Apparently No K-Will Option Exists
Earlier we mentioned that defensive tackle Kevin Williams picked an odd time to bring up his contract situation due to the existence of a two year option that the Vikings could pick up. The option would pay him over $16 million for the 2013 and 2014 seasons if the Vikings opted in.
The option has long been believed to exist, as evidenced by this Rotoworld list of contract details for the Vikings.
As it turns out, however, the option does not exist. Instead, following this season the Vikings will no longer be on the hook for bonuses or guaranteed money and, as explained by Tom Pelissero, the team has the “option” to cut him without negative cap consequences.
This revelation gives us a little more insight into why the issue is coming up now, and where Kevin Williams stands with the organization. Following this season, he will essentially be an at-will employee and the Vikings could cut him at any point.
If Williams gets back to being a dominant force in the middle of the defense this season, then the best scenario for both sides might be a new contract that eats up less cap space (a pay cut) in exchange for guaranteed money (job security).
At any rate, this will be an interesting one to keep an eye on over the next year or so.