Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - Alec Lewis of The Athletic lays out the path for the Vikings offseason

Episode Date: February 22, 2023

Alec Lewis of The Athletic joins Matthew Coller to talk about his list of 10 things the Vikings could do this offseason...but they can't make it through the list after beginning the quarterback debate. They have a mock negotiation regarding Kirk Cousins' future and then talk about Dalvin Cook and Za'Darius Smith's chances of being on the team next year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to another episode of Purple Insider. Matthew Collar here, and joining me from The Athletic is Alec Lewis, who has just put out his off-season blueprint of all the things that he desperately wants the Vikings to do. That's kind of sarcasm, because that's not really the article. But it is called A 10-Step Plan to set up the franchise for the present and future. And people in the comments, they don't love it, Alec. I got to say they don't love it. It's the first article written on the internet where people in the comments are not totally happy.

Yeah, you know, I really was hopeful that it was going to be my stepping stone to general manager position. I mean, I was going to send out my resume to as many people as possible. And ultimately, I think just reading through the feedback, it just might not be that time yet. I might need a little more schooling in this thing we call the NFL. So it's okay. You got to learn in this business. And so I'm willing and able and ready. Actually, the best part of football and the reason why it's so popular, aside from many factors like gambling and stuff, is that everyone can play along at home. I think that that's why the offseason is what it is and why there's always so much excitement over the next coming weeks that I know that, you know, us going to the combine, there's going to be so much to try to gather and glean and speculate about there and to learn more about these prospects and see where they kind of fall after and listen to Daniel Jeremiah and everything else to just try to get that whole landscape. But that's why it's so exciting is because every one of us can imagine what we would do if we were in Kwesi Adafo Mensah's shoes.

So what you've done here is kind of laid out, I think, a plan that is most likely for what the Vikings are going to do. But what were people most unhappy about in the comments? Yeah, I think first you're exactly right with football and its interests. I think fantasy football seems to have caught on a little bit. But yeah, no, I think people were frustrated with the topics that you could totally imagine. The Kirk Cousins, I believe I had that as number two or three in terms of extending him. I think people were a little bit frustrated with me about Z'Darrius Smith and wanting to have him as a pass rusher on the 2023 roster. And then I think there are people who are just frustrated that they're not just ripping it

to the studs and cutting the ripcord and just going from the ground up. And all three of those elements, when we talk quarterback and we talk pass rush and we talk overall franchise wide future vision um all of those arguments and conversations are worth listening for sure to me in my opinion i think they're they're they're very valid in many in many respects yeah i think what has been my observation over the years here just maybe let's say like last three four years is how right a lot of the fans have been and I know that they won 13 games last year so I'm not like down playing that season or saying that they accomplished nothing by running it all back because they did put themselves in a position to have a home playoff game they won a division like they deserve

credit for that Kevin O'Connell deserves credit for that and so does Kweisi Adafo Mensah for bringing in TJ Hawkinson in a trade to Darius Smith Patrick Peterson like moves that worked um and you know creating a competitive team not a competitive rebuild team because there wasn't really any rebuilding that was done but a competent and you can all check the dead cap after this year, just to make sure. But aside, aside from that though, so they deserve that credit, but also a lot of fans last year, when they did what they did, which was a short-term extension for Kirk, they said, I'm looking forward to our first round out in the playoffs. And those people were right. And now the same people who have been asking them to draft a quarterback or to tear the old pieces down or to manage the cap to where they're going to have more flexibility.

And they're not just hoping and praying that Zedarius Smith is a good signing because he stays healthy for a year, but they can actually compete for top free agents. Like that's what a lot of fans have been asking for for a while and i think that if there was going to be a point in the road where they've come to the end and they've seen everything they need to see uh maybe you've been to a bad movie at some point where you're just like an hour and a half in and you pull it up and you're like 47 more minutes no i don't think so i'm gonna go for right like i i think that a lot of fans have reached that point and if there was any moment for this team to pivot i think it's now is that right like do you see it that way i think that definitely makes sense i guess my question response would be like how similar does this sound to what you said last year or what you said like because i wasn't here it's hard to fully

remember the the breadth of that idea and narrative and ethos kind of a year ago. But I think, I mean, yeah, you look at this roster and I mean, it's it's age for sure. I mean, you're talking about guys like Adam Thielen and Harrison Smith and Eric Kendricks who have been Dalvin Cook. Not that he's younger, but but guys who guys who have been with this franchise for a long time and guys who have accomplished so much, but guys we saw last season may not be fit for the direction of wanting to kind of move forward. And so, yeah, I mean, I think that conversation about maybe this is the time to really revamp and put yourself in a situation where a year, two years, three years

