NFC Notes: Cowboys, Giants, Vikings

Cowboys

• Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News takes a look at why the Cowboys don’t need a true No. 1 receiver to make a Super Bowl run.
• Gosselin mentions that the game has changed and teams employing four- and five-receivers in most passing sets, giving quarterbacks more options to target against opposing defenses. This will allow QB Dak Prescott to focus on delivering the ball to the open man, as opposed to keeping Dez Bryant content with his role.
• The Cowboys’ new receiving corps currently consists of Allen Hurns, Cole Beasley, rookie Michael Gallup, Terrance Williams, and Deonte Thompson among others.
• David Helman of DallasCowboys.com expects first-round pick Leighton Vander Esch to play on the weak side linebacker this season.
• Helman thinks the Cowboys could end up missing WR Dez Bryant to some degree this season.

Giants

Former NFL agent Joel Corry tells Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com that he would be looking for around $12 million per year in a long-term extension if he was Giants S Landon Collins.

“Given his age and his character and his performance the last couple years, I’d be looking at a minimum of the Reshad Jones and Kam Chancellor neighborhood, which was $12 million a year,” Corry said. “It would have to be that to get my attention representing him.”

Meanwhile, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com says Collins has a case to be made that he should be the highest-paid safety in the NFL.

“I think Collins pretty much fills every check box that you want: He’s very young, extremely productive on the field, considered a good athlete,” Fitzgerald said. “I think you can make a strong argument that he should be the highest-paid safety in the NFL, though I don’t think he will get there. I think a fair contract is probably something in the five-year, $62 million range with $35-$37 million guaranteed.”

We have Collins featured in our Top 25 – 2019 NFL Free Agents list.

Vikings

• According to Courtney Cornin, Vikings DE Danielle Hunter‘s contract will include cap hits of $5.063 million (2018), $13 million (2019), $14 million (2020), $15 million (2021), $15 million (2022), and $12 million (2023).
• Cronin adds that Hunter’s base salary increases from $1.907 million in 2018 to $9.4 million in 2019. From there, Hunter’s salary increases to $10.4 in 2020 then stays at $11.4 for each of the final three years of the current contract.