PurplePTSD: Expect Minnesota's Franchise And Transition Tags To Remain Unused

Press release from the PurplePTSD:

K. Joudry

2022-02-13

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will be forced to make several very difficult decisions to begin his tenure as the Vikings GM. The decisions surrounding Minnesota’s franchise and transition tags won’t be among them.

A recent piece on PFF takes on each team in the NFL, projecting who they might franchise. Minnesota’s situation is pretty straightforward: “New general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has a lot on his plate as he attempts to overhaul a Vikings roster that has seen better days, but a franchise-tag decision is one matter he doesn’t have to worry about.” It’s hard to disagree.

Apparently, the team has only ever used the franchise tag three times. Most recently, the tag was used to retain Anthony Harris, a decision that didn’t end up going well. The thinking was that the Harris/Harrison Smith safety pairing could help the team transition with its young corners, but injuries and a step back from Harris doomed the plan.

Keep in mind that Minnesota’s decision isn’t just for a singular tag but for tags, both the franchise and transition. The transition tag isn’t quite as beefy as its more well-known counterpart. NFL.com explains how it works:

Given that the transition option is less rigid than its franchise counterpart, it’s the most likely to be used out of Minnesota’s tags. Even still, the chances remain low.

The Vikings are currently $15.6 million over the cap. The top names in their internal free agents list are Patrick Peterson, Mason Cole, Tyler Conklin, Nick Vigil, and Greg Joseph.

This press release was produced by the PurplePTSD. The views expressed here are the author’s own.