down the road, you have a lot of cap money to spend and a possibility to maybe draft a quarterback up high for a franchise that hasn't done it in a while or done it successfully. It's intriguing. And it's, I mean, how could you not look at certain organizations and how they've managed things and think, man, that could be the premium option for us to win at the level of a – and I hate using Kansas City as a comparison because they have a quarterback who doesn't really have much comparison. But when you think about what they've done and what they're capable of doing in years to come, it's an exciting and intriguing option and avenue, I think, for sure. So I did a look for an article today at the Vikings offense last year, and I think that that better than the defense explains that they're not that close because in terms of expected points added,

they were more than 100 points away from the Eagles and the Kansas city chiefs. And even the most outlier Superbowl team in recent memory, which was actually Cincinnati, a fourth seed that was not a number one offense. They were even vastly better by expected points added than the Vikings were last year. So the thing that even you think is like, Oh yeah, well, if we just have a defense or if we just do this, it really isn't. And, and the thing that's so funny is how consistent they've been on offense, no matter what they try. So like Gary Kubiak is here. Kevin Stefanski is here. And both of those years, they were ninth in EPA this year. They were ninth in EPA, but that sounds close, but it's actually not.

Like the distance between nine and one versus nine and 17, like nine and 17 are almost the same. Nine and one, it's an ocean. So you're actually an ocean away from what Philadelphia did offensively this year or from what Kansas City did offensively. And that's what's going to drive your success. And so they could say, oh, we were a top 10 offense. And that sounds wonderful, but there's like 32 teams and being in the top 10, just barely doesn't really get you that close to what Superbowl teams, uh, the threshold that they need to meet. And it's almost like they've never, they've never thought of it through those terms or never wanted to think of it through those terms. It's always, well, our offense is good enough and maybe we just need to sign Michael Pierce or maybe we just need to add Zedarius Smith or we just need to hire Brian Flores or something.

And I think that like what you asked, like how was it last year? Oh, yeah, just like this. But only after they extended Kirk, then it felt like this. Last year, there were so many many possibilities and I want to play a little imagination land with you and we'll get into more things on your list but the um imagination land scenario is what would we be saying right now had Ryan Poles been hired as the general manager and did a lot of the things that we're talking about doing right now because I think there's a very real possibility that like Baker Mayfield would have been the quarterback

and they would have won six games. Detroit would be NFC North champions. And we'd be talking about how Anthony Richardson is going to be the quarterback of the Vikings in the future. Yeah, I was going to say, if that was the circumstance right now, you and I would be going back and forth on your favorite topic,

which is, is Bryce Young twitchy enough in the pocket? Can he be the guy, C.J. Stroud? Can he extend plays the way he did in the college football play? Like, I think that would be the conversation that obviously I think a lot of these teams at the top of the draft are going to be having. But it is fascinating to think about um just that route i mean i i think about it often when i'm talking about this subject or writing about it it's like there are these forks in the road with so many of these decisions that that that affect how

everything else can look and especially a quarterback obviously i mean it starts there and and you talked just now a little bit about the offense and and where they're at and I think um I don't know I've tried to break it apart in a lot of ways how much of it is the interior of the offensive line how much of it is not having another receiver option or how much of it is is just this is what Kirk Cousins kind of – this is the offense that you're going to have with him, which is a good offense, but it's not – maybe it hasn't been, at least in the past, the most elite of levels of offense.

And it's tough, I'm sure, from a team-building perspective. You have this commodity. You know what you're going to get. Kirk has been unbelievably healthy and you got to give him credit for that and what he put his body through every single week and he's been reliable and he's been consistent so you have this thing so to kind of rip the band-aid off for this uncertainty it's a that's a difficult um difficult idea it's like anything in life when you have something but you think you there's a chance you can get something better.

It's hard to make that decision when you already have something. So I'm rambling a little bit. But but the Ryan Poles situation and thinking about what it would look like if he were in charge, it's it's a really interesting path to go down. Right, because I think that last year they would not have drafted a quarterback based on the quarterbacks that were there. And even though the draft prognostication world thought there were four quarterbacks going in the first round, there was only one. But, you know, honestly, I would still say that if Kenny Pickett turns out to be a great quarterback it's not crazy to go back and be like I don't know man there was you know there was a chance for you he was there but maybe that's maybe that's too harsh for people but I mean even on draft night I thought like well you still passed on a quarterback again and I don't think that Mac Jones is unbelievable but I think Mac jones here with kevin o'connell and justin

jefferson probably is a pretty good situation and another 30 or 40 million dollars to spend in the salary cap uh you know it's just like you can do this a lot and then it becomes almost obnoxious uh and and nobody toes that line more than me for how annoying that can be because they also got a franchise left tackle out of not drafting Mac Jones and that's going to help whoever the next quarterback is but everything in this conversation just revolves around that it's like you are really stuck in position unless you make a change there and I agree with you that it is not the easiest thing it's easy for us to just be like we'll just move on from this guy but you know if you not the easiest thing it's easy for us to just be like we'll just move

