After Sam Darnold took a playoff-record nine sacks in a season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC wild-card round, Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell ordered that the inside offensive line be improved.
But because the guard market was erratic, Minnesota placed a dangerous $88 million wager.
Trey Smith was re-signed by the Kansas City Chiefs. Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney were traded and extended by the Chicago Bears, and Aaron Banks received a huge contract with the Green Bay Packers.
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Due to the lack of good free agency options, Minnesota decided to pay a hefty five-year, $88 million contract to former Indianapolis Colts guard Will Fries, who was still healing from a broken tibia.
The Seattle Seahawks wanted Fries to come in for a physical on the Wednesday when free agency opened, but he didn’t want to wait, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. After Fries passed it when he subsequently arrived in Minnesota, the Vikings offered a deal without a physical, which was signed.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell provided an update on Fries on the first day of voluntary organized team activities (OTAs), stating that while he won’t be participating fully this spring, he is hopeful that Fries will be prepared.
All set for training camp.
On May 28, O’Connell stated, “I don’t know if we’ll see him fully active this spring.” “But I can honestly say that I can’t wait to see him when he can go out there, which is probably for training camp. He might yet appear in a few projects over the course of the next two weeks. However, he is doing well.
There are a lot of benefits, but the worries about Fries might not hold up over time. Prior to his injury last year, Fries, a 2021 seventh-round pick, was playing like a top-five guard, therefore he has greatly outperformed his draft status.
The average yearly value of his contract is ranked 10th for the role.
But in his four-year career, Fries has only started all 17 games once, and he has performed poorly in every season before to 2024 according to Pro Football Focus (PFF) ratings.
The Vikings included this ambiguity in his contract, which appears to be a two-year agreement with a 2027 expiration date, saving $9.5 million in cap space while also imposing a $12 million dead cap charge.
All things considered, the Vikings made the proper decision. When free agency opened, there weren’t many guards in their prime.
However, if Fries is unable to remain on the field, the $88 million deal’s optics would be a lightning rod for criticism.
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