Vincent Jackson would be a perfect fit for the Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are a solid NFL team who came within three matches of winning the Super Bowl last season. Now with Brett Favre’s return from an ankle injury and 20 million dollars stacked in his personal bank account, all the owner, Zygi Wilf, needs to do is find a wide receiver who’s got what it takes to handle Favre’s golden arm. Enter San Diego wideout Vincent Jackson, the seemingly last piece to the Vikings puzzle. But does Wilf have the tact, time and well to do to woo the star player?
Last season Favre had a special passing relationship with Pro Bowl receiver Sidney Rice. The Favre/Rice combination was in large part responsible for the Vikings success. Unfortunately Rice just underwent hip surgery and he is now physically unable to perform for at least the first six games of the season. Their other wideout option is a fresh young second-year speed demon known as Percy Harvin.
But Harvin has been suffering from migraine headaches since the off-season and he is constantly missing practices and his presence during future game nights is being called into question. The migraines are so bad that Harvin was taken away by ambulance last month during one of Minnesota’s practice sessions. If we add all this evidence together it seems as though hard times are ahead for the Vikings. It’s almost as if they need a miracle. They need a brilliant player to just fall out of the sky and into their lap.
Jackson is a decorated wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers. He made the Pro Bowl in 2009 after two consecutive seasons where he received for over 1000 yards. He is currently attempting to renegotiate his contract with that team and the two parties have been facing a stalemate for months. Jackson wants a major deal, a long term contract, and the team he seeks a five-year contract in the amount of $50 million with $30 million guaranteed. In mid June the Chargers reevaluated Jackson’s one-year tender offer and dropped it down from $3.27 million to a mere $583,000. San Diego has no intention of offering him a better deal. Jackson last week is quoted as saying he is absolutely ready and willing to sit out the 2010 season if he doesn’t get the contract he feels he deserves.
If Wilf is as determined as it seems he is to win the Super Bowl this year or to, at the very least, give his team a fighting chance, he needs to go after Jackson and he needs to do it now. Jackson is currently facing a three-game suspension, and due to a lot of legal and technical issues Jackson is now on the roster-exempt list. He is subject to another three-game suspension when he reports to any team. But, if he is to be signed by 4 Septemberh he will only be suspended for a total of three games.
The Minnesota Vikings pulled off a great campaign for the play-offs last season. They’ve got a solid team that’s just a few cracks shy of being a Super Bowl contender. If they want to have what it takes to win this season they’ll need a wide receiver who’s earned his stripes, and Jackson is just that. Wilf has very little time, but he does have the power and the know how to pull this off, the only question that remains, is whether or not he’ll step up to the plate and take one final swing at Super Bowl contention.
There's no telling whether Harvin will recover from his migraines, and Rice is still recovering. Though he's only set to miss six games, there's no telling if his form and fitness will be where it needs to be once he comes back. Jackson is an available candidate that can provide the depth the Vikings need to go all the way.
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