $16.187 million cap hit, that’s roughly $8 million in savings this year.
Taylor has no more guaranteed money left on his deal. Next year is a $15 million base salary plus $1.02 million in per-game roster bonuses, and his final year is $9.46 million with a $7.5 million roster bonus, as well as the $1.02 million in per-game roster bonuses. If he falls off, Minnesota isn’t stuck with an albatross contract.
His main areas of success comes in gap concepts like duo and counter, both at Wisconsin and with the Colts. Those have been the Vikings’ best concepts so far this year. The simulator puts him at a second-round pick, and I would seriously consider it. Taylor was a high school track star and three-star recruit out of New Jersey before logging over 900 carries for the Badgers. He has also become a better receiver.
A home run threat on the ground opens things up for Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. It won’t fix everything, but it would make a big difference.”
Taylor does have a lot of tread on the tires right now, but he is only 27 years old with no guaranteed money remaining on his contract, so they could cut ties with him for nothing if it doesn’t work out.
Imagine having Taylor as a part of a committee approach in the backfield, which would finally give the Vikings a home run threat they desperately need.
It’s a fascinating option for the Vikings to look at, and it could be a huge benefit for a playoff run this season. We will have more on this as the week progresses.
