In this series of articles, we are going to look at a few players that are still available on the NFL’s free-agent market. We’ll discuss what type of teams that these players are best suited for, any rumors around them and what to expect going forward. Surprisingly, there are still a few big names still without a team, as of now. Let’s jump right in and breakdown the best of what’s left.
The biggest name still on the market for the defensive side has to be Everson Griffen. He was the fourth round selection, 100th pick overall in the 2010 NFL Draft, of the Minnesota Vikings. Griffen has spent his entire ten-year career with the Vikings. He has been a part of one of the league’s best pass-rushing defensive duos in the NFL. For his career, Griffen could have played a possible 160 games, but played 147 games, making only 88 starts. He would miss a game occasionally due to various dings, but it was a mental issue that caused him to miss five games in 2018. Griffen recorded 355 tackles, 258 solo, 86 tackles for a loss, 176 QB hits, 74.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, two interceptions, 16 pass breakups, and two defensive touchdowns (1 interception return & 1 fumble return). He won four consecutive Pro Bowls from 2015-2019, made one All-Pro team in 2017, and was named Player of the Month twice. During his time with the Vikings, Griffen has begun to climb the ranks of both the team and the NFL history books. His 74.5 sacks rank fourth best in team history and 83rd in the NFL’s all-time list. He also ranks first in team history in QB Hits, third in tackles for a loss, and 10th in forced fumbles.
After the 2018 season, in which his mental issues surfaced, the Vikings and Griffen agreed to a restructured deal at a lot less than what he was scheduled to make that season, but it was better than being cut. He was gambling on himself and that he could return to his previous form and rehab his value.
Just as a context reminder, Minnesota re-signed Griffen to a four year, $58 million deal before the 2017 season. He had three great seasons and would produce his best season in 2017. Unfortunately, he had mental issues and hasn’t been that same player. He did show flashes of his old self last season. There was a clause in Griffen’s contract that allowed him to void the final three seasons of his deal, based on him tallying six or more sacks and playing 57% or more of the snaps last season, which he did. Due to this he accepted the clause and opted out of the remainder of his deal, rather than being released by Vikings.
When free agency was set to open, Griffen expected a much hotter market for himself than what he received to this point. He’s seen edge rushers, such as Jason Pierre Paul, Shaq Lawson, and Robert Quinn among others, all get deals ahead of him. The question is why haven’t teams been more in on him? There are a number of reasons really. First teams can’t get him in to see their doctors and see about these mental issues, which seem to be behind him now, but still a concern. Next is that he is sort of locked in as a 4-3 defensive end, with no experience as an outside linebacker. Finally, and probably the biggest reason he hasn’t be signed is that he is waiting in line for two bigger dominoes in front of him to fall first, Jadeveon Clowney and Yannick Ngakoue. Clowney is a free agent and Ngakoue is a franchise-tagged player, but both are more highly prized right now. Until Clowney signs, who the market is slow for as well, or Ngakoue gets traded, then Griffen may have to wait for a while, unless he wants to take a smaller deal. It’s a holding pattern and teams aren’t in any rush to make deals. I fully expect that once Clowney signs, then Griffen will see more attention. You also have to factor in his age. He’ll turn 33 in December, so teams aren’t going to invest a lot into older players. It’s a young man’s game. We all just have to wait and see!
The Vikings said back in February that they would be willing to bring Griffen back at a reduced salary. A month later Griffen said goodbye on his Instagram. Then soon after, Griffen’s agent said, “We have broken off talks with Minnesota because they have to spend their money elsewhere and we decided to now focus our attention on free agency.”
Now, what does all this mean for us fantasy owners? Well right now, nothing! Until something happens we are all in a holding situation. As a defensive end, he’s one of the better fantasy options as that position isn’t as loaded as the linebacker and safety positions. The best thing for him and fantasy owners is for the Vikings to resign him. That familiarity and fit has been a success in the past, so it makes sense to continue that.
I believe fair compensation for him at this point is a fourth round pick. You may be able to squeeze out a third from a team in dire need of help at the position. Until he signs I wouldn’t just give him away for anything. I suggest setting a hard price and not moving off of it until we can see where he lands. When he’s on his game, he’s a top-15 defensive end and can score you a lot of points. However, you need to keep in mind that this will be his 11th season in the NFL and at age 32, he may not have a lot left in the tank. It’s always better to get out a year early than a year too late! If you can get that fourth or third if you’re lucky, then I think you have to pull the trigger.
Thanks for reading my article and if you enjoyed it, you can read more of my articles at dynastyfootballfactory.com. You can also follow me on social media, on Twitter at Hollywood@DFF_DWin, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub I’m user KingTitan1 and you can tune in each week and listen to the podcasts, IDP Nation & D.I.G. (Devy IDP Grind) that I co-host, on a number of different platforms. Feel free to hit me up with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy
