Vikes, Kleinsasser to Talk

With the all the turmoil of recent days around Winter Park, Jim Kleinsasser has flown under the radar, but don't expect that to last for long. VU has been told to expect a long-term deal to get signed with the next couple of weeks to keep Jimmy K and return the franchise designation back to the team.

Something that has seemingly been lost in recent days concerning the Vikings' woes of losing Michael Bennett and Byron Chamberlain has been that starting this week, the Vikings can work on a long-term deal with Jim Kleinsasser.

After slapping him with the franchise tag, some people felt that, as is often the case, the negotiations would become contentious. Often times, when a player is franchised, he rebels and eventually is traded or released. We’ve seen this in recent years with players like Hugh Douglas and Peerless Price. But, the same won’t be true with Jimmy K, according to a VU source.

We’re being told that Kleinsasser and his agent will likely strike a deal quickly with the Vikings. If one can be done before the start of the season, the Vikings will get their franchise designation back. If one isn’t signed, the Vikings would lose the ability to franchise a player for the duration of Kleinsasser’s deal.

From what we’ve been told, there is no animosity – Kleinsasser and his agent understood the team’s rationale for using the franchise tag and aren’t disputing it. While the window is relatively small to get a deal finalized, don’t be surprised to see a Kleinsasser signing sandwiched into the flurry of rookie signings in the next week or two.