Case Keenum not getting franchise tagged by Vikings

Free agent quarterback Case Keenum, coming off of his best season ever, will not be franchise tagged by the Minnesota Vikings…

The Minnesota Vikings are reportedly not expected to franchise tag quarterback Case Keenum, who is coming off of the best season of his NFL career.

This should come as no surprise, but it was reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, and there are a few things to read into here.

First, the report from Rap Sheet:

The #Vikings are not expected to franchise tag QB Case Keenum and he’s slated to hit free agency, per sources with knowledge of the team’s thinking. Barring a change of heart, Minnesota joins the fray for a starting QB… and will make these next few weeks fascinating.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 26, 2018

This is a smart move by the Vikings, because tagging Keenum would make absolutely no sense at all.

The market is shifting for quarterbacks, and ‘tiers’ are developing. The deal that Alex Smith got from the Washington Redskins is paying him roughly an average per year of what the franchise tag number is, just under $24 million per season.

Keenum had a great year, but he’s not going to command that type of money after Smith signed for it and Blake Bortles just got $18 million average per year from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Keenum, who will be pursued by multiple teams, is going to likely get under $20 million per season on a new deal, but it make sense for him to go out and make some money this offseason since he hasn’t had the opportunity to get a big contract from anyone yet.

By not tagging Keenum, the Vikings have opened up a couple of doors of opportunity.

First and foremost, they will be players on the Kirk Cousins market.

If it was reasonable to assume the Vikings would be able to afford franchise tagging Case Keenum, then it’s reasonable to assume they would be willing to pay up for Cousins.

Tagging Keenum would have meant a starting point of nearly $24 million per year with Keenum, and that simply wasn’t going to happen, not with Cousins available for somewhere between $28-30 million per season.

The Vikings may view Cousins as a long-term upgrade to Keenum, despite the expected difference in price.

And that price difference could be in the $10 million per year range.

The Vikings have helped themselves here in that, now they can let Keenum feel out his market, and perhaps have a multi-year offer on the table similar to that of what the jaguars gave Blake Bortles.

That would be reasonable money for the 30-year old Keenum, whose one very good season is giving many caution as a possible ‘lightning in a bottle’ type of year.

More from NFL Mocks

Is this who Keenum is, or was it just a one time deal?

The Vikings will have plenty of options, including re-signing Keenum to a multi-year deal if they so choose. There are also rumors that the Vikings want to bring back former first rounder Teddy Bridgewater, but it seems their priorities will be Cousins and Keenum.

Because of Keenum’s familiarity with the organization, it seems like the Vikings are in the driver’s seat with both players. They just made the NFC championship game, hired the hottest quarterbacks coach as their new offensive coordinator (though that relationship may only last a year), and they have a great young core of offensive playmakers to work with.

The Vikings have a fantastic situation, and I feel like they can leverage that with Cousins, or they can leverage that with Keenum and get him at their price.

Like I said, not tagging Keenum comes as no surprise. It is just another domino in what will prove to be one of the most interesting quarterback markets — both free agency and the draft — I can ever remember seeing.

Home/NFL Free Agency