NFL Nation

          Vikings Twitter mailbag part 1: Contracts, and future head coaches

          MINNEAPOLIS -- Thanks to all of you who submitted questions for this week's Minnesota Vikings mailbag. You can submit them at any point during the week on Twitter, using the hashtag #VikingsMail.

          @GoesslingESPN: Good morning, everyone. We'll get started here. The Vikings still have $12.4 million in cap space remaining, according to ESPN Stats and Information, and it's certainly possible they'll devote some of that space to one of their upcoming free agents, especially since they have a number of big bills coming due. The obvious one is safety Harrison Smith; I believe the Vikings will reward him with a new deal sometime in the next year, though they have picked up his fifth-year option and can always roll that into a new deal that probably wouldn't hit the books until 2016 at the earliest. Kicker Blair Walsh and wide receiver Jarius Wright could be more immediate (and financially modest) priorities; both will be free agents after the season, and it seems likely the Vikings would want to keep both around. The impetus for doing some of these deals now, to me, is that you can charge some of the new money to this year's cap, before things really get tricky in a couple years. Think about the contracts the Vikings have coming: Smith will be playing on a new deal by 2017 at the latest. If Matt Kalil rebounds this year, the Vikings will have to pay him, or at least keep him at more than $11 million on his fifth-year option. Xavier Rhodes isn't going to be cheap, if he keeps improving. Mike Wallace has an $11.5 million cap figure in 2016 -- what's the decision going to be on him and Cordarrelle Patterson? And then, a couple years down the road, you've potentially got deals for Anthony Barr and -- the really big one -- Teddy Bridgewater. If Bridgewater improves the way the Vikings hope he will, you can bet they're already including a big-money deal for him in their cap projections for 2018 or 2019. That's the cost of doing business with all these first-round picks: if they pan out, you've got to pay to keep them. If there's a modest deal or two the Vikings can do this year, it'd help them clear the decks for the future.

          @GoesslingESPN: The Vikings certainly hope so. Coach Mike Zimmer said last week that Patterson has shown a better understanding of what the Vikings want him to do during the first part of the team's offseason program, and the Vikings are probably more optimistic about Kalil after a pair of knee operations this winter. We've said it many times, though; both players are entering pivotal seasons. There is definitely reason to be concerned with Kalil's long-term durability when he's had this many knee issues early in his career, and Patterson seems to know he's entering a make-or-break year, at least if he wants to be a star in Minnesota. I'll say this, too: As much as there is riding on this year for Kalil and Patterson, there's a piece of general manager Rick Spielman's reputation at stake with both players. He spent the fourth overall pick in the draft on Kalil, and sent four picks to New England so he could trade up and get Patterson. If both players bust, it'd take a considerable amount of shine off Spielman's aggressive draft strategy (though the Bridgewater pick will ultimately write much of that story).

          @GoesslingESPN: Heading into organized team activities, I think Joe Berger has the inside track on the left guard spot; the Vikings made it a point to bring him back in free agency, and he'll probably start with the first team while T.J. Clemmings works out at a few different positions and David Yankey continues to develop. There were plenty of people who thought before the draft that Clemmings would eventually end up at guard, though the Vikings told Clemmings' camp before the draft they were looking at him mostly at tackle. Clemmings still has some things to learn, and it's possible the Vikings will give him a year to develop before making him a successor for Phil Loadholt. But I wouldn't rule out Clemmings playing guard in the meantime. I know this: The Vikings believe part of Kalil's problem last season was he didn't have enough support from Charlie Johnson on the left side of the line, particularly on blitz pickups. Getting better left guard play is definitely a priority heading into the season.

          @GoesslingESPN: Really good question. The name I'd keep in mind is quarterbacks coach Scott Turner. He's only 32 years old, but he's already worked with three NFL teams and could see his stock rise if Bridgewater keeps improving; it was the quarterback evaluation process Turner learned in Carolina (during the Cam Newton draft) that the Vikings used with Bridgewater. The younger Turner has taken steps to be defined on more than just his father's merits, but at the same time, his pedigree will continue to help him make connections around the league. If Norv Turner retires in a few years -- and there's nothing saying he has to -- I could see Scott Turner taking over as the offensive coordinator, and possibly parlaying that into a head coaching job down the line. By the time Scott Turner is 40, Bridgewater will have played in the league for eight years. If Bridgewater is successful, there will have been plenty of time for everyone involved in the pick (Spielman, Zimmer and both Turners) to reap the rewards. Especially in a league that's always looking for the next quarterback whisperer, Scott Turner's name is one to keep in mind.

          We'll wrap it up here for today, and come back with another installment of the mailbag tomorrow. Thanks for the great questions, everyone -- enjoy your Saturday, and we'll talk to you tomorrow.