SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Lindsay H. Jones and Lorenzo Reyes recap Day 1 of the NFL Scouting Combine, which also featured Ryan Shazier news and a Jon Gruden appearance. USA TODAY Sports
INDIANAPOLIS – The magnitude of the quarterback decision the Minnesota Vikings will make this spring -- whether they choose to re-sign one of their three veteran quarterbacks, pursue a high-priced free agent and gamble on a rookie -- is not lost on head coach Mike Zimmer.
“It's important for myself and (general manager) Rick [Spielman] and the organization that we pick the right guy that is going to help us continue to move forward. If we don't do that, then I'll probably get fired,” Zimmer said Thursday morning at the NFL scouting combine.
The Vikings are in a unique position in that three quarterbacks from last year's team —Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford — are expected to hit free agency.
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But each of those quarterbacks comes with significant questions, and those are what Zimmer and Spielman are trying to answer now in early March before the new league year opens on March 14. For Bridgewater and Bradford, the concerns are about health. Bridgewater, a first-round pick in 2014, has taken just a handful of snaps since suffering a devastating knee injury during training camp in 2016. Bradford, whom the Vikings acquired in a trade with the Eagles after Bridgewater’s injury, played in just two games last season because of a lingering knee issue.
Keenum led the Vikings to 11 regular-season wins and the NFC Championship Game. But as Minnesota weighs the decision to use the franchise tag on him (and NFL Media reported on Tuesday the team will not do so), they’ll have to decide if 2017 was an outlier for the journeyman quarterback or a sign he can carry the team even further.
The Vikings could also be a potential landing spot for free agent-to-be Kirk Cousins, who is expected to draw a contract potentially in excess of $30 million annually.
Zimmer said how the quarterback’s salary fits into the team’s entire budget will also be a factor, as he did not want to deplete resources from the top-ranked defense.
“We've won 40 games in the last four years because we've had a good football team, and I want to make sure that with our team that we continue to build and improve, continually improve on defense,” Zimmer said.
Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.
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