Tomlinson, Peterson, Bradbury, Mattison Highlight Vikings' 2023 Free Agents
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As the Minnesota Vikings' offseason begins earlier than they were hoping it would, 15 players — several of them key contributors to this year's 13-win team — are now unrestricted free agents. A few more are either restricted free agents or exclusive rights free agents.
Let's go through every player and speculate on the likelihood that they'll be brought back. The Vikings will have to clear significant cap space via cuts, extensions, restructures, and/or trades before they begin adding pieces back to the roster for next season, and we'll cover the avenues to do so in separate article soon.
UFAs
CB Patrick Peterson
Peterson signed another one-year deal to return to Minnesota last offseason and it worked out quite well for both parties. The 32-year-old future Hall of Famer had a phenomenal season, starting all 17 games and recording five interceptions (T-5th in the NFL) and 15 passes defended (T-6th). Peterson held QBs to a 66.8 passer rating on targets in his coverage and earned an 80.7 PFF grade, sixth-best in the NFL and the second-best grade of his career. He was also invaluable off the field as a captain and leader, hosting weekly film sessions with young defensive backs at his house.
The Vikings would presumably love to have Peterson back, but he may have priced himself out of their plans with such a strong season.
DT Dalvin Tomlinson
Tomlinson signed a two-year deal prior to the 2021 season and has been a nice fit with the Vikings. He is, pretty simply, a very good — but not elite — interior lineman who eats up blocks and is strong at the point of attack. Despite missing four games this season, Tomlinson finished with a career-best 29 pressures. He's averaged three sacks per season over the past four years to go along with good play against the run.
The Vikings still have Harrison Phillips, and they might have the depth (Khyiris Tonga, James Lynch, Esezi Otomewo) to afford losing Tomlinson.
C Garrett Bradbury
The Vikings' first-round pick in 2019, Bradbury had a disappointing first three seasons. His elite athleticism showed up as promised in the running game, but he was simply incapable of pass protecting at a competent level. That changed this season in a new offense; Bradbury's pass pro finally become an asset, making him a good all-around center. He missed the final five games of the regular season with a back injury and then struggled against all-world DT Dexter Lawrence in the playoff loss, but Bradbury had a nice season in a contract year.
He'd like to be back in 2023.
“I’d love to (return)," Bradbury said on Monday. "I love it here. I love this locker room, the coaches, the culture that’s been put in place. We’ll cross that bridge in the coming months. I’ve never been through this before, so I don’t really know how it works or what’s going to happen. I’ve expressed that I want to be here."
I suspect there's a decent chance the Vikings re-sign Bradbury for continuity at center.
CB Duke Shelley
When the Vikings signed Shelley to their practice squad after he was waived by the Bears in final roster cuts this year, even they didn't envision the impact he'd go on to have. He was signed to the active roster before Week 10 against the Bills, made a game-saving pass breakup in overtime, and never looked back. Shelley essentially started the final eight games of the season, including the playoff game, and was dynamite for the Vikings. With great ball skills at 5'9", he allowed only 22 catches on 45 targets.
Shelley could be brought back to compete for a starting role next season, particularly if Peterson is gone. The Vikings have Cameron Dantzler, Andrew Booth Jr., and Akayleb Evans under contract next season, but Shelley easily out-played Dantzler and the other two need to prove they can stay healthy in their second seasons.
RB Alexander Mattison
Mattison was a third-round pick in 2019 and spent the last four seasons backing up Dalvin Cook, starting six games across '20 and '21. He's a capable back who runs with power and has some juice in the open field, but he also averaged just 3.7 yards per carry over the past two seasons. Mattison saw career-lows in touches and yards this season as Cook stayed healthy for all 17 games, but he did have six touchdowns.
The Vikings have some very interesting decisions to make at running back. Cook fell off in 2022 and still has a lot of money left on his contract. Mattison is a free agent. Young players Kene Nwangwu and Ty Chandler are waiting in the wings without much experience. There are several different ways this could play out, but there's probably an above-50 percent chance Mattison has played his last game in Minnesota.
TE Irv Smith Jr.
Rick Spielman's second-round pick in 2019 never became more than a serviceable tight end with the Vikings. Smith split time with Kyle Rudolph for two seasons, showing some flashes of upside. He caught five touchdown passes in 2020 and had a strong training camp in '21. However, he missed all of last season with a torn meniscus suffered in the preseason, missed nine games this year with a high-ankle sprain, and struggled with drops when healthy. With T.J. Hockenson being the Vikings' tight end of the present and future, Smith's time in Minnesota is presumably over.
K Greg Joseph
Joseph has been a decent but inconsistent kicker over the past two seasons. He's made 59 of 71 field goals (83 percent), with some big misses and a bunch of game-winners, including a 61-yarder to beat the Giants this year. Joseph has also gone just 76 of 86 (88 percent) on extra points, with more misses than any other kicker since 2021. The big leg is good; the inconsistency is frustrating. It's tough to find good kickers, so there's certainly a chance Joseph returns.
CB Chandon Sullivan
The Vikings signed Sullivan to a one-year deal to replace Mackensie Alexander as their slot corner, and he was one of the weaker parts of their defense all season long. Per PFF, only Xavien Howard allowed more yards in coverage than Sullivan did in 2022. Expect the Vikings to look elsewhere at that spot.
LS Andrew DePaola
A Pro-Bowler, first team All-Pro, and beloved teammate, DePaola is a clear candidate to be re-signed in 2023.
QB Nick Mullens
A quality backup quarterback.
DT Jonathan Bullard
Bullard quietly started seven games for the Vikings this season, playing in 12. He's a solid rotational defensive tackle.
C/G Austin Schlottmann
Started a few games when Bradbury was hurt, then suffered a season-ending fibula fracture in Green Bay on New Year's Day.
OT Oli Udoh
A 2019 late-round pick who started 16 games in 2021 (14 at LG, two at LT) with mediocre results, Udoh moved back into a depth tackle role this season. He filled in for Brian O'Neill at right tackle over the season's final three games and legitimately played well. That tape might earn Udoh a decent contract from someone else this offseason.
CB Kris Boyd
Boyd, a 2019 seventh-rounder, was a key special teams player for the Vikings this year and the kind of teammate people love to be around. He played 640 snaps at corner for the Vikings over his four years, most of them in 2020, and the results weren't great.
WR Olabisi Johnson
Another 2019 late-round pick who has become a forgotten man. Johnson had a 45-483-3 line over 32 games (nine starts) in his first two seasons, but has had bad luck since then. He tore an ACL in training camp in 2021, then tore his other ACL in a preseason game this year. Hopefully he can stay healthy and revive his career somewhere this year.
RFAs
Restricted free agents are players with three accrued seasons and an expired contract. They can receive various qualifying offers/tenders from their team, which would allow that team to match an offer sheet from another team.
TE Ben Ellefson
Solid blocking tight end who missed most of this season due to injury.
DE Kenny Willekes
Edge rusher who flashed (2.5 sacks) in six games in 2021, then missed all of this season due to injury.
ERFAs
Exclusive rights free agents are players with less than three accrued seasons. If a team offers them an ERFA tender, no other team can negotiate with them.
DT Khyiris Tonga
Tonga, another Bears castoff, played very well across 276 defensive snaps this season. Tendering him for next season seems like a no-brainer.
OT Blake Brandel
Brandel is a 2020 sixth-round pick who has been waived a couple times but stuck around in Minnesota. This year, he became the Vikings' swing tackle, playing essentially four full games in place of Christian Darrisaw at LT with mixed results. He could be brought back in that same role for cheap.
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