on from this guy but you know if you're the ownership and he's making the pro bowl and he's you know putting up good numbers and he's getting comeback wins and all these other things that like i don't i don't know if they fully understand i don't want to speak for them but like kind of the nuance of why this doesn't work. And I don't know that anyone wants to explain that to them or or if they don't want to hear it or like what like what would be the hold up? But the one thing I think that Vikings fans should be concerned about is that the 13 wins and the eight comebacks are going to be what convinces them to give this another shot for next year and not make the move that it seems like everybody knows that they have to make. And, and, and in that imagination land scenario, it's like the one I never thought of last year was there so good that they want to keep him, but they still don't win anything. Like that was,

that was one scenario. I don't know if we ever really talked about, but that's, that's exactly what ended up happening. Yeah. And I think like you mentioned it you like you don't know what the hold up is I mean I have to imagine and and and this is just be my experience of one year but you think about that 18 game regular season and the memories that were created through that and the environments that this team and this franchise was in. And yes, I mean, we could talk about the Cowboys game. We could talk about the Eagles game on Monday night. And there were some goose eggs for sure.

But there were also, I mean, there was such a, I mean, you saw it on Ziggy Will's face after the Buffalo game. I'll never forget. He walks out of the locker room and how much joy was on his face, rightfully. He's the owner of a team that arguably had, I mean, it was the greatest game played this season, and the Vikings won. But, like, in the grand scheme, obviously, when you don't win in the playoffs for as fun as that stretch is,

it's easy to, I mean it's it's very fair i think from this side to be like well look is this in a long-term idea scenario is is running it back with kirk cousins and and and with the cat number that he obviously has and he's earned, is it really worth it? So I think, yeah, it's so interesting. And, I mean, I think us talking about it for eight minutes, it proves, again, what I've learned very quickly is that – and what's pretty obvious, but it's the quarterback and the situation surrounding it, especially in this market with what this team has done and how they've navigated things it's

it's pivotal and it matters and over the next three weeks probably to a month we're going to be talking about it a lot more because the Vikings do have decisions to make that that do have ramifications right and we'll get through some I promise uh but I also wanted to say I want to throw this at you and there's this is not a leading question this is a real question would you trade every fun game from 2022 for anthony richardson would i i don't know i had a lot of fun covering the team but But yes, I mean, if you're the person doing the team building and you think Anthony Richardson is a guy that paired with Kevin O'Connell can lead you to the places that you have not been,

then yeah, I think you do that. I mean, that's what I wrote at the bottom of that story. It was like, if there is a quarterback that Kevin O'Connell is about, and this scouting staff is about, and they can somehow find that person at 23 in the first round, or even earlier, if they could maneuver things, then you just do it. Because that, yes, I mean, it matters. You trade a lot to, I mean, it's the ultimate investment. So yeah, I guess that's my long-winded answer. Sure. I mean, I would do it in a second.

Like, I mean, the same thing as you. Like, we had a lot of fun this season. I mean, think about, like, me going back to my hometown in Buffalo and, you know, that happening there and how crazy that was and everything else. Like, those were great. And we had a lot of fun covering those games. And I'm sure that every Viking player would stuff me in a locker for saying that like what do you

mean like give back all those games but i i also think that there's a lot of vikings fans who are like yeah no sure that's right uh because that would have been an actual step toward chasing a super bowl as opposed to chasing a fun season where you get beat by the new york giants in the first round like uh that and and here's another point too that that i think about the quarterback discussion is you mentioned like well if they like a guy in my mind it should it shouldn't matter if you like him or not because the odds aren't any different if you like him or don't and that's just been proven throughout history. Like, well, you know, if Chicago likes that Mitch Trubisky, they should take them or, you know, right. I mean, there's like been lots of, even with Jalen Hurts, there was like some

rumors of, Hey, you know, like, well, they just like set up their team so they can move on from Hurts after this season. And now he's like a premier quarterback in the league. I mean, go back and even look at quarterback rankings going into the season. I guarantee you'll find Jalen Hurts at 20th, 23rd, whatever, because we really just don't know with quarterbacks who's going to work out and who isn't. It's just, it's all about just an odds play to take your big swing at having that quarterback in the rookie contract. So anyway, listeners are familiar with this concept just a little bit.

