In the Mike Zimmer era, the Vikings have been known to have on and off years.
Zimmer’s teams have missed out on the postseason in even-numbered years, only to earn a berth in odd-numbered years. This year, Minnesota missed out on the playoffs after winning a game in the postseason in 2019.
So there is good news. Each year a Zimmer-led Vikings team misses the playoffs, Minnesota has recalibrated and made it the next time around. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler thinks that could happen again.
Fowler tabbed the Vikings as one of the teams that will look very different in 2021. When Fowler had to categorize Minnesota’s overhaul, he placed it in the “Surprisingly comfortable despite losing record” category. Here’s what he wrote:
“The Vikings are in a tough spot with DE Danielle Hunter, who is underpaid at $14 million per year. The Vikings planned to pay him at some point, but his season-ending neck surgery complicates matters. Make sure he is healthy and comfortable with his contract, then let Harris walk and attempt to re-sign (Eric) Wilson. Doing any of this will be tough for a team well over the cap for 2021. Cutting veterans such as tackle Riley Reiff and tight end Kyle Rudolph appears in order.”
Reiff is a tough player to let go of, especially after the 2020 he had, but the move makes sense. Rudolph is also hard, but the young tight end unit playing well eases the blow.
The Vikings might have to make both of those moves and not even hang onto Wilson. Re-signing the linebacker would likely mean moving on or restructuring with Anthony Barr. No matter what it comes down to, this Minnesota team will look at lot different in 2021. Does that mean a turnaround season? It’s hard to say as of now.