The Las Vegas Raiders are going to take Fernando Mendoza with the first-overall pick in this year’s draft, and they’ve spent the offseason gearing up to support him. Apparently, they didn’t see what happened to the Minnesota Vikings last year, because they went all-out in this free agency period.
- Tyler Linderbaum: three years, $81 million ($60 million guaranteed)
- Kwity Paye: three years, $48 million ($32 million guaranteed)
- Quay Walker: three years, $40.5 million ($28 million guaranteed)
- Jalen Nailor: three years, $35 million ($23 million guaranteed)
- Nakobe Dean: three years, $36 million ($20 million guaranteed)
- Eric Stokes: three years, $30 million ($20 million guaranteed)
Those are just the biggest deals. The Raiders have committed to over $200 million in guaranteed contracts to help build a competitive team around Mendoza. The Raiders have heeded Kevin O’Connell’s message that organizations fail quarterbacks before quarterbacks fail organizations. However, they did so after seeing the Vikings become irrelevant in December during J.J. McCarthy’s first year under center.
The Vikings had the right intentions going into last season. They wanted to create a floor for McCarthy in his first season. The Vikings bolstered the trenches on both sides of the ball, adding to the interior offensive line while hoping to enhance Brian Flores’ defense. They also let Sam Darnold leave in free agency, so McCarthy only had to compete with Sam Howell in camp for the starting job.
Minnesota spent a league-high $348 million in cash to support J.J. McCarthy. Ultimately, they started 4-8, and McCarthy threw for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 games. He suffered a high-ankle sprain, concussion, and a hand injury last year. That’s after missing his rookie season with a torn meniscus. All are injuries that could potentially linger and disrupt his career.
Safe to say, Minnesota’s plan didn’t work out.
Teams that win free agency tend to lose in the regular season. It’s one thing to use free agency to patch roster holes. That tends to be a winning strategy. But building out a roster by signing free agents is expensive, and they tend to be older players who depreciate quickly.
It’s borderline astounding that the Vikings could patch over draft misses with free agents until last season. Building through the draft allows organizations to capitalize on team-friendly rookie contracts and establish continuity that’s vital to long-term success.
Still, the Raiders are trying to build a competitive roster around Fernando Mendoza this offseason. Meanwhile, they traded Geno Smith to the New York Jets. Smith, 35, could have bridged to Mendoza if he’s not ready after camp, or been a veteran backup in case he gets hurt.
Teams that start young quarterbacks too soon – like the Vikings did last year – or that don’t have a great defense can hamper a potential franchise QB’s development.
The Vikings acted with good intentions last season. Instead of franchise-tagging Sam Darnold, who would have cost them $40 million, they used that cap space to build a super team around J.J. McCarthy. However, they evaluated McCarthy’s readiness to start, and the offense stalled out with him, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer under center – a disservice to Justin Jefferson.
If McCarthy doesn’t pan out, we’ll have an idea of whether the Vikings failed him or he failed the organization. Providing a young quarterback with a good team is only part of the equation. The organization must also evaluate a young quarterback’s readiness to start and have viable options to replace him if he falters or suffers an injury.
Successful organizations also build through the draft and supplement their rosters through free agency because it’s nearly impossible to create a contender through free agency. The Vikings learned that the hard way last year. Strangely, at a time when most of the league watched Minnesota’s plan flop, the Raiders failed to take notice.