But what do you think they do with Cousins? I just did a podcast last night about all five options that I could come up with, with possibilities of what they do. What do you think they will do? Yeah, I think extending him one more season, similar to last year, I think it just continues to buy time. You could argue, I mean, as you laid out, obviously, I mean, we could go long-term, and you could argue just riding it out. But I think they will extend one more season the way they did last season. It helps this upcoming cap, which you can allocate certain resources,

once you get above it, to to defenders which if this sounds like previous history that's because it is but I think it just buys you another year with a guy in the second year of a system that you think could take a step forward and then I think it allows you more time to try to find that replacement whether it's in this year's draft whether it's thinking forward to next year but I I think, I don't know, I think two years of Kirk Cousins in this Kevin O'Connell system and with this regime, and you have a pretty, I think you can be pretty confirmed in your idea of like, okay, I mean, you can be confirmed now with what you've seen in years past. I think many Vikings fans will rightfully feel that way. But I

think from a decision-making perspective, after two years of seeing what they see, I think many Vikings fans will rightfully feel that way. But I think from a decision-making perspective, after two years of seeing what they see, I think they'll feel pretty comfortable in terms of moving forward. So I say extend another season is probably what I would imagine they will do. But we'll see. Okay, but let's play this game right here. You be the Vikings and I'll be Kirk. So you try to sell me on a one-year contract extension.

Go ahead. Matthew, we love having you here. No, no, I'm Kirk. Oh, oh, oh. Hey, Kirk. How you doing? Kirk, we would like to extend you one more season. We really think you could just continue to elevate your game in this offense alongside Justin Jefferson and the system

we have in place. How do you feel about that? I feel like I saw Russell Wilson, who has similar statistics to me, get a four-year contract with like $120 million guaranteed. And also last time I checked, Russell Wilson, you know, is not that good now. And I am good now. So there's lots of teams that would like me on a long-term contract extension, say like four years, and that'll help your cap, won't it? And then I can be in the ring of honor eventually, right? Why don't we do that? Yeah, but I mean, Kirk, you really like the Vikings.

You want to play here, and we're just trying to do the best thing for you and us. So, I don't know, one more season seems right to start and then look we expect you to take another step we expect um so i i think we'll just revisit it and and uh just like we've done working with you very closely it should work right what what step am i supposed to take i just won 13 games we had a top 10 offense and oh by the way the way, last I checked, I wasn't Ed Donatel. So are you punishing me for Ed Donatel? Like other quarterbacks who have won 13 games and had, look, all the comebacks that I had, was that not me doing it? Bailing out your garbage defense? Was that not me out there throwing the ball to Justin Jefferson? So I think that what you're proposing here isn't fair compared to the other top quarterbacks who win 13 games, make the Pro Bowl multiple times.

Why aren't you guys buying into me like other teams buy into their superstar quarterbacks like me. Yeah, but Kurt, you yourself even said throughout the course of that season how you didn't feel your best at times, and you felt like you were still learning the scheme, and so I think you even would agree that there were times there was a long stretch of games where you didn't play your best, and you knew that, yes, at the end of games, you elevated yourself, but you also have to understand, and you know your body knows better than we how much you got hit and how much of a toll you took so to go that far down the road with it just seems kind of a we're trying to be smart with you and with us Kurt so if you're gonna throw my words back at me it sounds like you just don't really want to buy into me then I mean if you're gonna say that I

wasn't that great when I was leading all those comebacks and getting all those wins and then i guess it just sounds like uh that i shouldn't sign this one-year contract with you because you aren't buying into me as a quarterback if you're gonna say things like that wow we have reached uh we have reached an impasse kirk we have reached an impact there it is that's my point. That's the point of the game. Isn't this a real possibility? Like, I mean, if I'm playing the role of Kirk Cousins, how do I not look around and be like, every other quarterback like me is going to make $50 million?

I mean, he's going to wait until Derek Carr signs, right? Because if Derek Carr – and here's the trouble, is they want to make that cap space within the next two weeks so they can spend it in free agency but Derek Carr is probably going to wait to sign and he's going to visit every team he's going to go see the Statue of Liberty in New York and the ocean in Carolina and he's going to like take the tour like any of us would I mean if the if the Athletics said you can get hired in eight different cities you take your time but if you're kirk don't you want to wait to see what derrick carr gets before you sign any extension here first you said ocean and carolina i don't know is that a thing like i don't usually

i think of florida i don't know i think you i mean there's like beaches right i don't know about that but i i understand i mean i'm glad it's okay um no i think it's a great point that you bring up i mean and and let's be very clear kirk and his camp have maximized his value as well as i mean you could argue really anybody else so in terms of this conversation that's another element to it's like they're going to do what's best for him and I think ultimately um it's it's it's gonna be really on how much he wants to be here I mean I really think that and he's spoken in the past about that that he does want to retire here and I think it's it's gonna be on the Viking how much do they really believe um in him long term he quasi-dofoomensa in his postseason presser did say, like, we expect him to be the quarterback in 23. Now, again, if negotiations go a certain way, you never know how that can turn out.

And I do think it does make sense for him to wait. I mean, and it could be, as you mentioned, David Carr, Derek's brother, said recently, I think the other night, it was like he's going to take his time and make sure he's making the right decision. So, yeah, I mean, with what Kirk's done, he has the cachet to be able to look for something big. And like I said at the top, I think his camp has proven over time that they're going to do that.

