Minnesota had some possible options for the franchise tag this offseason, but not very many that made sense.
The Vikings gave the franchise tag to S Anthony Harris last season. With the deadline passing for players to be given the franchise tag by teams, Harris, Eric Wilson and nine others will become unrestricted free agents.
As Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press reported, Harris’ franchise tag for 2021 would have hypothetically been $13.73 million, a steep price to pay for a team like the Vikings. Minnesota is entering into an offseason where it will most likely be right up against the salary cap.
Harris and Wilson will be hard to retain for Minnesota, but some of the other free agents could be bargain signings for the team. Wilson is coming off a career year, while Harris’ past success will likely garner a decent deal.
Both Harris and Wilson were starters, so now it seems like Minnesota will have to replace them with cheaper players in free agency or the draft.
