Minnesota
Minnesota Vikings News and Links, 7 May 2024
The Kirk Cousins latest story about him not wanting the Vikings to draft a QB being the reason he did not re-sign, if true, is amusing. I do not really buy it to be honest. I think the 100M guaranteed is what really did the trick.
I am more inclined to want to see JJ McCarthy sit the bench for the entire season just like Mahomes had to do. The concern is with Sam Darnold. Can he stay healthy and will he play well enough to remain starting? Also, and probably a silly thing to wonder, could the team go with Jaren Hall first if they decide to replace Darnold? That would be fantastic for the debates (er., arguments) that could rage here. I would love it!
I am hoping and praying that the Vikings have found their QBOTF. I am not buying all the folks who produce great stats, etc. trying to convince others that he is really good and just did not have the chance. I do think he is good but have to see more of it to believe it. I will get my chance.
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2024 NFL Free Agency Tracker: Best Remaining Free Agents
Players I like …
WR Tyler Boyd
WR Zay Jones
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
OG/OT Andrus Peat
OC/OG Connor Williams
CB Steven Nelson
CB Ahkello Witherspoon
News and Links
The Vikings’ 2024 schedule release will probably start early
We now know why Kirk Cousins chose not to re-sign in Minnesota
When Will JJ McCarthy Start?
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Ranking Minnesota Vikings biggest needs post NFL Draft
The Minnesota Vikings Mailed in the Guard Position Again – Minnesota Football Party
Why haven’t the Vikings re-signed Dalton Risner?
Being that Risner is viewed by many in the same bucket as Cleveland, that would mean getting around $9.5 million per season. That is too much for what the Vikings are willing to pay and Risner being a free agent exemplifies that.
Now, is that the right call? Well, you could argue that they should pony up the money because Blake Brandel is set to be your starting left guard. Now, Brandel is a quality player but not someone you want to trust as a long-term starting left guard. Something to watch for with Risner is the potential of signing late like he did in 2023.
Vikings’ Shaq Griffin Signing, Which Could Cost Them a Comp Pick, Still Baffles
Over a month later, the Vikings’ decision to sign veteran cornerback Shaquill Griffin to a one-year, $4.55 million deal in late March remains baffling.
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The Vikings were projected to receive a pair of third-round comp picks (which are in the late 90s overall) for losing Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter in free agency this year.
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And the Vikings’ decision to sign Griffin looks even more bizarre after a draft where they traded up multiple times in the first round, surrendering several of next year’s picks in the process.
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A 29-year-old cornerback on a one-year deal is, objectively, not nearly as valuable of an asset as a pick in the 98-100 range that comes with a four-year rookie contract.
Matthew Coller: Dallas Turner pick is about calculating the reward
Turner is set to make around $16 million over the four years that he’s on his rookie deal. Brian Burns makes $28 million per year. If Turner becomes a top-notch player, which his background and consensus board ranking would suggest is possible, the gap in cap savings between Turner and the top edge rushers is enormous. It’s not exactly the same level cap hack as a rookie QB contract but it’s getting closer as edge rusher prices go up. That has to matter in the equation.
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Minnesota
Shorthanded Clippers can’t keep pace with Anthony Edwards and Minnesota
Anthony Edwards scored 31 points, Donte DiVincenzo added 18 and the surging Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Clippers 94-88 on Thursday night.
Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu each scored 12 points and Rudy Gobert had 13 rebounds to help the Timberwolves improve to 5-1 since Feb. 9 and 3-1 since the All-Star break.
Edwards, returning to the site of the All-Star Game, where he was the MVP, was 12 for 24 from the floor and sealed the victory with a step-back three-pointer over two defenders for a 92-88 lead with 42.9 seconds left.
Minnesota improved to 2-0 on a three-game trip.
Derrick Jones Jr. scored 18 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 14 for the Clippers, who struggled from the outset with a season-low 38 points in the first half. Kris Dunn had 11 points for the Clippers (27-31), who have lost three consecutive games for the first time since December.
The Clippers struggled on offense without star Kawhi Leonard, out because of ankle soreness. The Clippers shot 40.5% from the floor, including 18.2% (four for 22) in the second quarter. Minnesota shot 43.4% in the game.
The Timberwolves (37-23) scored just 15 points in the second quarter and still topped the Clippers, who had 11. Minnesota led 44-38 at halftime behind 12 points from DiVincenzo and 11 from Edwards.
The Clippers led by six in the third quarter and were up 68-63 heading into the fourth. Edwards’ drive and reverse layup put the Timberwolves up for good at 76-74 with 7:40 remaining.
