So far Rhodes and Joseph have been released and Cousins signed an extension. The moves freed up about 28 million in cap space, enabling the Vikings to franchise tag Harris for around 11 million.
Overall I like the moves. Rhodes is washed and Joseph at the most has only one good year left in him. When you consider the money they saved versus the players they lost it makes total sense. I’m also fine with the Cousins extension. It’s clear they think he’s good enough to get them there, and the way they worked the extension keeps him around for 3 more years and saves the team 10 million in cap space. I don’t have a problem with the Vikings going home with the girl they brought to the dance at this point.
The one thing I’m not crazy about is the franchising of Harris. Sure he had a good year and good statistics, but a lot of those numbers were inflated. Since 2012 it’s been proven that any safety the Vikings plugin on the other side of Harrison Smith is going to have plenty of opportunities to make plays. Anthony Harris is no exception. I believe his position isn’t one that needed any more money thrown at it. And the Vikings have really undervalued Trae Waynes in this process. Yes, his numbers don’t jump off the page, but he is the definition of solid. He got better every single year, was rarely injured, and improved enough to force other teams to pick on Rhodes and expose him. I would have much rather seen the money go to Waynes or another solid corner in free agency. Considering the Vikings basically have no corners worth a damn on the current roster at the moment.
Maybe they think Terrence Newman can make another run at it.
