March is right around the corner, and that means that free agency for the Minnesota Vikings and the rest of the NFL is too. General managers across the league will be busy working the phone lines trying to be the first to offer pending free agents contracts to get them to join their clubs.
Once again, the Vikings don’t have a lot of money to spend. The team is strapped when it comes to the salary cap and will need to shed some contracts and do some restructuring to create enough space to bring in a new name or two.
Kewsi Adofo-Mensah likes to find value in the free agents he brings in. Last year he targeted some guys who were coming off their rookie contracts and got players like Harrison Phillips at bargain deals.
While Adofo-Mensah has a type of player he covets, there are some players on the market he’d be wise to steer clear of. These players are maybe unproven, have some attitude issues, or maybe just have their best days behind them. Here are five free agents the Vikings should avoid in free agency this year.
Free Agent No.1: Allen Lazard – WR
Allen Lazard is a fairly big name out on the wide receiver free-agent wire. He made his living catching balls from Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. He was the no. 2/3 to Davante Adams when he was in town, not really being the man until last season.
Lazard would provide the Vikings with something they could use in the wide receiver room, and that is size. He’s 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds and can outmuscle and basically just outreach most cornerbacks in a jump ball situation. He’s also been very productive in his years with the Packers, hauling in 169 receptions for 2,236 yards and 20 touchdowns.
While Lazard’s size is tantalizing, there are some red flags. The first is that he’s never really been close to hitting 1000 receiving yards in a given season. The closest he got was last year with 788 yards.
He also runs hot and cold. Last season five of his six touchdowns game during the first eight weeks. There is also the argument that his production is because of who was throwing him the ball and the system he is in. It is possible he will struggle to find success with a new quarterback in a new offensive scheme.
Lazard definitely has some positives, but for the price tag that’ll have to be met to secure his services, there are just too many concerns.
Free Agent No.2: Ndamukong Suh – DT
Ndamukong Suh is on this list because he was a hot name surrounding the Vikings last year. The rumors of the Vikings being interested in him just wouldn’t die. They were finally put to rest when he signed with the Eagles, but there’s a chance those embers begin to flare up again in the coming weeks.
Suh’s best days are definitely behind him, as he’s 36-years-old and beyond the twilight of his career. The Vikings could attempt to lure him in for one last season under the pretense that they are contenders for the crown and the fact he’ll get plenty of playing time on this defensive line devoid of depth and talent.
While there could be some validity to the Vikings’ interest in Suh, they are better off going a different route. He will still cost a decent amount on name recognition alone and the fact he could just retire.
Suh’s also lost a lot of his burst off the line and is more of a mauler at this point. The Vikings also have to factor in his history of being a dirty player and know that signing him could bring in a slew of flags to a team that was one of the least penalized in 2022.
Having Suh for at least one year in purple is a fun thing to think about, but the Vikings would be wise to avoid him.
Free Agent No.3: Devin Bush – LB
Devin Bush screams the type of player that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah likes to sign. He’s still young and is coming off his rookie deal. He’s also a former first-round pick who hasn’t reached his potential.
The Vikings have brought in players that have fit this mold since Kwesi came to town with Jalen Reagor and Josh Rosen, and while he wasn’t a first-round pick, Ross Blacklock could be lumped in here too.
The Steelers gave up two second-round picks and a future third-round pick to move up and get Devin Bush in the 2019 NFL Draft. He played lights out his first season racking up 109 tackles, with nine tackles for a loss and one sack. He missed most of the following season with a knee injury, and in 2021, his play began to tail off.
He struggled again in 2022, even getting benched at one point. Bush may be tempting for Kwesi to look at because he’s still young and should be relatively cheap. However, when he was benched, the linebacker coach at the time was Brian Flores.
While he ultimately didn’t make that decision, he surely had input on it. If Flores has any beef or concerns with Bush, they need to steer clear. He could be a reclamation project that just isn’t worth the hassle.
Free Agent No.4: Eli Apple – CB
The Vikings will be looking for at least one veteran cornerback in free agency. They have a handful of young players but need an experienced cover man in the back end. Patrick Peterson could be out of the mix, so the team could look to the free-agent market for more help.
One guy they need to stay away from is Eli Apple. Apple is a bit of a polarizing figure. He isn’t afraid to speak his mind or even trash-talk an opponent before, during, or after a game. While some coaches and fans may like that brashness, Apple’s comes off as weak because he isn’t good enough to back it up.
Apple’s PFF grade a season ago was 53.3. That ranked him 68th in the league. The real kicker about that stat is that only 64 players start at the position. Apple also has allowed 11 touchdowns in his two seasons with the Bengals with only two interceptions.
He’s had a revolving door of teams since being drafted by the Giants in 2016. He first went to the Saints, back to the Giants, back to the Saints, spent 2020 with the Panthers, and then has been with the Bengals for two years. Apparently, no one wants this cat around for very long.
Apple is going to create a lot of attention to himself and then struggle when he’s on the field. He isn’t what this Vikings defense needs right now, and the team can find a better option on the market.
Free Agent No.5: Brett Maher – K
Kicker is definitely an underrated need for the Vikings. Greg Joseph was up and down but did about an average job on the season. They could bring him back, draft a young kicker, or test the free-agent waters. If they go the free agency route, they need to avoid Brett Maher.
Maher has actually been a very good kicker for the majority of his career. He’s made 81 percent of his kicks since he entered the league back in 2018. He has a strong leg hitting from as far as 63 yards. He’s also made over 95 percent of his extra points, so what’s not to like?
The Vikings need to stay away because he’s a broken man. He went through a very public battle with the yips and missed four extra points in the playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is a man whose confidence is at an all-time low.
The Vikings cannot bring him in, even if he can be had at a bargain. The Vikings have had issues with kickers to the point that many fans believe the franchise is cursed at the position. Bringing in Maher would be a recipe for disaster.
Re-signing Joseph would be a better move than rolling the dice that Maher is over his yips and back to being the reliable kicker he was the majority of 2022.