What an exciting day it's been for the National Football League and its legion of loyal fans across the country. The lockout is officially over, training camps are set to start as early as Wednesday for some clubs, and on Tuesday morning, free agency will officially get underway. Before the madness begins, let's take one last look at the Vikings' free agent situation, specifically which guys who played on the squad in 2010 are currently not under contract and awaiting news about whether they'll be back in Minny or heading elsewhere to play in 2011.
Restricted Free Agents (three or more accrued NFL seasons)
|
Player |
Position |
College |
First refusal/ compensation/ |
|
Abdullah, Husain |
DB |
Washington State |
2nd |
|
Henderson, Erin |
LB |
Maryland |
ROFR |
Unrestricted free agents (four or more accrued NFL seasons)
|
Player |
Position |
School |
|
Baskett, Hank |
WR |
New Mexico |
|
Cook, Ryan |
G |
New Mexico |
|
Edwards, Ray |
DE |
Purdue |
|
Evans, Fred |
NT |
Texas State |
|
Favre, Brett |
QB |
Southern Mississippi |
|
Frampton, Eric |
DB |
Washington State |
|
Jackson, Tarvaris |
QB |
Alabama State |
|
Leber, Ben |
LB |
Kansas State |
|
Lewis, Greg |
WR |
Illinois |
|
Longwell, Ryan |
K |
California |
|
Ramsey, Patrick |
QB |
Tulane |
|
Rice, Sidney |
WR |
South Carolina |
|
Sheppard, Lito |
DB |
Florida |
|
Tahi, Naufahu |
RB |
Brigham Young |
|
Walker, Frank |
DB |
Tuskegee |
|
Williams, Pat |
NT |
Texas A&M |
Obviously there's some big names on the URFA list -- Ray Edwards, Pat Williams, Ben Lieber, Ryan Longwell, Sidney Rice (and if you're one to believe the most recent rumors, Brett Favre). You can count on the Vikings parting ways with one or more of these mainstays in the coming days, and as it almost always is, it will be tough for fans to say goodbye to players they've followed and rooted for over the years. But that's life in the NFL where the rules are intentionally structured to keep player movement high and the competitive balance fair.
Buckle up, just getting started folks!