That's just how that's, that's the way they've operated for Kurt. All right. So let's, let's play another game. All right. So I'm Mark Wilf and I'm calling you up. Wait, I don't know who's who in this thing, but you'll figure it out. So it's like, Oh wait, on the other end of the phone, they're telling me, Oh, this is Kirk's agent. on the other end of the phone um they're telling me oh this is kirk's agent on the other end of the phone he's telling me that kirk is not signing any extension this offseason he's gonna bet on himself so he's gonna bet that next year he has a great year

and then he hits free agency again he cannot be franchise tag this is important he cannot be franchise tag because he's already been tagged a couple times. And if you're watching on YouTube, I have the phone up to my ear. So, okay, what? No, he's not signing that extension? All right, well, let me make a phone call myself. Boop, boop, boop to you, Kweisi Adafomensa. Kweisi, he says he's not going to sign the extension. Now what?

It's a great question. Obviously, you have a couple options. mean you think i don't know do we do we roll with this or do we think about a trade obviously there would be teams that would seek his services without question look at the interest that derrick carr has uh aaron rogers conversation is another one that brings to mind that kirk's interest would would exist i mean and i think the other thing is thinking about just writing it out um and and and seeing where it goes i think i i i thought the former i think would set up a situation where you you definitely think about when we talk about competitive rebuild, the rebuild portion, if you were to trade Kirk, I mean, you could really start to, I think, like expedite that process by doing something like that.

So and then writing it out, I mean, kind of one go around and see what happens would make sense as well. And there are multiple options here that that, again, as I mentioned, the fork in the road earlier have specific ramifications. I'm curious how you would, I don't know, what would you see in terms of if that were the case, how would you think it could play out? Yeah, there's a difference between like what I would do in that case, which I think everyone already knows. We we know because i just said i'd trade all your favorite wins for anthony richardson that was cruel i know i know uh i'm not taking it back though but um i you know that is a really hard one i think they would actually let him play it out i don't think that they want next season after winning 13 to not be

good. Now, what I would make the case to them is what you have to understand is that when Kirk Cousins throws the ball toward Justin Jefferson, his quarterback rating basically is like Patrick Mahomes or better when he throws toward Justin Jefferson. Is he the only human on earth that can throw toward Justin Jefferson? Like you don't have to be garbage if you trade Kirk Cousins. Like Jimmy Garoppolo, I think, is gonna have trouble getting huge offers because his injury history has just been such a problem.

There are other quarterbacks who can fill the void while you draft a quarterback and develop them, who I guarantee you. And I've seen this play out right in front of me in 2017. Case Keenum had two of the best receivers in the league at their total peak. And they actually pass blocked this year. If people go back or that year, they didn't really this year, but that year they did. That was the last time they tried pass blocking but like case keenum put together a better epa passing season in 2017

by the rank than kirk cousins ever has here i mean and he's a backup quarterback a career backup quarterback like that's the impact of somebody like justin jefferson on a quarterback so there's like this fear that nobody else could do it but i I mean, could Jacoby Brissett have you in the conversation for making the playoffs or winning the division if a couple of things go right? Like probably. No one else has this player. Like the closest thing is Devontae Adams.

The closest thing is Stephon Diggs. There's a couple other guys who get in this discussion. No one is this guy. Like he makes everything easier and better. And I just think that like, if you had to trade them away and add somebody else to be your quarterback, that's okay. You're probably going to get the same or, or just as good results, maybe even a little less, but you improve on defense. You're still very competitive. And then it opens the door for you to do whatever you want at quarterback in the future. So I think that in

a way, if they did it, gosh, it's, it's almost like if you don't want someone to take the job, if they only offer them a one-year extension, if you don't want someone to take the job, you're like, yeah, it only pays like 18 K you want it. You want them to say no, right? I think that if they only offer him a one-year deal, you're doing it wanting him to say no. No, I mean, it is a very interesting situation. I think you're right to bring up the idea that he and his camp would want a multi-year extension that comes with a lot of guaranteed money. Because, I mean, with what he has done and looking around the league

with what other guys have earned and been paid and what they have done, I mean, it matches up. So, yeah, it's interesting. I mean, I think a lot of it is going to come down to, I mean, I don't know, how strongly does Kevin O'Connell feel that Kirk Cousins can take a step in this system? I mean, it's going to be his second year in an offensive system for the first time, I believe, in a while. I can't, I don't, you probably know the exact point at which he has been in the system for two years in a row, but I think

if Kevin O'Connell believes that Kirk really can take a step and continue to elevate, if Kevin does believe that, which we – I mean, it's hard to really know, then I think you could see a multi-year extension to really secure things and help the cat for now. But, I mean, I think it it's the conversation is worthwhile because it raises the idea of like look you kind of have to this i i mean i think in some ways you kind of have to decide like and maybe you could have said this last year but it's like is he going to be the guy

for for three years or is he going to be the guy for maybe this year and then and then we reset i mean i think i think to live in this intermediate kind of area of like one I mean it really puts you in a in an interesting spot and it requires I think a lot of trust from both sides which it seems like they have but it's it's challenging and they've done it obviously they did it this past season and won 13 games, and they deserve credit for that, for sure, winning the NFC North. But it's a fun one. It's a fun exploration. But I think you nailed it when you said it comes down to probably Kevin O'Connell. Like, you're the guy who's going to be in the quarterback's headset.

