Just throwing this out there... I'm no scout, so I am admittedly not the best judge of whether he would fit our offensive system. But I think his situation is interesting, nonetheless.
With Moss as his #1, he caught 68 balls for 1006 yds in 2004 as a 2nd year WR. Then they jettison Moss, draft Troy Williamson last year, making Burleson the #1. He had a forgettable year last year being the go-to guy, playing in only 12 games... 30 catches for 328 yds.
New coaching staff comes in and they low-tender him (he was a 3rd rounder, so that is what it would cost to sign him). They have Williamson, Travis Taylor, Marcus Robinson under contract along with Burleson as RFA, and then go out and re-sign Koren Robinson to a rich 3 year deal (12.7m with 5.5m guaranteed). The depth chart looks fairly deep as is. It seems to me that a guy just one year removed from a 1000 yard season being low-tendered sounds like bait for the Vikings to receive the 3rd round pick as RFA compensation. Could this be a guy who could thrive as a #2 aside Branch, or at the very least, replace Givens' production?
He is only 25 yrs old, listed as 6-0 192lbs, and he has some success playing in cold weather. In fact, in '04 cold weather (Nov-Jan), he played @GB, @Chi, @Was, @GB, @Phi, the last 3 being playoff games. In those 5 games, he caught 31 balls for 331 yds and 3 TD's.
Would you consider a guy like Burleson for our 3rd rounder (or 4th if they can negotiate it depending on league interest)? What kind of deal do you think he could get on the market considering his production differential in '04/'05? There may not be the same kind of buzz around him as a guy like Givens, and could come as a better value.
Thoughts?
With Moss as his #1, he caught 68 balls for 1006 yds in 2004 as a 2nd year WR. Then they jettison Moss, draft Troy Williamson last year, making Burleson the #1. He had a forgettable year last year being the go-to guy, playing in only 12 games... 30 catches for 328 yds.
New coaching staff comes in and they low-tender him (he was a 3rd rounder, so that is what it would cost to sign him). They have Williamson, Travis Taylor, Marcus Robinson under contract along with Burleson as RFA, and then go out and re-sign Koren Robinson to a rich 3 year deal (12.7m with 5.5m guaranteed). The depth chart looks fairly deep as is. It seems to me that a guy just one year removed from a 1000 yard season being low-tendered sounds like bait for the Vikings to receive the 3rd round pick as RFA compensation. Could this be a guy who could thrive as a #2 aside Branch, or at the very least, replace Givens' production?
He is only 25 yrs old, listed as 6-0 192lbs, and he has some success playing in cold weather. In fact, in '04 cold weather (Nov-Jan), he played @GB, @Chi, @Was, @GB, @Phi, the last 3 being playoff games. In those 5 games, he caught 31 balls for 331 yds and 3 TD's.
Would you consider a guy like Burleson for our 3rd rounder (or 4th if they can negotiate it depending on league interest)? What kind of deal do you think he could get on the market considering his production differential in '04/'05? There may not be the same kind of buzz around him as a guy like Givens, and could come as a better value.
Thoughts?