[OC] WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS AT QB?

[Deleted]

There has been a lot of speculation about what the Vikings should/will do at QB going forward.With both Sam Bradford and Case Keenum due to hit free agency at the end of the current season,Kyle Sloter will be the only QB under contract.Teddy Bridgewater's status is a little clouded,as I will explain later.

The Options

Sam Bradford 
There's no doubt that of the QBs currently on the roster,Bradford gives the Vikings the best chance to win.He has the OC who knows him best,a scheme designed to utilize his strengths,and an offensive line that while not brilliant is certainly much improved on last season and does enough to give the Quarterback time to go through his progressions,something he didn't have last season.

On the flip side is the issue of Bradford's troublesome knee.After two ACL injuries earlier in his career the last thing any Vikings fan wanted to see was the QB appearing on the injury report with a knee problem,but that is what happened leading in to the road game at Pittsburgh.Bradford has remained on the injury report in the ensuing weeks with what is a bone bruise,according to media reports.

The biggest problem with assessing Bradford for next season and beyond is that only the medical staff truly know the facts about his current injury,so I can only guesstimate on his health.That said,a bone bruise should not be a concern going forward,and as Bradford has visited with specialist Dr Andrews and been given the all clear on any structural damage then it is fair to assume his health should not be a major concern.

Case Keenum 
Keenum is in the best situation he has ever had in his career to date.His previous stints with the Rams and Texans were on below average offences with poor OL play and a lack of offensive talent.
In Minnesota he finds himself with an average OL but better receiving options and play makers.

He was an undrafted free agent who could best be described as a battler who believes in his ability but lacks consistency.While not likely to ever be an NFL starter,he certainly is an acceptable backup option. 

Kyle Sloter
Sloter is as raw as college free agents come.He only started 10 games at Northern Colorado,so to say he is inexperienced is an understatement.He signed on with the Broncos and was impressive in pre season games,but to project him as a possible future starter based on that is a big stretch.

On a more positive note,the Vikings had to battle hard to land the young QBs signature as he was well regarded by other teams.Sloter is certainly an intriguing development piece,but at this stage that is all he is.

Teddy Bridgewater
Bridgewater is the real wildcard of the QB pack,and is the most difficult to predict because of his health and his contract status.
As far as his health is concerned there has been much speculation in the media about where Bridgewater is in regard to his rehab,however most reports suggest that he is well ahead of schedule and ready to return to practice.On the other hand,the Vikings have been very cautious when answering questions about the health and rehab progression that Bridgewater has made.
For now I will just assume that he is progressing well and see how things play out.

As far as contract status goes there has been speculation about what is required to cause the contract to toll.This is what the CBA says:

Any player placed on a Physically Unable to Perform list (“PUP”) will be paid his full Paragraph 5 Salary while on such list. His contract will not be tolled for the period he is on PUP, except in the last year of his contract, when the player’s contract will be tolled if he is still physically unable to perform his football services as of the sixth regular season game.

It seems straight forward that as it is the last year of Bridgewater's contract,and he is currently on the PUP list (where he must stay until week 6) that the contract would toll.
But this is where things get interesting.
In an article for PFT,Mike Florio posted this:

A league source tells PFT that the NFL’s Management Council has interpreted the relevant language of the CBA in past cases to require the player to spend the entire year on the PUP list in order to toll the contract. PFT has asked both the NFL (multiple times) and the Vikings whether that contention is accurate, and there has been no response from either the league or the team.

Earlier this year,the NFLPA stated that they would fight any move by the Vikings to have Bridgewater's contract toll.I wasn't sure how they could justify such a move,but after researching for this article I think the strategy will be twofold.

Firstly,the NFLPA will assert that Bridgewater was in fact able to perform his football services before the sixth regular season game,however he could not join the team because the PUP list designation prohibits that.
Secondly,the NFLPA will use the Management Council interpretation to strengthen their case.
This of course assumes that the NFLPA and Bridgewater can prove that he was medically able to perform.Either way,any move by the NFLPA to challenge the tolling of the contract will certainly lead to what I would expect will be a drawn out process that likely winds up in the courts.

Other Options 
Of the other free agents to hit the market next year there are no real options apart from Kirk Cousins,however that would be an all out bidding war the Vikings would not likely win.I would be amazed if Cousins even made it to free agency,however Washington has completely mismanaged the entire situation around Cousins so anything is possible.

