ESPN Lays Out ‘NFL Overhaul Tiers’ & Puts Vikings…

Battista interestingly slated the Vikings job at No. 6 on the list, largely because of cap space the team will have to work with heading into 2022. She wrote:

Minnesota’s not a bad team, but after a second straight sub-.500 season, the Vikings cleared house by firing Zimmer and Spielman. Zimmer just completed his eighth season in Minnesota, while Spielman had been with the franchise going back to 2006, so it’s a brand-new day for the Vikings.

Players like Cook and Jefferson – plus patient, stable ownership – will make this job enticing. The big question for a new coach: What does he think of Cousins? The 33-year-old is better than the quarterbacks on most of the other teams on this list, but he has an expensive contract, and the Vikings have been to the playoffs just once in his four seasons – and that makes his future with Minnesota uncertain. The Vikings invested a load of guaranteed money in their defense last offseason and it underperformed, which means it will likely have to be retooled. And the Vikings are among the teams with the least amount of cap space.

The Raiders topped Battista’s rankings.

One thing the Raiders learned in the wake of the early-season resignation of Gruden: They have a resilient team, which just earned a playoff berth after an incredible finish on Sunday night. Bisaccia deserves serious consideration just for navigating so much drama and trauma. The success also speaks well of the talent level despite some questionable recent draft decisions, and that will make this an attractive job.

The Raiders have the best quarterback situation of any of the available jobs with Derek Carr under center. A big question is what becomes of General Manager Mike Mayock. But the Raiders remain one of the most popular franchises in football, with a fantastic new stadium and a devoted fan base.