The 5 Most Expensive Vikings in 2022
Dustin Baker
|
As of mid-May, the 2022 Minnesota Vikings spend the 12th-most dollars on offensive personnel for the 2022 season and the 8th-fewest dollars on defense.
This is a vast departure from the way Minnesota used to operate, investing heavily in defense before the arrival of Kirk Cousins in 2018. Since then, the spending on defense diminished — and so did the defensive performance in 2020 and 2021.
From smallest to largest per the Top 5, these are the players accounting for most of the Vikings salary cap in 2022.
The metric is cap hit, not average annual salary.
5. Adam Thielen (WR)
2022 Dead Cap Hit = $11.6 Million
Percentage of Overall Cap = 5.56%
Clawing his way from undrafted obscurity nine years ago, Thielen is now a prolific catcher of touchdowns, compensated in a Top 5 status for the Vikings. He’ll be 32 years old this summer, so fans should really cherish his final years with the Vikings. Most wideouts begin tailing off in the age range because of injury and such.
Thankfully for Thielen, his hands are his greatest asset — to the tune of ranking fourth in touchdown receptions since the start of the 2019 season. And, that’s while missing 24% of all Vikings games during the timeframe.
4. Dalvin Cook (RB)
2022 Dead Cap Hit = $11.8 Million
Percentage of Overall Cap = 5.66%
Why do the Vikings employ a running back with premium cash in a league pivoting away from RB emphasis?
Easy.
In the last three seasons, Cook ranks second in the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 4,955. He trails the leader, Derrick Henry, by a measly 23 yards. Plus, Henry has played two more games than Cook since 2019.
When somebody hands Cook a football, he gets yards — plain and simple.
His 2020 campaign of 1,918 total yards and 17 touchdowns was tremendous, but it seemed to fly under the radar because Vikings fans possess Adrian Peterson standards.
3. Danielle Hunter (EDGE)
2022 Dead Cap Hit = $12.3 Million
Percentage of Overall Cap = 5.88%
Hunter should be paid more, but he hasn’t been able to shake the contract he signed four years ago.
The LSU alumnus signed a shiny deal in 2018 before he blossomed into superstardom, so Minnesota has enjoyed team-friendly financial dealings with Hunter ever since.
However, Hunter has missed 79% of all games since the start of 2020. So, although his deal is advantageous to the Vikings enterprise, his absence is not. Of course, it’s not his fault, but you get the gist.
Alongside Za’Darius Smith from the Wisconsin team, Hunter should have a mammoth 2022 campaign if injuries stay quiet. Then, he’ll finally net a fat-fat contract before too long.
2. Eric Kendricks (LB)
2022 Dead Cap Hit = $13.5 Million
Percentage of Overall Cap = 6.44%
The cardiovascular system of the Vikings defense, Kendricks checks in at #2.
Interestingly, if the Vikings want to add any more big-name free agents between now and September, it would likely be Kendricks’ name called for a contractual restructure.
He’ll be the fifth highest-paid off-ball linebacker in the world in 2022, per cap hit, and Kendricks deserves it. The UCLA alumnus did encounter a “down year” by the numbers in 2021, but a shift to Ed Dontell’s 3-4 defense in September should do wonders for Kendricks.
1. Kirk Cousins (QB)
2022 Dead Cap Hit = $31.4 Million
Percentage of Overall Cap = 14.97%
Cousins earns over double that of Kendricks, the closest man to his top-paid-on-the-Vikings status.
And this is why Cousins is scrutinized so often. The Vikings spend the fourth-most cash on quarterbacks per cap allocation, but Cousins is not the fourth-best passer in the NFL.
This is the reason you read so many winter, spring, summer, and autumn debates about Cousins. Are the Vikings smart to employ the NFL’s 11th or 12th-best quarterback at a Top 5 or Top 10 monetary clip? The discussion will not end until Cousins and the Vikings win a Super Bowl, or he heads elsewhere.
He does offer 4,000+ passing yards and 30+ touchdowns like clockwork every season, so perhaps building a team around his consistency is wise.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. 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).
Vikings Territory Also Read: Another Trade for Vikings, This Time with PIT
You must be logged in to post a comment.