Vikings exploring trade opportunities
Posted: Monday February 08, 1999 02:43 PM
With the NFL trading period kicking off Friday, look for the Minnesota Vikings to deal quarterback Brad Johnson by the end of the month. Johnson, who has lost his job to Randall Cunningham, wants out, and he refuses to renegotiate a contract that has him getting a $1.1-million roster bonus if he's still a Viking on March 1. Minnesota VP Jeff Diamond tells me he's heard from at least seven teams about Johnson in the last couple of weeks, including Baltimore, Seattle and St. Louis. Look for talks with Baltimore to heat up on Tuesday, when Ravens VP Ozzie Newsome is back in the office after the Pro Bowl.
Elsewhere on the quarterback front:
Carolina and the Giants will try to pry third-string quarterback Jeff Lewis from Denver before draft day. The Giants badly want Syracuse's Donovan McNabb in the first round of the NFL draft, but he'll never be there at 19, when the Giants pick.
In New Orleans, the Saints are leaning strongly toward dumping Kerry Collins onto the free-agent market. Club officials weren't high on Collins' work ethic or his enthusiasm about being a Saint, so they'll likely go with one of the Billy Joes entering camp --Tolliver or Hobert.
And look for Boomer Esiason to return to the ABC booth next fall. No team is likely to pay him the $6 million or so signing bonus he wants, and even if his current rights-holder, Cincinnati, was willing to do that, he doesn't want to play for the Bengals anymore.
Strategy shift
Let's move up to New England, where the Patriots are in the dark about the dislocated kneecap suffered on Friday by running back Robert Edwards in one of those made-for-TV games, the Rookie Beach Bowl. Edwards has told teammates that his doctors say he ought to be able to play in 1999, but the Patriots won't know until he is examined by their doctors late this week.
Either way, New England now has to seriously consider picking a running back with one of its two first-round picks. And the NFL has to seriously consider stopping these silly and dangerous games on Waikiki Beach.
Cleveland stocks, Cleveland stocks
Finally, as the Cleveland Browns get ready for Tuesday's expansion draft, look for them to beef up on both lines -- but to do it on the cheap. Top candidates are New England guard Todd Rucci and Chicago left tackle Andy Heck on offense, and disappointing Tampa Bay defensive tackle Marcus Jones and Dallas defensive tackle Antonio Anderson.
The NFL says that the Browns must either pick at least 30 players from the pool of 150 rejects offered by the existing teams -- or fewer than 30 as long as they spend at least $22 million in cap money on the new players.
So forget a pricey and disappointing quarterback like Gus Frerotte, who's due to count for $5.75 million on Washington's cap this year. Although the free-agent pickings will be slim on this year's market, the Browns would much rather save their money for players who can really play.
| 