The Clippers pulled within one three times in the last 2½ minutes, but Edwards answered each time. He scored the Timberwolves’ last nine points.
Up next for Clippers: vs. New Orleans on Sunday night.
Minnesota
Church congregant filed lawsuit against alleged Minnesota church protesters
A St. Paul church member has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that a group of individuals, including journalist Don Lemon and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, unlawfully disrupted service last month as part of a coordinated political demonstration.
The complaint, filed by Ann Doucette in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota, alleges that a Jan. 18 demonstration at Cities Church interfered with her ability to worship and caused her to suffer damages, including emotional distress and trauma.
In addition to the former CNN anchor and Armstrong, the complaint names journalist Georgia Fort and activists Will Kelly, Jerome Richardson, Trahern Crews and Jamael Lundy. It also names St. Paul school board member Chauntyll Allen.
Doucette and seven of the defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Doucette filed the complaint without the representation of an attorney. In an emailed statement to NBC News, Crews denied the lawsuit’s allegations “with empathy and compassion.”
The lawsuit accuses the group of civil conspiracy, aiding and abetting, intentional infliction of emotional distress, interference with religious exercise and trespassing.
“As a result of Defendants’ actions, the worship service was disrupted, congregants experienced fear and distress, and Plaintiff’s ability to freely exercise her religion in a private place of worship was unlawfully interfered with,” the lawsuit states.
All eight defendants are also facing federal charges for conspiracy against the rights of religious freedom at a place of worship and for interfering with the exercise of the right of religious freedom. Lemon has pleaded not guilty to all charges, saying outside the court, “I wanted to say this isn’t just about me, this is about all journalists, especially in the United States.”
Fort, Crews and Lundy were released on bond and entered not guilty pleas, according to The Associated Press.
This is the latest legal action tied to protests in the Twin Cities, where tensions remain over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
According to the lawsuit, the demonstrators engaged in “coordinated conduct” by organizing meetings ahead of the “Operation Pullup” protest and promoting it on social media.
The lawsuit alleges that on the morning of Jan. 18, a coordinated group of individuals entered Cities Church, halting the worship service, and chanting “‘ICE Out!’ and ‘Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!’” while obstructing aisles. Protesters could allegedly be seen “confronting the pastor and congregants in a menacing manner,” the lawsuit says, noting that their chanting and “aggressive gestures” caused “severe emotional distress, fear, anxiety, and trauma” and caused children “terror.”
Demonstrators gathered at the church because they said its pastor, David Easterwood, was the acting director of an ICE field office in the city, the lawsuit says.
Lemon was arrested in January in California and accused of violating federal civil rights law after covering the protest on Jan. 18. He was released on a personal recognizance bond before a federal grand jury in Minnesota returned the indictment against Lemon and eight co-defendants, all of whom are also named in Doucette’s lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, Doucette alleges that Lemon specifically livestreamed the protest, “noting congregants’ fear and distress, and appeared to take satisfaction in the disruption.”
Levy Armstrong, a Minneapolis-based civil rights attorney and activist, was also arrested for her participation in the St. Paul protest. Her arrest drew national attention after the White House shared on social media doctored photos where she appeared to be crying.
Minnesota
Man arrested, charged with threatening to kill a state senator
A Hubbard County man was arrested and charged after threatening to kill a Minnesota state senator on Facebook.
Court documents filed on Wednesday state the Minnesota State Patrol were investigating a threat posted by John Tobias saying that he would “kill every one of you treasonous [expletive] immediately” if he did not get money back that he claims he lost during the 2020 COVID shutdown.
Court documents go on to say that Tobias then called the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office asking for something to be done about “Minnesota Governor Tim Walz ‘unconstitutionally’ shutting down the state due to COVID-19.
The Minnesota State Patrol contacted Hubbard County deputies regarding Tobias. Court documents state Hubbard County investigators were already familiar with Tobais after speaking with him regarding similar threats he made in Jan.
The charging documents state that investigators searched Tobias’ residence on Tuesday and found an arsenal of guns and 45 boxes of ammunition.
Tobias was taken into custody. During an interview with law enforcement, Tobias admitted to making the threat on Facebook. He also told investigators that “he did not have any intention of killing anyone, but admitted he was trying to get people’s attention,” according to court records.
In late 2025, Lt. Col. Jeremy Geiger of the Minnesota State Patrol, who oversees Capitol security, told a panel of lawmakers that threats to lawmakers had doubled between 2024 and 2025.
Tobias made his first court appearance Wednesday morning and is expected back in court early next month.
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