An Eric Kendricks Trade: The Potential Rationale Behind It
Something’s gotta give — like soon — for the Minnesota Vikings salary cap.
On Monday, the salary cap solidified at $208.2 million, formally making the Vikings about $15 million over the cap. Only three teams are in worse standings — the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, and New Orleans Saints.
To proceed with football operations, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah must trim the cap before March 16. Therefore, anything is on the table, whether it includes a Danielle Hunter move, Kirk Cousins extension, or Eric Kendricks trade.
At first glance, it seems preposterous to trade Kendricks, arguably the franchise’s best defender along with Harrison Smith and Danielle Hunter. Yet, if Minnesota does explore trading Kendricks, this is the rationale for it.
Age
Kendricks just turned 30, certainly not ancient but also not young. He probably has a few years left at his Pro Bowl or All-Pro level. However, for most linebackers, it’s “all downhill from here,” depending on your interpretation of that popular phrase.
Kendricks is expensive — we’ll get to that in a minute — and at age 30, the new leadership regime could have different plans for an aging linebacker. Precedent exists for linebackers thriving at age 30 and after, but it’s also a tender spot where football players slow down.
The takeaway? Kendricks isn’t young anymore. If Adofo-Mensah, Kevin O’Connell, and Ed Dontaell have a more youthful vision for the linebacking corps, Kendricks doesn’t particularly fit the billing.
Price Tag
Kendricks manducates a lot of the Vikings salary cap. Per 2022 cap hit, he’s the fourth-most expensive player, inflicting a $13.5 million charge against Minnesota’s ledger.
Couple that number with the aforementioned commentary on Kendricks’ age, and the Vikings brass must ask, “Is he worth it?” The answer is debatable. Minnesota would have to swallow about $6 million of that sum in dead cap money if Kendricks is indeed traded, but $7.5 million could purchase a youthful veteran or two in free agency.
Ultimately, think of it this way: the Vikings have to clear cap space, Kendricks earns a lot of money, and he’s 30 years old.
A Down Year
A quietly-broadcast secret about Kendrick in 2021? He experienced a down year compared to his herculean efforts in the previous handful of campaigns.
Kendricks either encountered an “outlier season,” or his decline tacitly began, and few noticed. Here is Kendricks’ Pro Football Focus scorecard by year:
- 2015 = 59.2
- 2016 = 68.9
- 2017 = 65.5
- 2018 = 64.5
- 2019 = 90.2
- 2020 = 82.6
- 2021 = 59.6
Kendricks morphed into a masterclass beast relatively recently. From 2015 to 2018, he was good. In 2019 and 2020, he became elite.
It is unclear what caused the cliffdive in 2021. Adofo-Mensah must decide if 2021 was an anomaly for Kendricks — because 59.6 as a PFF grade is not worth the $13.5 million cap hit.
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On the likelihood of Kendricks heading elsewhere, it’s probably a toss-up because he was so steady before 2021. Nevertheless, boxes are checked for the why if the Vikings move on.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. His YouTube Channel, VikesNow, debuts in March 2022. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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