Cap constraints and other priorities prevented the Vikings from landing Kenneth Walker, despite the enticing prospect. Financial realities ultimately ruled him out.
NFL trade and free agent rumors are abuzz across the NFL. The Minnesota Vikings have experienced their fair share of such rumors. One rumor was short-lived.
The Vikings were briefly tied to potential running back target Kenneth Walker after letting fellow running back Aaron Jones Sr. walk to free agency. The rumor came after another big-name ball carrier was taken off the board in fresh New Orleans Saints running back signing Travis Etienne. Some thought the Vikings might be next to make a running back signing. That is, until the Kansas City Chiefs swooped in to sign the running back.
While the rumor made some sense, it simply wasn't feasible. Prior to the deal, Dave Holcomb of Heavy explained that Vikings fans should not get their hopes up about signing Walker. He shared the following on the once rumored potential addition.
"It’s easy to argue the Vikings should aim to sign Walker. It could be much harder for the Vikings to fit the Super Bowl MVP under the salary cap.
The Vikings released Jones in part because they had one of the worst cap situations entering March. Over the past week, the team has had to make hard decisions on a lot of veterans to get cap compliant.
After doing that, the Vikings turning around and making Walker one of the highest-paid running backs in the league might not make much financial sense. That could especially be true with Mason set to return.
Yes, Walker is the top free agent running back this offseason. But there are other quality free agents at the position. Veterans such as Rachaad White and Kenneth Gainwell could be better complements to Mason because they are better pass catchers."
Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) celebrates with the Vince Lombardi trophy after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesCertainly, few if any Vikings fans were above rooting for the team to get payback on the Seattle Seahawks for taking quarterback Sam Darnold from them by a adding former star Seattle running back in Kenneth Walker. The problem for the Vikings was simply how to make it work financially, which would have be difficult given how concerning their salary cap situation was not long ago.
The Vikings more than anything need to upgrade at quarterback, which won't come cheap by any stretch. Add in several other positional vacancies for starters on the and quality depth, and Minnesota could ill afford to be a big spender this offseason.
The Vikings may make a splash in their upcoming free agent signings despite missing out on Walker. That said, perhaps we should expect it to come at quarterback rather than elsewhere.