Do you want to develop your own quarterback while you got your chances, the head coach, or do you want this guy to be your guy that you ride or die with? Because two other coaches have had this guy as their quarterback for a few years. And both of them ended up on the unemployment line at the end of the day. And Jay Gruden and Mike Zimmer. So, you know, these things have to

be considered by Kevin O'Connell, especially when, you know, your offense as it was with Kubiak, as it was with everybody else was just okay. And, and I think it's a real, it's a real foolish way of thinking to be like, oh, well next year, that was the, this is going back a little bit, but a thing that I kind of went crazy about and the internet really enjoyed and it went semi-viral was when Kirk Cousins said like next year, this was in 2018, next year we'll have code words for all of our routes and it'll be better on offense. And I was just like, you were supposed to compete for the Super Bowl this year and you

missed the playoffs. And now you're telling me the difference is code words. And like, it sounds like the same thing where it's like, well, next year they'll have more of the system. Like, yeah, I don't know. And maybe Ed Ingram turns into Steve Hutchinson, but like, let's be real here. So anyway, I did want to talk about a couple of other things though. Number one was Delvin Cook on this here program.

It's been a, just not even a conversation and maybe in other places it is about delvin cook and whether they should keep him or not for me this is one of the easiest choices that they have to make uh they don't run the football very much they had i think they were 27th in rushing attempts and he's not that good at it anymore because that's the life of running backs. Do you disagree with any of that, that it should be a pretty open and shut case to just move on? Yeah, I kind of, I'll push back a little bit. And I think in my 10-step plan, I think I did say that you cut Dalvin but I

I mean I think some of um the running game rhetoric in in some ways can be false in the sense that I think Dalvin's success this year or lack thereof was mostly a byproduct of the offensive line now again this ties directly to I think your point of theproduct of the offensive line. Now, again, this ties directly to, I think, your point of the value of the running back, so we'll get there. But I do think Dalvin specifically, I think, had the most, averaged the most yards after contact of any season in his career other than one other one. So I think from like a Dalvin Cook production standpoint and what he's capable of, I still think he's an elite guy at the position. I think the reality is with running the football, the offensive line is so essential to doing that. I mean, Dalvin can only show so much. I also do think, though Kevin O'Connell did not run the

football a ton, I do think running effectively and efficiently is really key to his system thriving. Like, I think it's so easy to get caught up in this area of the passing game within the NFL. But I think some of the teams that were best offensively did run the ball efficiently. And so I think they're going to have to do – they're going to want to do that. I think they're going to want to improve their running game, whether it's different schemes or what have you. And so to do that with a rookie running back, I think it's kind of tough. That said, as I mentioned earlier, like, and maybe comparing it to Isaiah Pacheco is just faulty because he was a seventh round pick and kind of seems like a, I mean, it's somewhat of a rarity to find that level of guy at that point in the draft.

But I just think I side with you on the decision ultimately because I just think the value that you can create from a running back that you can find in the draft or for very little amount of capital in free agency, it just outweighs what you would pay Dalvin Cook in the cap number. But I do think – I just – I felt just reviewing things and thinking about Kevin O'Connell's offense as a whole, that running the ball efficiently, if this offense is going to elevate itself, it must happen next year and in the years to come. And so I just don't think we can lose sight of that just because it's become such a passing league. So what's really interesting about that.

And I was just poking around this yesterday is that even if you go back about five to seven years running games were really inefficient overall in the NFL, just like flat out. Most teams lost expected points added because of the run. There are more teams now that gained EPA because of the run than ever before. And a lot of teams were gaining a lot of points, which to me says that they have created, a lot of teams have created a counterpunch where it's like, oh, we're going to play Fangio. We're going to have two deep safeties and everything else. And teams have said, all right, well, we're going to

run effectively then. And they've actually done it in an efficient manner. So running the ball is no longer just a flat out inefficient play as it was for most teams just a couple of years ago. And the Eagles, of course, Jalen Hurts is a huge part of this. But by EPA, they were over 100 points better than the Minnesota Vikings by EPA on the ground alone, which really says something. And even the Chiefs were, I think, in the top five or seven in rushing EPA. So they were getting a lot out of their running game where the Vikings were 27th. And they were in the negative side of the running game. Now, where the Delvin Cook part comes in, PFF graded their run blocking

pretty well. So I think that the reason that Delvin Cook had more yards after contact was because people were hitting him faster than they've ever hit him before. And I know that like this was your first year covering Delvin Cook, but to my eye, it was not even close to what he was at his best. And I think a few big runs made the yards per carry look pretty good, but it's just like, this is what happens to every running back. When you sign up in Peewee to play that position, you better not plan to play until you're 30 because it's just not going to happen. But not only that, like, it's just not worth it though.

