It's not yet the heart of the NFL offseason, but minor pieces of Vikings news — and all kinds of rumors — continue to trickle in. Let's run through the latest.
Vikings re-sign pending ERFAs Brandel, Tonga
The Vikings announced on Friday that they have re-signed a pair of pending exclusive rights free agents: offensive tackle Blake Brandel and defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga. ERFAs are players with less than three accrued seasons and an expiring contract. Both Brandel and Tonga will be back on the Vikings in 2023 on one-year, $940,000 deals, which is great value for the franchise.
Brandel, a 2020 sixth-round pick out of Oregon State, was the Vikings' swing tackle last season and filled in admirably at left tackle when Christian Darrisaw was dealing with concussions. Brandel is a quality backup tackle with great size at 6'7".
Tonga was a fantastic midseason addition by the Vikings. Waived by the Bears during final roster cuts, Tonga wound up on the Falcons' practice squad before being signed to Minnesota's active roster in October. He quickly became an important rotational DT for the Vikings, playing 300 defensive snaps (including playoffs) and recording a 77.8 PFF grade. Tonga figures to again have a notable role in 2023.
Za'Darius Smith selling his house?
Vikings Pro Bowl pass rusher Za'Darius Smith is apparently selling his Eagan house. It's listed as "coming soon" on the real estate market, per the Star Tribune's Ben Goessling.
This doesn't necessarily mean Smith won't be back in 2023, but it qualifies as notable news in the offseason. The Vikings can save over $13.5 million by moving on from Smith — and $5.05 million of his contract becomes guaranteed on March 17th. But why would they want to? Smith is an elite pass rusher on a very reasonable contract, and it seems like his versatile skill set would be a great fit for Brian Flores' defense.
Smith finished fourth in the NFL with 78 pressures in the regular season in his first year with the Vikings, but he wasn't as dominant in the second half of the season as he played through a knee injury.
Ben Kotwica leaves Vikings' coaching staff to take promotion
Vikings assistant special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica is joining the Broncos as their special teams coordinator, according to reports. Kotwica was Matt Daniels' No. 2 last season, helping coach a Vikings special teams unit that made a lot of big plays.
Kotwica is the third Vikings coach to take a promotion elsewhere recently. Assistant QBs coach Jerrod Johnson is now the QBs coach for the Texans, and assistant D-line coach A'Lique Terry was hired as the University of Oregon's offensive line coach.
Other coaching staff changes could be coming on the defensive side of the ball, with Brian Flores potentially bringing in assistants he's worked with in the past.
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