The Vikings' Offseason Plan is Falling Apart Despite Seemingly Getting off to Tremendous Start

The Minnesota Vikings hit us with a quick one at the onset of free agency when they signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to an extension, franchise-tagged safety Anthony Harris, and released former defensive standouts Linval Joseph and Xavier Rhodes to free up a healthy amount of cap space.

Seemed like an innovative plan, right? The only problem is, they were expecting to quickly find a trade partner for Harris. They haven't. Now they're stuck with his $11 million salary (for now) while defensive end Everson Griffen is exploring other options in free agency. Not ideal.

So the #Vikings cleared money with a Cousins deal, used it to tag Anthony Harris, haven't been able to move him and now Everson Griffen is breaking off talks. Can't imagine it's gone exactly as planned so far.
— Andrew Krammer (@Andrew_Krammer) March 20, 2020

Taking care of Cousins to avoid any possible distraction in his upcoming contract year was shrewd, but now that they've made their intentions clear with Harris and can't find a trade partner, what's going to happen? They're going to lose Griffen and deal with an unhappy Harris in 2020?

This is not what general manager Rick Spielman envisioned.

View this post on Instagram

When I came to Minnesota as a fourth-round pick out of USC, I had no idea how much my life would change over the next 10 years. I realized my dream of playing in the NFL, went to four Pro Bowls and came within one game of playing in the Super Bowl in front of the best fans in the country. More importantly, I became a husband, a dad, and met teammates who became brothers for life. I also stumbled a few times on my journey and could not be more grateful for the unconditional support and love I received from SKOL Nation. While it is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye, I leave Minnesota in the best physical and mental shape I have ever been and have many Pro Bowl seasons to come! Wherever my next stop is, I will always be grateful to and cheering for the Vikings. Thank you all for the love, support and memories.

A post shared by Everson Griffen (@eversongriffen) on Mar 20, 2020 at 10:55am PDT

What's even worse? The Vikings have seemingly already showed their hand with reports surfacing that suggested they wanted a mid-round pick for Harris. If they can't get that at this juncture of the NFL offseason, it's hard to believe they'll hold ANY leverage whatsoever in the coming days/weeks.

And if Griffen lands with another NFC powerhouse ...

Report: Cowboys interested in Everson Griffen as he cuts talks with Vikings https://t.co/PbD4eLf9Sx
— KD Drummond (@KDDrummondNFL) March 20, 2020

... the Vikings' plan could go belly up in a flash.