Minnesota Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had many team needs to address this offseason. He replaced one franchise quarterback with another and revamped the pass rush. Amidst the chaos, one of the first signings was Blake Cashman, bringing the former Minnesota Golden Gopher linebacker home.
After recording a career-high 106 tackles with the Houston Texans, the Eden Prairie native signed a three-year contract with the Vikings. He earned himself a nice payday worth $22.5 million. Despite the Vikings’ home-field advantage, Kwesi had to beat out several other teams to land Brian Flores’ new starting linebacker, next to fellow speed demon Ivan Pace Jr.
Blake Cashman could have joined the Packers or Falcons
According to the Star Tribune’s Andrew Krammer, Cashman received offers from multiple teams, including those filthy Green Bay Packers. Yet, even on the first day of free agency, Cashman knew where he wanted to go, and signed with the Vikings.
“When free agency rolled around in March, Cashman said he had many suitors, including the Vikings, Texans, Broncos, Packers, Steelers and Falcons. He agreed to the Vikings’ offer just hours into the NFL’s legal negotiating window. He broke the news to his family by texting: “Skol Vikings.”
Andrew Krammer on Blake Cashman choosing Minnesota Vikings over Packers
At least five other teams tried and failed to keep Cashman from returning to Minnesota. If that doesn’t scream “one of us”, then I don’t know what does. Getting a chance to start for the team you grew up rooting for… what could possibly be better?
Cashman will have a chance to immediately impact the Vikings’ defense. His speed and coverage ability make him a three-down player. Plus, there’s a strong case to be made that the 28-year-old has yet to reach his prime. Perhaps that changes in Minnesota under Coach Flores.
After beginning his career as a fifth-round pick back in 2019, not even Cashman likely could have predicted this outcome. The challenge is ensuring the Vikings maintain their fourth-ranked rush defense in yards per attempt while improving their 15th-ranked pass defense.
If he can help lead that effort, he’ll be worth every penny. If so, Cashman will have no trouble becoming a local fan favorite, just as he did with the Gophers.