Can you create a running game around several guys like Philadelphia or like Kansas City did? Can you sign one veteran and then try Ty Chandler and get an improvement? The crazy thing to think about is by the time a running back is a big name, he's probably already not as good as a lot of the running backs coming into the league. It's just the weird reality. and here's one other thing too and um you know about this just because uh chad graff ruffled feathers by writing about delvin cook in the passing game last year but it's not a thing it was never a thing it has never been a thing he is not a good pass blocker by any of the numbers he is not a good receiver And if you're going to have a Christian McCaffrey, where it's somebody who's going to be expensive, they better do a lot more than he does. He is an

old school running back. Basically like the lighter, a little bit lighter version of Adrian Peterson by all of the numbers. You could tell me he passed blocks better, but the numbers do not match up with that by the people who grade them so not only is it problematic that he lost the juice but it's also problematic that there's like nothing more there aside from just being a pure runner I think he did make a hell of a catch in Washington if I'm not was that against the commanders in the back left of the end zone I'm not using that to say no he did that was a great he's Christian it was a great it was a great play and and um I mean I do think in some ways like having a running back who could pass block effectively

was pretty critical because of the issues internally from the offensive line um but yeah I mean I I'm in agreement overall that I just I feel as if um utilize I mean it's why you draft a guy like Ty Chandler. And I think with what they're spending at other positions and what they might have to spend moving forward from an extension perspective with guys like Justin Jefferson and TJ Hodgson, you need more availability. And I think the running back provides that. I mean, I know Vikings fans have seen Dalvin Cook do a lot of great things here in terms of on the field and what he's accomplished. But it's, yeah, I mean, I think just this position with

where we're in the league, it's just how it's trended. I also think this draft is another one where it seems pretty chock full of running backs. I mean, think about a guy, Tajay Spears at Tulane, Zach Charbonnet at UCLA. I mean, there's a lot of guys who I think you could find in the fourth, fifth, maybe even later than that who would just be worthwhile flyers to add to the mix. And obviously you're paying them on rookie deals. So I think as the Vikings make decisions

on that grouping of players, Dalvin, Thielen, Harrison Smith, Eric Kendricks, Jordan Hicks, et cetera. I think Dalvin, just given his age and with where they're at, I just think it makes sense to release him and utilize some of that cap elsewhere. So there's a number of other things that you wrote about that people can look for. But I did want to ask about one that was controversial. And initially, when I read your article, this was the first thing that I wanted to ask you about. But then once you go down that quarterback path, that's your whole show. Because it's just so interesting. But trading Zedarius Smith. Now Now the trade part is hard because teams

in the NFL are like, you might cut him. I'm not trading anything to you for him. But that one, I could see why fans would be unhappy about. But then also when you look at the second half of his season, the injury history, the fact that he admitted to struggling through an injury last year, 17 game season, it's just, you're asking him to play longer than you would have before. And a playoff game of wear and tear. I think that it makes a lot of sense. The question I would have is like, is Brian Flores going to take a look at a guy who's been so successful in a three, four type of system like Zedaria Smith and say, like, yeah, it's okay. I'll just find somebody else. Like, I think that your idea is totally

fine. Just because everything's about projection in the future and not what happened last year. But I could see some hesitation there when it comes to moving on from Zedaria Smith. I thought this was your hottest take. No, I appreciate it. I was trying to get a little spicy at some point but no i you know i think you could have made a pretty simple argument that like zadarius fits what brian flora is going to want to do maybe better than daniel hunter by far i mean in terms of his versatility and and and movability on the on the front and so i i i get the i get the arguments for it. I just think, you know, the way the season ended with Sedarius, we can talk from a production standpoint, in the final nine weeks of the season, I think he had a half sack.

Whereas the first nine weeks, I think he had nine and a half sacks. So it trailed off crazily. And, yes, there was the knee injury that seemed to continue to kind of pop up. But then he didn't play in Chicago. There was a personal matter. I don't believe he was going to play that game anyway. And he was there. I remember seeing him in the locker room and after.

But it was just, I don't know, it was just kind of interesting the way the end of the season played out. And then I just feel like, I mean, you can save $13 million by moving on from him. And that's just a lot of money for a team that is currently in the red. And so that's why I made that decision. But again, I see the arguments around it. First, you have a defensive coordinator who could really benefit from a guy who's played in this type of 3-4, not this type of, but a 3-4 defense, if we want to use those broad terms, even though they played nickel and blah, blah, blah. We can go down that path.

