Vikings: 3 players who are as good as gone after Mike Zimmer, Rick Spielman firing
By Mark Powell
3 Vikings players who are next out the door: Patrick Peterson
The Vikings should clean house, and that starts with veteran leadership.
Minnesota failed to make a playoff run with this core in place. Even though he was only there for a limited time, Patrick Peterson falls under that umbrella. Peterson still has plenty of value as a veteran leader in the secondary for any team willing to pay him, but he’s on the wrong side of 30. If the Vikings are going to embrace their rebuild, they ought to let Peterson walk to a contender while saving money at the same time.
In his place, the Vikings could either draft a corner or sign a cheaper, younger version of Peterson in free agency. Minnesota has money to play with this offseason. Releasing Peterson isn’t a painful move, as he struggled to stay healthy at times this season and the Vikings’ secondary is already depleted.
A makeover is the move, rather than patching together a few pieces from this year’s team.