Updates on the Josh Freeman Situation in Minnesota

Josh Freeman has not been made available to the media yet, as he won't be in Minnesota until later today, but Leslie Fraizer held a press conference today to discuss the new quarterback the Vikings acquired last night. Fraizer said that Freeman would not start this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers as he needs time to learn the Vikings' playbook, but in terms of him starting in the future, Frazier said "that's very much on the table, so we'll see how well he progresses and how well he picks up our offense."

Fraizer confirmed either Christian Ponder or Matt Cassel will get the start against Carolina, though it's likely to be Cassel as the Freeman signing shows the Vikings have officially given up on Ponder as their franchise quarterback. The Vikings are now essentially having Freeman come to Minnesota for an extended tryout, and if the team thinks he can provide answers at the position they will resign him again this offseason. It's unclear when the Freeman experiment will actually begin, but it's likely to be soon, as Freeman chose to sign with Minnesota likely because he was told he will have a good shot at starting for this team in the near future. If Cassel starts again and plays well Fraizer may hesitate to pull him, but Cassel's inconsistent career arc suggests that eventually he will slip up and Freeman will be inserted into the starting lineup.

With Freeman added to the quarterback room, there is likely to be an odd man out who will have to leave. Right now, the Vikings have four quarterbacks, Freeman, Ponder, Cassel, and McLeod Bethel-Thompson, but they usually only keep three on their 53 man roster. The odd man out is likely to be MBT, who could be waived and sent to the practice squad if no other team puts out a claim on him. The Vikings could also try to trade Ponder or Cassel, to get value out of one of the two if they no longer will serve a purpose with the team. It would not be surprising if Speilman is actively shopping Ponder as we speak.

There were certainly be more updates from Winter Park soon, so keep your eyes peeled and your ears open as the Vikings' quarterback triangle continues to unfold.