Vikings Warned Strongly Against Adding Tyreek Hill in Free Agency

The Minnesota Vikings are already dealing with tumult in the wide receiver room and adding even more may simply be tempting fate.

That is particularly possible should the Vikings seriously entertain the notion of adding Tyreek Hill in free agency, which team insider Judd Zulgad of SKOR North strongly warned against on Tuesday, February 17.

“Do not even consider picking up the phone to call Tyreek Hill or his agent,” Zulgad said.

Among the list of reasons to pass on Hill that Zulgad offered to Minnesota include the wideout’s age, his recent health and his history of off-field troubles.

“I believe he’s out of a walking boot now. But still, the earliest he’s going to be set to play … is Week 1 of this season,” Zulgad continued. “He also, on March 1st, is going to turn 32.”

“That doesn’t even include the baggage. I looked up his arrests yesterday, and let’s just say they take up a good portion of the page. He has had off the field issues for much of his NFL career. Some of them are very concerning,” Zulgad added. “Especially when that position group is led by Justin Jefferson who, as far as I can tell, is one lowest-maintenance superstar wide receivers — not in the league currently, but ever.”

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Jordan Addison Has Already Brought Off-Field Issues to Vikings’ Wide Receiver Room

Jefferson is among the best receivers in the league and is on track to become a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection when his career is done. Hill, in no way, would be able to threaten Jefferson’s standing in the Vikings’ locker room or as one of the team’s best players and leaders.

That said, Hill could bring with him a culture of confrontation and distraction. There were reports of such issues during the late stages of his tenure with the Kansas City Chiefs, and there was clear evidence of those concerns across his time with the Miami Dolphins.

More so than Jefferson, Minnesota might have to worry more about Hill’s potential impact on former first-round pick Jordan Addison as he heads into the fourth year of his rookie contract.

Police have arrested Addison three times in three offseasons. The first came in Minnesota for reckless driving while traveling at 140 mph, the second was for DUI after he fell asleep in the driver’s seat of his vehicle outside of Los Angeles International Airport, and the third involved misdemeanor trespassing at a casino restaurant in Florida.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell sat Addison for the first quarter of the team’s contest in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns in London after the wideout missed a walkthrough.

Addison is just 24 years old and appears clearly to be battling issues of maturity and judgement. As such, acquiring a player such as Hill might detract from the culture of accountability and success that O’Connell and Jefferson are working together to build in Minneapolis.

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Tyreek Hill Not Ideal Acquisition for Vikings Considering JJ McCarthy’s Struggles

Finally, the Vikings have questions at the quarterback position, which is the quickest way to upset a big-play receiver like Hill who has grown accustomed to to on-field attention from his signal-caller and subsequent success.

JJ McCarthy has fought through an injury-plagued first two years in the league, starting just 10 games over the course of his career and struggling in several of them.

If Minnesota hopes to continue developing McCarthy as a potential starter, even if the team brings in competition for the QB1 job as O’Connell has stated the Vikings will, adding Hill likely only serves to make McCarthy’s progress all the more precarious.

The team is already facing the potential loss of Jalen Nailor, and finding the money for him to stick around may well be the smarter play than paying more for everything Hill would bring to the franchise’s doorstep.

Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible