We discuss Harrison Smith’s heart of gold leading the Vikings to a pot of gold, what Kirk Cousins’ contract conversion means for his future in Minnesota, and who the Vikings should select in the 2023 NFL Draft. Answer: Lamar Jackson.

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day to All Our Irish Fans

• 13 percent of our listeners reside in Ireland, and this show’s for them
  • Crush car bombs and Guinness
• What are your St. Patrick’s Day plans?
  • Anthony: Hope to get out for a pub crawl despite the snowstorm
  • Mike: Get hammered and listen to the Pogues
    • Anthony will also listen to the Pogues and fall asleep to Boondock Saints

The Vikings Got a Cornerback and Harrison Smith Back! 

• In our last episode we lamented the fact the Vikings have no cornerbacks, but they signed 25-year-old Byron Murphy to a two-year, $22 million contract
  • PFF grades him around average in coverage, but he’s an above average run stopper
    • Good tackler; ninth in yards per reception allowed
• Harrison Smith restructured his contract to potentially finish his career where it started
  • Base salary for next season will be $8 million (plus $2 million in potential incentives) rather than $14.7 million
  • Frees up $6.7 million in cap space, putting Minnesota almost $6 million under the salary cap according to Spotrac 
    • Smith is a true team player: Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports Smith is intrigued by newly hired defensive coordinator Brian Flores and his aggressive style of play, which suits The Hitman’s style of play

Will Dalvin Cook be Cooking Somewhere Else?

• Vikings re-sign running back Alexander Mattison
  • Two-year deal worth $6.35 million guaranteed (up to $8 million with incentives)
  • Averaged just 3.8 yards per attempt but had the fewest carries of his career (74)
  • Had 15 catches on 18 chances for a 6.1 yards per reception; zero fumbles
• Certainly seems Dalvin Cook has played is last game in purple and gold
  • Cook had a career-low rushing average of 4.4 yards per carry last season, and his catch percentage dropped from 81.5% in 2020 to 69.4% in 2021, and it was 69.6% last season
  • The Vikings, like most NFL offenses, are running less and passing more, and Mattison is a better fit in that respect
    • Vikings likely to roll with committee of running backs including Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu, and perhaps a rookie
  • Decision due on whether to release Dalvin Cook and Za’Darius Smith by 3 p.m. on Friday
    • Smith ($5 million) and Cook ($2 million) each have guarantees that vest at that time

What Does Kirk Cousins’ Contract Conversion Mean?

• $16 million of base salary converted to a bonus to get under the salary cap
  • Makes for more potential trade partners
    • San Francisco can now trade nothing but draft picks for Cousins; so can 24 other teams
      • Before the contract conversion, just two teams could afford to acquire him without sending salaries back in exchange
    • Doesn’t necessarily make a trade for Lamar Jackson more likely, but even Baltimore would save more than $22 million this season by acquiring Cousins and trading Jackson
      • The Vikings would then need to work out an extension that pushes Jackson’s guaranteed salary payments toward the end of the contract
    • It does signify that a Cousins extension will not happen, so…

Will the Vikings Trade Up to Draft Kirk Cousins’ Replacement?

• Matt Anderson of Yahoo! News thinks Minnesota should trade a bunch of picks to Seattle for the fifth pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and select Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
  • Completed two-thirds of his passes last season, with a 44:6 TD:INT ratio; was even better as a freshman
    • Did so with the third-best receiver available in the draft and behind the second-best tackle and second-best guard in the draft
    • Could end up going #1 overall
    • You’d also want Stroud to start immediately, which would mean finding a taker for Cousins, who’d only approve a trade to a contender and likely demand an extension, which would get Minnesota out of paying the dead cap figure they just converted
• The draft is loaded with cornerbacks who can have an immediate impact

• • Both The Athletic and ESPN have nine corners ranked in the top-50 overall, but the Vikings have just one pick in the top-50

• • • Trade the 24th pick and move down 10 spots or so and the top safety in the draft, Alabama’s Brian Branch should be there
    • Could get a pick in the 100-110 range along with the 34th overall?
  • Syracuse cornerback Garrett Williams could fill an immediate need despite being drafted on Day 2, which Anderson recommended
    • Tore ACL toward the end of the 2022 season, effecting his draft stock
    • Apparently a great fit for Flores’ defense
• Middle linebackers won’t be coming off the board early
  • Just one is ranked around the top-50, with 3-5 in the next 50
    • Alabama’s Henry To’oTo’o or Washington State’s Daiyan Henley should be available when the Vikings pick 87th
• There’s quite a disparity in Auburn running back Tank Bigsby’s ranking (171st on ESPN, 100th on Athletic), but if DeWayne McBride (UAB) or Chris Rodriguez, Jr. (Kentucky) is available at pick 119, it’ll be a moot point
  • Great name for a running back, though