But, I mean, also, who do you have behind Zedaria Smith on this roster? You have Patrick Jones II and D.J. Wanham. How much confidence can you really have that either of those guys could produce uh I don't think you'd have very much confidence and so I think moving on from and I've said this but I think with Brian Flores and how much he he in the past has schemed pressure what I mean by that is is infusing stunts and twists and stuff on the front, I think maybe you could make up for some of that with maybe a lesser signing, but also what Brian Flores' scheme might be capable of. And so that would, you think about it, think about saving $13 million, potentially add a draft pick. I just, to me, it was like, why not throw this in there? But as to that same point,

Daniil Hunter's situation, he's on the final year of his contract. I imagine given his injury history, he's going to want security. And so an extension could be a conversation there with the Vikings or if not, I mean, he could maybe want to be moved for a team that would provide them an extension. So, I mean, we've talked for 45 minutes. I don't even feel like we've scratched the surface of all that they're gonna have to sift through which is crazy and which is

why i guess i'll be quite busy and you will as well over the next three weeks or so the funny thing is though that you put for number one on your list and i know it wasn't like a countdown but like we structured brian o'neill like the easiest thing they have to do and then it was like you were warming everybody up like all right okay we're gonna talk about this folks prepare yourself and then it was like number two is uh the short-term extension for cousins like who did this order uh blame the editors at the athletic no it's funny because i was thinking about it too like i could have done it in tears of like clear the cap then make all these decisions but But I didn't, I probably should have thought heavily like,

Alec, do you want people to stop reading at one or, but I think you're, when you bold, when you bold something like, and you have a list, people aren't really, are they really reading all the fine print?

Are they just scrolling through? What's two? What's three? What's four? What's five? So it's a, no, yeah, scrolling through what's two what's three what's four what's five so it's uh no yeah i really tried to come out of the gates hot with the brian o'neill restructure um that that's nailed it about as sexy as you could find i mean the the hype just a hype artist

well so um what uh what'd you do to prepare for this snowstorm? Are you how are you adjusted? Because I came from Buffalo to here. It's different, but it's fine. It's I've lived in an icy hellscape my whole life. You're originally from Alabama, though. So a little little bit different there. You doing OK? A lot of it different. A lot of it different. Yeah, I mean, I'm doing pretty good. I said this to you before we came on. Last weekend, this past weekend, slash the end of last week, I mean, it was pretty beautiful in my eyes in this place. Like 37, sun outside. I mean, I was walking around. I really enjoyed it. Now, we're not going to see that over the next three days. I'm a meteorologist but i can forecast fairly effectively i went to the grocery got some food for the next three days and i'm hunkered down and i'll be okay i've gotten somewhat used to it like when i see when i check my phone and i see 32 degrees i'm pretty i'm pretty like all right i can do that i might not have to put on my fur jacket so it's uh

yeah i've gotten used to it it's been it's been been fun joe namath jacket is that that's what you have for sure exactly yep yeah i think that even this uh one of the the troubles is fatigue uh so what usually happens to me is we go to the combine and indianapolis is a different climate than min. And it's like, not bad. In fact, last year was in the seventies in Indianapolis. Oh, it was amazing. And sometimes it's a little rainy or in the fifties or whatever, but then you come back and you're like, oh man, like there's like another month and a half of this plus, and it's going to be 14. You know, so there's the fatigue sets in i i'm able to handle

this now but after the combine it's usually tough so anyway uh make sure let me get the exact headline correct brian o'neill's extension is the most exciting thing of the offseason yeah uh no it is the 10-step plan to set up the franchise for the future for the vikings offseason so make sure you go check that out. I have the athletic app. So just to help you a little bit there. We appreciate it. The app is unbelievable. I mean, the app, I will say, and I'm not, I mean, I, even before I got hired by the athletic, it was like, man, they got a really cool little app. So no, it's been,

it's been good. We'll have pumping out stuff, mock drafts, your favorite time of year um so no it should be fun the combine should be fun and then we'll get pretty busy i think mid march the question is do you draft sim that's that see mock drafting is fine next level is the draft simulation which we will get into but i I always hold on. My first, my first draft sim does not come until the combine because we really just don't know anything about those guys. And plus the draft isn't for like another two months. So anyway, Alec, thanks so much for coming on, buddy. Stay warm. You'll be okay. Just a huddle in the corner and watch NFL network or something.

And, and we'll see you at the combine, buddy. Thanks for doing this. Thanks, Kyle. Appreciate it. just huddle in the corner and watch NFL Network or something. And we'll see you at the Combine, buddy. Thanks for doing this. Thanks, Kyle. Appreciate it.