Will C.J. Ham Be a Cap Casualty?
Everybody loves C.J. Ham, a Minnesota native-born in Duluth who appears to bleed purple. So asking the question will C.J. Ham be a cap casualty is not something I like doing.
Still, when you look at the Minnesota Vikings roster, specifically at the individual player’s cap hits, the $3.45 million next to Ham sticks out like a sore thumb to me.
Even when everything the Vikings did ran through Dalvin Cook and the run game, that number was too high for my liking. With the assumption that the NFL’s sideline reporters won’t be telling television viewers that the Minnesota Vikings head coach said “they need to run the ball more” every week this coming season, Kevin O’Connell and Wes Phillips will put together a more modern offense. That cap hit looks even worse.
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That’s not to say there’s no room for a fullback on the Vikings roster and O’Connell’s scheme. Indeed Ham’s name has been mentioned as a player and position new to this coaching staff that they look forward to finding ways to utilize.
It’s $3.45 million that is the issue, and there’s $3.8 million due next year as well. If the Vikings cut C.J. Ham pre-June 1, it would leave $1.5 million in dead money, giving them a saving of just under $2 million. Moving things around to a post-June 1 designation would equal a meager $750,000 cap charge and $2.7 million in cap space. With some dead money pushed to next year, money that could be used towards a cornerback or offensive lineman, surely a better use of funds for this team?
The Vikings will still run the ball, and Ham can still be a valuable asset as a blocker. Likewise, he has shown the ability to make plays, not just in short-yardage situations running the ball but also as a skilled playmaker in the passing game. So, if he were open to reworking his deal to stay in Minnesota, providing the team with cap relief and keeping a valuable leader on the team, who assuredly fits the mold the new regime wants when it talks of culture — that would be the perfect scenario.
Although, I have no idea of the willingness to make that happen from either party. I would like that to happen. After all, C.J. Ham is a Viking.
If a new deal can’t be worked out, then there is a tough decision to make. Keep Ham on his current contract and pay him the money that you can rightfully argue he has earned throughout his career in purple.
Or move on and use that money for more priority positions.
That could depend on one significant factor — the ideas O’Connell, Phillips, and the rest of the offensive coaching staff come up with regarding using him in their offense. If they have lots of exciting ideas of how to use him, particularly in the passing game, he immediately becomes a lot more valuable to the team.
Will C.J. Ham be a cap casualty? I honestly have no idea, but I think it is something to watch. If Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Rob Brzezinski continue to create space and bring in players the caliber of Za’Darius Smith with just over a $3 million cap hit this season, it may not be deemed necessary — especially if they have exciting plans for Ham in this offense.
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