Drew Brees has been mentioned as a possible candidate but I would speculate that if he plays next year it will be in New Orleans.The Saints have managed Brees situation even worse than Washington has with Cousins,and if Brees walks away then the Saints are left with $16 million in dead money,so it is in their interests to figure something out.

Alex Smith and Andrew Luck are others who could possibly be traded for,but after not having a first round pick in 2017 I would not expect the Vikings to be in the QB trade market.

One thing the Vikings should seriously consider is drafting a QB in the mid rounds,although at this stage it is hard to assess who might be available.

Conclusion
There is no doubt in my mind that Mike Zimmer is craving for some continuity and consistency from his offensive unit,and for these reasons I expect that if Sam Bradford is healthy then the Vikings will look to re sign him to lead the unit.

Case Keenum is an adequate backup and Kyle Sloter will get a chance to compete at that spot also.

As previously stated,Teddy Bridgewater is the difficult one to assess at this point with both his health and contract status unknown,and until some clarity exists regarding those situations it is hard to offer an opinion about where he ends up.

[Danchat]

Nice article! You did a great job explaining the situation, especially the bizarre situation with Bridgewater's contract. Let's just hope that his contract will indeed toll to 2018 and we get another cheap year of control over him.

[Deleted]

Definitely more questions than answers. Hopefully either Sam or Teddy gets healthy and takes charge at some point. Teddy's contract situation may wind up with us just signing him to a one year extension (perhaps loaded with incentives) at a lower price than the option year would have cost us. If it winds up in the courts, he may effectively be removed from the free agent market anyways.

[Nemesis]

Nice writeup Aussie! Since there's probably at least one person out there whose even dumber than me (maybe), could you explain exactly for both of us what "toll" implies in this context?

[Deleted]

Oct 7, 2017 16:24:02 GMT -6 Nemesis said:

Nice writeup Aussie! Since there's probably at least one person out there whose even dumber than me (maybe), could you explain exactly for both of us what "toll" implies in this context?

In a legal context,the word toll means "to suspend or interrupt"

So the contract is suspended for 2017 and reinstated in 2018 in it's original form.

[Nemesis]

Oct 7, 2017 18:29:35 GMT -6 @aussie61 said:

Oct 7, 2017 16:24:02 GMT -6 Nemesis said:

Nice writeup Aussie! Since there's probably at least one person out there whose even dumber than me (maybe), could you explain exactly for both of us what "toll" implies in this context?

In a legal context,the word toll means "to suspend or interrupt"

So the contract is suspended for 2017 and reinstated in 2018 in it's original form.

Thanks. That's what I thought but wasn't sure of all its implications. I need all the law education I can get right now.

[Minniman]

Oct 7, 2017 8:42:21 GMT -6 @aussie61 said:

Teddy Bridgewater

As far as contract status goes there has been speculation about what is required to cause the contract to toll.This is what the CBA says:

Any player placed on a Physically Unable to Perform list (“PUP”) will be paid his full Paragraph 5 Salary while on such list. His contract will not be tolled for the period he is on PUP, except in the last year of his contract, when the player’s contract will be tolled if he is still physically unable to perform his football services as of the sixth regular season game.

It seems straight forward that as it is the last year of Bridgewater's contract,and he is currently on the PUP list (where he must stay until week 6) that the contract would toll.
But this is where things get interesting.
In an article for PFT,Mike Florio posted this:

A league source tells PFT that the NFL’s Management Council has interpreted the relevant language of the CBA in past cases to require the player to spend the entire year on the PUP list in order to toll the contract. PFT has asked both the NFL (multiple times) and the Vikings whether that contention is accurate, and there has been no response from either the league or the team.

Earlier this year,the NFLPA stated that they would fight any move by the Vikings to have Bridgewater's contract toll.I wasn't sure how they could justify such a move,but after researching for this article I think the strategy will be twofold.

Firstly,the NFLPA will assert that Bridgewater was in fact able to perform his football services before the sixth regular season game,however he could not join the team because the PUP list designation prohibits that.
Secondly,the NFLPA will use the Management Council interpretation to strengthen their case.
This of course assumes that the NFLPA and Bridgewater can prove that he was medically able to perform.Either way,any move by the NFLPA to challenge the tolling of the contract will certainly lead to what I would expect will be a drawn out process that likely winds up in the courts.

Bridgewater got paid for a full season that he was injured, and he is unable to perform this season. The NFLPA wants him to get credit for BOTH season, so he can become a free agent?

That's as idiotic as paying a running back his full salary that was suspended because he had to go to court over child abuse charges.

Oh, ... wait. 

