The Minnesota Vikings' season came to a disappointing end on Sunday after a blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and now the team's attention will turn to upgrading the roster throughout the offseason. Based on his comments on Monday, one change we should apparently expect is the exit of passing-down running back Jerick McKinnon.
"I want to be the guy," McKinnon, who's set to be a free agent this offseason, said Monday, per ESPN.com. "I don't put in all the work in the offseason to come back and be in this role. I appreciate the role. It worked out well, but I want bigger and better things for myself."
McKinnon split work with Latavius Murray for most of the season, with the duo sharing snaps after second-round rookie Dalvin Cook tore his ACL. Murray is under contract for next season with a $6.35 million cap hit, while Cook is obviously still on his rookie deal. McKinnon, meanwhile, is a free-agent, and with his wanting a larger role than the Vikings appear able to give him, it seems obvious that he's going to be moving elsewhere.
As for where he might go, McKinnon doesn't know just yet. "We'll see what happens," McKinnon said. "There's a lot of things that go into that whole situation that can be determining factors: offensive schemes, financial reasons. It'll be a lot to sit down and think about, but it will be a fun time to experience it."
McKinnon has a versatile skill set and would be of clear value to an offense as a passing-down back, but the likelihood of him becoming "the guy" somewhere seems low given his somewhat slighter build and his average of 3.6 yards per carry on 309 rushes over the last two seasons.
There figure to be several suitors for a back with his skill set, though, including but not limited to the Titans (assuming they cut DeMarco Murray), Colts, Cowboys, Buccaneers, Seahawks, and 49ers. He's still only 25 years old, so whoever signs him should be able to get good value over the course of his contract.
