Many top free agents have been snatched up after the first few days of NFL free agency, including former Arizona Cardinals edge rusher Chandler Jones. The only transactions the Vikings have made have been for Harrison Phillips and Jordan Hicks, who signed on Day 2, so there is still significant room for improvement.
Jones was one of the biggest names remaining on the market after the first day of NFL free agency. He may not have been the most attractive prospect for some teams. However, there are many reasons why the Minnesota Vikings should have considered signing him.
On the Friday, March 11 episode of “The NFL Players Podcast,” Jones hinted at wanting to test the waters of the open market in 2022, which ruled out a return to Arizona. Numerous teams appeared to have an interest in him.
The Vikings have big decisions to make this offseason regarding the pass rush. They’ve released Michael Pierce, and Anthony Barr will likely sign elsewhere, so the Vikings will need to add some muscle to a depleted front seven. Similarly, these moves freed up around $30 million of cap space in 2022, along with the Kirk Cousins contract extension and Harrison Smith‘s contract restructure.
If the Vikings fail to improve the pass rush this offseason, they could be in real trouble. Minnesota’s defense was a disappointment in 2021-22, and the new front office knows success starts in the trenches. While the Vikings’ pass rush was not entirely to blame for the lack of defensive success, the following statistics from last season illustrate the need for upgrades across the board:
- Third-most yards allowed (6,522), rushing yards/play allowed (4.7), and first downs allowed (391)
- 29th in pass rush win rate (34%) and 31st in run stop win rate (27%)
- Sixth-most yards/play allowed (5.7) and seventh-most rushing yards allowed (2,242)
- Eighth-most passes completed against (401)
- Ninth-most points allowed (426)
If Barr and Danielle Hunter were healthy last year, those numbers would almost certainly look better. But both players have a history of health problems. Since coming out of LSU seven seasons ago, Hunter has played just four full seasons, and he’s only played in seven games since the 2019 season. Minnesota expects Hunter to return to the field in 2022 in peak form. But if history repeats itself, his season could end faster than it begins.
That’s why Jones would have made sense. He has recorded a staggering 107.5 sacks, 33 forced fumbles, and nearly 500 total tackles in his illustrious career. After headlining the Cardinals’ defense for the last six seasons, the two-time first-team All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler would have proved to be a versatile chess piece for the Vikings’ pass rush. Last season, Jones recorded 10.5 sacks and six forced fumbles, which would have led the Vikings’ defense.
If the Vikings had signed him, it is more than likely he would have flourished alongside a lethal edge threat in Hunter, newly signed interior defensive lineman Hunter Phillips, and his former teammate Jordan Hicks. In Arizona, and somewhat in New England, Jones was the primary focus of nearly every offensive game plan. With Hunter complementing him on the opposite side of the line, head coaches and offensive coordinators would’ve needed to face the harsh reality of leaving them one-on-one for a large share of snaps. Don’t forget that Minnesota’s excellent middle linebacker Eric Kendricks further strengthens the front seven.
Jones, 32, may be entering the back end of his prime. But given the three-year, $51 million contract the Las Vegas Raiders signed him to last week, he was an asset the Vikings could have plausibly afforded.
While Minnesota’s salary cap situation was a meaningful roadblock in acquiring Jones, many of those issues have been resolved. At the start of the offseason, the Vikings were over the salary cap and needed to do some contract reworking with key cap hit contributors. Recently, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah decided to extend Kirk Cousins, freeing up around $15 million in cap space in 2022.
The Vikings also recently released defensive tackle Michael Pierce, which erased a $10 million cap hit for this offseason. Harrison Smith and Adam Theilen also restructured their contracts with the team, freeing up $14 million. Similarly, the Vikings will likely release or, at minimum, rework Barr’s contract to make more cap space.
Whether Chandler Jones was on the new front office’s target list is unknown. Minnesota fans may be shaking their heads in disappointment next season when they watch one of the league’s most dominant pass rushers bolster the Raiders’ new-and-improved front seven.
The Wilfs have said they want to field a Super Bowl team, and all signs point to this commitment. Signing Chandler Jones would have been a gigantic step forward in achieving that goal, and it could prove to be a missed opportunity for the Vikings.