[Reignman]

Oct 7, 2017 16:24:02 GMT -6 Nemesis said:

Nice writeup Aussie! Since there's probably at least one person out there whose even dumber than me (maybe), could you explain exactly for both of us what "toll" implies in this context?

Thanks for covering for me buddy .

[Funkytown]

ESPN: Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Bradford and the Minnesota Vikings' QB dilemma

Ominous? I thought the Vikings said Bradford was just dealing with "wear and tear."

They did, and he is.

But there are two important takeaways from that information.

Go on …

The first is that "wear and tear" isn't a medical diagnosis. It's a description of why the injury happened. The real question to ask in order to understand Bradford's condition is: WHAT happened?

OK, genius: What happened?

The NFL Network reported that he suffered a bone bruise in the left knee in Week 1. That's the same knee in which Bradford has twice torn the ACL.

But I thought the Vikings said Bradford didn't have a bone bruise.

That's not actually what they said. Speaking to reporters Monday, athletic trainer Eric Sugarman said: "We're not dealing with a bone bruise from a direct hit."

See, there you go!

Well … as it turns out, there are two types of bone bruises. One can occur if, say, a helmet hits the shin. Another, as former San Diego Chargers team doctor David Chao has pointed out, happens with no contact. Technically, it's referred to as a periarticular bruise, and it occurs when the femur and tibia jam together without muscles absorbing the force.

Is that what Bradford has?

No one can say for sure except those who have seen Bradford's full medical report. But that's what Chao deduced in this analysis posted on the San Diego Union-Tribune website. I spoke with Chao by phone Wednesday, and he said that periarticular bruises are usually week-to-week injuries, not day-to-day.

So how long will Bradford sit out this time?

The Vikings are saying they will examine him daily, and I'm sure they will. But it's only fair to note that Bradford needed three weeks off just to attempt a return from the initial injury, and he still looked uncomfortable right away before suffering an aggravation. "These injuries are very difficult to manage and treat," Sugarman said.

Well, at least this is an injury that will heal fully in time for 2018.

Perhaps, but that brings us to our second takeaway. Bradford turns 30 next month and his contract expires after the season. As recently as this summer, given Bridgewater's status, the assumption was that the Vikings hoped to re-sign Bradford. Don't forget: They gave the Philadelphia Eagles a first-round draft choice, which turned out to be the No. 14 overall pick in 2017, to acquire him after Bridgewater's injury in August 2016. The Vikings considered Bradford more than a short-term replacement.

So why would a bone bruise change that plan?

Because it only adds to a long list of knee ailments Bradford has suffered since entering the NFL in 2010. How much money, and commitment, would you invest in a quarterback who not only has multiple ACL injuries on his résumé but also "wear and tear" that might have contributed to a corresponding injury and an extended absence?

Wow. Good thing Bridgewater is almost ready.

Honestly, we all need to slow our roll on that one.

Come on, I'm too hyped.

Let's just be realistic for a moment. Bridgewater hasn't practiced since enduring a catastrophic injury to his left knee nearly 15 months ago. The injury was so severe that the team rushed him to a Level 1 trauma hospital for fear that he could lose part of his leg. While the Vikings have always said they hoped he would return, details on his progress have been scarce, and we have never received a full accounting of the injuries he suffered that day.

But we've seen video of him dropping back and throwing!

Yes, we have. But as anyone would tell you, there is a big difference between rehabilitation work (off to the side) and practicing, let alone playing in a live game.

So what do we know about Bridgewater?

More Q & A here: www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/252307/teddy-bridgewater-sam-bradford-and-the-minnesota-vikings-qb-dilemma

[Funkytown]

Figured we could bump this thread. 

Resiliency Is Now Part of the Vikings’ DNA by Albert Breer

Few who went through it could remember a more bizarre, star-crossed season. And yet, it became one that set the stage for everything that’s come as the Vikings have navigated a similarly strange 2017. Through half of this year, and since the opener, Minnesota’s gone into just about every week without knowing who the quarterback would be on Sunday. And it hasn’t knocked them off course one bit. The Vikings are 5-2.

“What I love about coach Zim is I know that’s not even a conversation,” said tailback Latavius Murray, signed as a free agent last winter. “Coach Zim’s method is ‘Why speak about it and even let it become a distraction?’ I’m not saying it doesn’t matter who’s lining up at quarterback, but whoever lines up at quarterback, we believe in him. So to bring it up—‘O.K., Case will be starting this week,’ or ‘Sam will be starting that week,’ it doesn’t come up, because we believe in everyone here.

