Minnesota Vikings free agency 2017: Top 5 targets

NFL free agency is on the horizon, and here are five players the Minnesota Vikings should target.

Very early in the new NFL league year, the Minnesota Vikings have a big decision to make. Running back Adrian Peterson is in line to count $18 million against the salary this year, and a $6 million roster bonus is coming due on March 11. It seems like a foregone conclusion Peterson has played his last game as a Viking, to the point he has publicly shown in other teams.

Via Spotrac.com, the Vikings currently have just over $23 million in salary cap space. So releasing Peterson would nearly double that, while allowing the team to keep some in-house free agents and also seek help from the outside.

The Vikings have one substantial need which needs to be addressed this offseason, which will be reflected clearly on this list. But here are five free agents they should target across the board.

 5. Captain Munnerlyn

In today’s NFL, a third cornerback is essentially a starter. Munnerlyn has filled that role for the Vikings over the last few years, and he was on the field for 61.5 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in 2016. Pro Football Focus thought highly of Munnerlyn’s work last season, ranking him 49th out of 112 qualifying cornerbacks.

Of Minnesota’s internal free agents, Munnerlyn should be among the top priorities to be re-signed. If the inevitable give-and-take in contract negotiations yields a fit for both sides, Munnerlyn should be back in purple for a few more years.