The Minnesota Vikings may target Larry Fitzgerald or Josh Gordon in the future they are released by their teams, as the Vikings need some support for Cordarrelle Patterson after he had a tough season and this comes as Greg Jennings could be cut and released as a salary cap casualty in the 2015 offseason for Teddy Bridgewater.
The Vikings may have Adrian Peterson back in 2015, but if not, they are happy to build around Bridgewater and Jerick McKinnon. Cordarrelle Patterson had some struggles this season, but he has the potential to turn things around. According to ESPN.com, the team may look at cutting Greg Jennings, as he is going to count $11 million against the cap and they can save nearly $10 million if he is a June 1 release.
At ESPN, Vikings blogger Ben Goessling took some questions about the team and he was asked about the possibility of Larry Fitzgerald or Josh Gordon ended up in Minnesota. According to Fox Sports Arizona, Fitzgerald could be released this offseason, as he has a $23 million cap hit for the team in 2015. Fitzgerald is one of the best receivers in the league, but he is getting past 30 and could be released. Goessling said that if Gordon is eventually released, the Vikings could be a good fit, as he could be the type of player that Percy Harvin was when he was in Minnesota.
Fitzgerald has numerous connections to Minnesota and many have speculated that he could consider the Vikings if released by the Arizona Cardinals. Fitzgerald's father works as a sports reporter in Minnesota and Fitzgerald has worked out and is very familiar with the Twin Cities area. Fitzgerald has spoken about being a ball boy for the Vikings when he was a kid and those memories could lead him up North if he is released by the Cardinals.
Norv Turner was the offensive coordinator for the Browns when Gordon had his breakout season and while that is not much of a connection, it sure could help if the Vikings go that route. Right now Gordon's future is way up in the air and he still faces a yearlong suspension, but if the Browns cut him loose, there is a good chance another team will pick him up. Gordon led the league with 1646 yards and had 87 catches under Turner in 2013.
The Vikings are coming into the offseason after going 7-9 and just 1-5 in the NFC North, but the team has a lot to build on with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback. Head coach Mike Zimmer and the players have said that they are open to Adrian Peterson retiring, but that is still up in the air. ESPN writes that Melvin Gordon could be a draft target for the team if Peterson doesn't return and they also like what they have in rookie Jerick McKinnon, who finished last season on IR after playing well in place of Peterson.
Bridgewater showed tons of potential and while the team finished 28th in passing, they have the chance to bounce back next year. Losing Peterson was tough and they had to adjust on the fly and Bridgewater should be better after getting adjusted to the NFL. The team is happy with Bridgewater after picking him at the end of the first round, as they had major quarterback questions coming into this past season.