“And to make it an issue or for him to bring it up, it’s saying there’s something to be said about Case starting when there isn’t. He’s just the guy that’s up, the guy we believe in.”

But we’re going to kick things off by checking in on a team that’s flying under the radar. The Vikings are a really good story in a really specific way. There are 21 quarterbacks on contracts worth more than $15 million per in 2017, and 20 non-quarterbacks who cross that threshold. The league’s 16 highest paid guys, and 14 of the last 19 players drafted first overall, are quarterbacks. There’s no more important position in sports. And the Vikings are somehow winning in a perpetual state of “We’ll see” at that spot.

“It’s definitely different than anything I’ve ever gone through from a consistency standpoint,” Rudolph said. “I’ve been through years where we lose a quarterback at the end of training camp, I’ve seen quarterbacks hurt during the year. I played with Josh Freeman 12 days after he got here. I’ve been through a lot of things at the quarterback position. But this is unlike any of those. We’ve had the same three guys here all along, but we’re not sure who the guy’s going to be every week.”

So how have they navigated it? The first part of the solution was easy: by creating certainty everywhere else. The Vikings are fourth in total defense, fifth in scoring defense, third against the run, 12th against the pass; and they’re eight in the league in rushing offense. Add that to solid special teams play, and the quarterback has to do a little bit less. And that’s largely because the young core on defense is taking another step, and the offensive line overhaul actually worked, even with some parts moving due to injury.

It’s also because this sustainable blueprint was forged—because it had to be—through the tumult of 2016, and it was rubber-stamped early on, when Keenum managed to throw for 369 yards and three touchdowns on the Bucs in Week 3 as the Vikings bounced back from a loss to the Steelers.

“After that game it was kind of like, ‘We’ll be fine,’” said Rudolph. “We’ve established a formula, and you hate to say no matter who’s out there, you stick to the formula and we’ll win games, because you want everyone healthy, you want everyone out there. But we’ve established a formula here, where no matter who we play and who have we out there, if we stick to that, we usually like where things wind up.”

The less tangible piece is how the team has performed in the clutch, and that part is actually a correction from 2016. When they were 11-5 and NFC North champions in 2016, they consistently won games late. Last year’s team didn’t, and now that’s flipped again with the Vikings playing better when it matters most. And interestingly enough, that belief is founded on how well-rounded the team has become, able to withstand hits, and beyond just the one at quarterback—remember, rookie phenom Dalvin Cook is down for the season too. The bottom line is that resiliency has become part of the DNA there.

Link: www.si.com/nfl/2017/10/26/week-8-minnesota-vikings-mike-zimmer-quarterbacks-sam-bradford-case-keenum-teddy-bridgewater

[beckmt]

Would you risk the future of the franchise on a maybe(Bradford). Depending on how you feel maybe you tag Bradford, would not want a long term contract.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I wonder if Bradford would do a 1 year deal. He's not worth tag money unless he comes back after the bye and plays like he did week 1 for the rest of the season.

[beckmt]

Oct 27, 2017 10:00:14 GMT -6 diehardtwinsfan said:

I wonder if Bradford would do a 1 year deal. He's not worth tag money unless he comes back after the bye and plays like he did week 1 for the rest of the season.

He might be if he returns and plays at a high level compared to the rest of our options.

Down Teddy Down     

[Deleted]

Oct 27, 2017 4:56:55 GMT -6 beckmt said:

Would you risk the future of the franchise on a maybe(Bradford). Depending on how you feel maybe you tag Bradford, would not want a long term contract.

I think this is the only way I would retain Bradford after this season, and that only if he returns to the field and wins some more games.

[Deleted]

I don't see any good reason to resign Bradford. He's far too injury prone to invest any serious money in.

I'd love to think Luck would be available, but I think the Colts aren't interested in that. Not yet anyway. I rank our likely options this way:

1. Teddy - IF he shows he can take the next step that we were looking for prior to the injury, he's the guy. He'll be cheaper, he's young, and the team views him as a leader. But that means the man has to play the back half of the season so we can find out.

2. Cousins - I think he's all but locked into San Fran...but I'd sure as hell try.

3. Alex Smith - I'd want to draft a QB to go with this move, but he's solid and would do just fine with this defense and skill position players.

4. Jimmy G - More upside here, but also more downside. Could have yourself another Osweiler or you could have yourself a gem.

5. Explore trade or draft options - there is simply no rational reason to walk into 2018 with either Bradford or Keenum anywhere near the words "starting" and "quarterback".