Tag: Za’Darius Smith

Former Packers OLB Za’Darius Smith wants to be released by Vikings

Former Packer Za’Darius Smith wants to be released by the Vikings, but the team has no interest in the idea.

Former Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith wants to be done after one season playing for the Minnesota Vikings.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Smith – who posted what appeared to be a goodbye message to the team on social media on Thursday – has asked the Vikings to be released.

The twist? The Vikings aren’t interested in the idea and the situation is “unresolved,” per Rapoport.

The standoff is almost certainly money-related. Smith signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Vikings last offseason, but he’s due only $13.8 million in cash in 2023 and the team can save a big chunk of cap space by releasing him or restructuring his deal.

While the Vikings probably want to figure out a way to lower Smith’s cap hit, the pass-rusher likely sees an opportunity to make even more money up front if he hits the open market.

The Packers released Smith last March to save cap space. He joined the Vikings and produced 10.0 sacks, but his effectiveness waned in the second half of the season due to a knee injury. During his last season in Green Bay, Smith played in just one game after suffering a back injury requiring surgery.

The Packers may need to acquire additional help at edge rusher this offseason, but a reunion with Smith would seem unlikely given the way the relationship ended in 2022.

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Za’Darius posts cryptic thank you message to the Vikings organization

The Minnesota Vikings are in a position to save over $12 million on the salary cap by releasing Za’Darius Smith

The Minnesota Vikings are currently working on getting under the salary cap with about $15 million more to go. One of the players that has been discussed as a cut is edge rusher Za’Darius Smith.

In what looks to be a sign that he is likely to be released, Smith tweeted out a thank you to Skol Nation and the entire Minnesota Vikings organization at 3:37 central time on Thursday afternoon.

This would come as no surprise, as Smith’s effectiveness in the second half of the year was minimized significantly due to a knee injury. Moving on from Smith was always a distinct possibility due to the nature of his contract and the style of defense that Brian Flores is implementing. Moving on from Smith would save the Vikings $12,156,861 in cap space according to Over The Cap.

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Smith has officially requested to be released, but the team has “no intention to do so.”

With Friday seemingly being a big day for the Vikings to get under the salary cap, this is going to be a story to follow.

10 outrageous moves we’d love to see this NFL offseason

We’ve got some wild ideas for the 2023 NFL offseason, including one involving Aaron Donald.

With the new NFL year set to kick off next Wednesday, it’s fun to imagine some outlandish scenarios for what could be this 2023 offseason.

We know that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson could be traded, and we know that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers could end up with the New York Jets.

How about some legitimate shockers that would set NFL Twitter ablaze?

We’ve worked up some ideas for some trades and draft moves that we feel would really get folks talking this offseason.

While we could (and probably will) go 0/10 on these fictional scenarios, it’s still fun to dream them up. Let’s dive in.

Zulgad’s four-and-out: Now that Eric Kendricks is gone, who might be Vikings’ next cap casualty?

The Minnesota Vikings moved on from Eric Kendricks on Monday and more could be on the way. @jzulgad gives his predictions on 4 veterans

There was little upheaval to the Vikings’ roster in the days leading up to the beginning of the NFL’s league year in 2022. The only significant subtraction came six days before free agency opened when defensive tackle Michael Pierce was released.

Otherwise, new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell brought back many of the starters from Mike Zimmer’s final team. The gamble paid off as the Vikings won 13 games and their first NFC North title since 2017 before bowing out in the first round of the playoffs.

With just more than a week until the 2023 league year opens, it’s clear the Vikings have a different strategy. That became clear on Monday morning when one-time standout linebacker Eric Kendricks was released, saving the Vikings $9.5 million in salary-cap space and creating $1.93 million in dead money.

The Vikings are still $14,931,007 over the 2023 salary cap and will continue to target some longtime veterans in working to get below that number before free agency opens at 3 p.m. on March 15.

So who might be next? Here’s a look.

7 Minnesota Vikings make PFF’s top 101 players of 2022

The Vikings were well represented on the PFF top 101

As we continue to put a bow on the 2022 National Football League season, Pro Football Focus released their annual 101 best players from the 2022 season.

Sam Monson of PFF goes through both the film and their data to see who were the best players from the 2022 season and the representation for the Minnesota Vikings was strong with seven players represented.

