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Friday, Feb. 18, 2000
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Get him off the
books
Vikings need to release Cunningham, re-sign George
By Keith Schleiden, Managing editor
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| Finally,
it appears as if Vikings head coach and personnel boss Dennis Green is getting a grip on
reality. For weeks — some would argue months or years — Green has
had a somewhat delusional plan in his head. Now, let me point out that I admire Dennis
Green. I like him. I believe he has generally been a very good coach in Minnesota.
However, I question his plan for the QB position for the 2000 season.
Not long ago, he informed Jeff George and his agent that they should begin to test the
market, because it didn’t look as if the Vikings would be able to afford
George’s services. The plan was to go into next season with second-year pro Daunte
Culpepper and 15-year pro Randall Cunningham — a strange blend of a raw, unproven
talent and an old, washed-up veteran.
Now, though, Green is beginning to change his tune. He may have finally realized that
if he is going to make another run at the Super Bowl, he can’t do it with Culpepper,
and Cunningham is too big a gamble, considering the huge amount of money they have
committed to him.
Cunningham has refused to restructure his $28 million contract, which has led the
Vikings to threaten to cut him. Word is that Cunningham is due a $1 million roster bonus,
which the Vikings don’t want to pay. They may release or trade Cunningham before June
1, which would cost them about $3 million in cap space for 2000. But that means they would
get him off the books for good.
Dumping Cunningham now makes sense. It may make things a little bit difficult in terms
of the cap for this season, but his dead cap space won’t be dragging the team down
for years to come.
Now, once the Vikings get Cunningham taken care of, they can work on a deal with
George. It may have to be a contract that involves a big signing bonus and a very low
first-year base salary, but that would be OK. I believe that George would go for that
scenario, considering he has two of the best receiving threats in the NFL in Randy Moss
and Cris Carter.
With George running the show this season, the Vikings’ offense could continue to
be explosive. They could then sign a low-priced backup quarterback to handle the No. 2 job
if Culpepper isn’t ready, or the No. 3 spot.
This will then allow the Vikings to focus almost exclusively on defense in the draft,
which is what this team really needs to do if it wants to win the big prize. |
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