The Irony of Luke Kuechly’s ‘Best in the NFL’ Statement about Vikings

A 7 days and a 50 percent ago, former All-Professional linebacker Luke Kuechly joined ESPN’s Sportscenter to provide some insights on the 2022 NFL offseason.

Kuechly was asked about the finest secondary in the league, and out of nowhere, he nominated the Minnesota Vikings, “I’m going to go with the Vikings. Harrison Smith, Patrick Peterson, two young rookies — Lewis Cine out of Ga, and they drafted [Andrew] Booth out of Clemson.”

The title-drop by Kuechly was stunning mainly because, in March, Minnesota’s secondary seemed suspect, headlined only by Harrison Smith and Cameron Dantzler. But then general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah re-signed Patrick Peterson, added Chandon Sullivan at cornerback, and then drafted Cine and Booth, as stated by Kuechly.

Of class, the online video clip made the rounds in the Vikings digital community simply because Kuechly isn’t a pea-brained spitter of falsehoods. The guy is familiar with his things and truly had no preordained reason to announce Minnesota as his decide on.

Alas, he did pick the Vikings, and potentially the team’s secondary isn’t as skimpy as as soon as thought.

And here’s the irony — the Vikings commit incredibly few bucks on the 2022 secondary. Compared to the relaxation of teams leaguewide, Minnesota allocates the 3rd-fewest cap bucks to its secondary with $23.7 million. Only the Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants devote less. Per Spotrac.com, here’s the breakdown:

The Vikings scrape Top 10 categories in the league at quarterback and operating back again for paying out but someway “make up for it” with a worth-centered technique with safeties and cornerbacks.

Here’s the entire secondary as of Might 20th.

Cornerbacks

CB1: Patrick Peterson
CB2: Cameron Dantzler
CB3: Andrew Booth
CB4: Chandon Sullivan
CB5: Akayleb Evans
CB6: Nate Hairston
CB7: Kris Boyd
CB8: Harrison Hand
CB9: Parry Nickerson
CB10: Tye Smith

Safties

SS1: Harrison Smith
SS2: Mike Brown
FS1: Lewis Cine
FS2: Camryn Bynum
FS3: Josh Metellus
FS4: Myles Dorn

And the affordability checks out as Harrison Smith is the only defender inside of Minnesota’s secondary earning megabucks.

In general, if the Vikings bring Kuechly’s speculation to everyday living and morph into one particular of the NFL’s top rated secondaries, they’ll do it on a teensy spending budget.

Moreover, that bodes properly for the long run simply because Dantzler, Booth, Cine, and Bynum are all less than the age of 24.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his every day YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs each and every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates again to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doorways (the band).