The Vikings Offseason Is Heating Up
Mitchel Massman
|
As the NFL Combine is wrapping up, the Vikings offseason is heating up. We are just over one week away from the beginning of the league year, which will open on March 16th at 4 pm EST. At this time, the Vikings must be in compliance with the salary cap. As of now, they are $19 million over the cap.
Vikings fans are well aware of Kirk Cousins’ contract decision and are surely waiting for the news to drop. However, it is unlikely that Cousins will be the first domino to fall in the coming week. It has been reported by many league sources that the Vikings are likely to extend him. If that is true, it will take some time to work out a contract.
Assuming Kirk’s contract is not agreed to by March 16th, the Vikings will need to find the money elsewhere. Thankfully, when you have a contract guru like Rob Brzezinski, the salary cap isn’t real. There are several moves that the Vikings can make to create cap space.
According to Over the Cap, the Vikings can create $48 million in cap space through simple restructures. A simple restructure is typically the conversion of base salary to signing bonus, aka kicking the can down the road. Although, if they executed every single restructure possible, they might tie themselves to players longer than they prefer.
Who is Eligible for a Simple Restructure
The offseason is full of big decisions for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell. There are several veterans on the team with large contracts. The question is, which players do the Vikings leadership want to tie themselves to for the next couple of years?
Danielle Hunter – Hunter is the most obvious restructuring candidate. A simple restructure would clear nearly $14 million in cap space. Although, look for the Vikings to work out a long-term extension.
Harrison Smith – Smith is the most likely candidate to see a restructure this week. The Vikings can convert his $8 million roster bonus to a signing bonus, push money into future years, and create more than $7 million in cap space for 2022.
Dalvin Cook – Do the Vikings really want to tie themselves to an expensive running back? Cook is special, and the Vikings can clear $5.5 million with a simple restructure. You should expect this to happen.
Adam Thielen – Thielen is under contract through 2024 and will enter the season at the age of 32. The Vikings could create $7.3 million in cap space by restructuring him. But based on his age and position, look for the Vikings to keep his contract where it’s at and possibly move on from him in 2023.
Eric Kendricks – Kendricks is another veteran with an expensive contract. He has two years remaining on his deal. The Vikings could clear $4 million with a restructure. It’s possible the Vikings go through with a restructure, save cap in 2022, and then move on from him after the 2023 season.
There are a few others that are eligible for restructurings, like Michael Pierce, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Brian O’Neill. Watch for them to be on the list of restructures over the next week.
Which Domino Falls First
When looking at all of the possible restructures above, it’s clear there are many options available. The first restructure we should expect is Harrison Smith. He will likely retire prior to his contract ending, and by doing so, the Vikings wouldn’t need to pay his base salary in those years. Most of his contract is base salary, so sacrificing a few million in a future year is nothing when you can save $7 million this year.
Teams and players can begin their contract negotiations when the tampering period opens at Noon EST on March 14th. However, they cannot execute the contract until after 4 pm on March 16th. It is likely that one or two of the eligible restructures prior to March 14th. But don’t expect to hear any big decisions until after the tampering opens.
You must be logged in to post a comment.