Here is the criteria from PFF.

• This list is based solely on play in 2022. Past or future play is not accounted for. This isn’t about class or talent; it’s about performance throughout the 2022 NFL season.

• This list is created with an “all positions are created equal” mantra. So, you won’t see 32 quarterbacks heading the list, even though that is the game’s most valuable position. Instead, we take a look at how guys played relative to what is expected from their position.

• Unlike PFF’s awards, the 101 factors in the postseason, so some players who won PFF awards may find themselves jumped in the 101 by rivals who had a playoff run worthy of a change in ranking.

Vikings take an edge rusher in latest Jaguars Wire mock draft

Going edge rusher is an underrated idea for the Vikings in the NFL draft

The Minnesota Vikings are heading into the 2023 season with aging edge rushers Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith. Both players were key members of the Vikings’ defense last season, but as they get a little older, there might be a focus on adding depth at the position to ensure a strong pass rush in the future.

On Tuesday, Adam Stites of Jaguars Wire helped the Vikings address that need in his latest mock draft by selecting Georgia edge Nolan Smith.

“The Vikings won 13 games thanks mostly to its top 10 offense that made up for a defense that finished the regular season with the second most yards allowed. That unit proved costly as the Giants put up 31 points in the playoffs to boot Minnesota on Wild Card Weekend. Adding another edge rusher would be a boost.”

Many fans will likely want someone who can step in right away and make an impact on this team immediately, so Smith might not make them happy. If the Vikings do go this route it would give them a player they can build their defense around for the future while also allowing him to develop behind Hunter and Smith.

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Vikings 2023 7 Round mock draft: Matt Anderson’s 3.0

The latest Vikings seven-round mock draft focuses on an edge rusher

As the 2022 NFL season comes to a close, fans of all 32 teams are eagerly looking forward to the upcoming NFL draft. The Minnesota Vikings have a lot to figure out before the draft in April, but that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate about what they might do.

Many experts suggest that the Vikings should focus on drafting a cornerback in the first round. In my latest Vikings seven-round mock draft, we will take look and examine potential options and explore the strategy of taking the best player available while looking to build for the future, instead of just right now.

Report: Za’Darius Smith’s is putting his house up for sale

Could the Vikings be moving on from their star edge rusher?

When players are preparing to leave a team or have already left via trade or free agency, they will put their house up for sale. It’s very common, especially since a lot of the top players have residences in other states.

What we weren’t necessarily expecting was for Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Za’Darius Smith doing just that. According to The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling, Smith has put his house up for sale in Eagan.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that Smith is gone, but it is curious. Currently, Smith is set to count $15.490,195 against the cap. However, they could save $12,156,861 by either releasing or trading him.

The one key date for Smith is the fifth day of the league year March 19th. That is when $5.05 million of his $9.45 million base salary becomes fully guaranteed.

Even though he only had 0.5 sacks in the second half of the season, Smith still finished in the top five in the NFL with 80 pressures per PFF and the lack of sack production was him seeing constant double teams that opened things up for Danielle Hunter.

The other question is whether Brian Flores wants to have Smith on the roster next year or would he prefer to invest in the secondary with his schemed designed to bring pressure without elite talent. This answer will say a lot about the direction of the defense next season.

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Vikings Report Card: Grading each defensive position from the 2022 season

With the 2022 season over, we graded each position group from the defense

The 2022 season for the Minnesota Vikings has been over for 12 days and it’s time to start reflecting on what was over the last 6 months.

New head coach Kevin O’Connell went 13-4 in his first season and led the Vikings to their first NFC North division title since 2017. Unfortunately, they lost their first playoff game to the New York Giants.

As we start to reflect on the season that was, we are spending this article looking at the Vikings’ defensive position groups as we looked at the offense on Friday. Here are the grades for each defensive one.

These 50 Vikings players are under contract for 2023

The Vikings currently have 50 players under contract going into the 2023 offseason

Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has a lot of work to do this offseason to get the Vikings roster under the cap and ready to go for the 2023 season.

There is a lot of talk about impending free agents and potential cap casualties for the Vikings this offseason, but not so much about the other players that are under contract.

According to Over The Cap, the Vikings have 50 players currently under contract and sit $23,051,507 over the projected salary cap. Here is all 50 players under contract with the details of their current contracts.