Strange Name Becomes Vikings Cap Casualty Candidate
Dustin Baker
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Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith was the NFL’s 13th-best EDGE defender in 2022, according to Pro Football Focus, but that’s evidently poppycock for some.
The Vikings have 11 days to shimmy underneath the NFL’s salary cap, facing a $24 million uphill battle and a high-stakes free agency period that begins on March 13th. Between now and then, Minnesota must clear cap space to sign new free agents.
Strange Name Becomes Vikings Cap Casualty Candidate
And left up to the prognostication of The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov, Za’Darius Smith might just be the most logical place to start for cap cuts.
Smith performed exceptionally well in 2022 — especially in the season’s first 10 games — but that could be a nothingburger for 2023 projections. Meirov nominated a potential cap casualty for every NFL team Thursday, and for the Vikings, Smith was the odd man out.
“The Vikings have a handful of options here, and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could blow it up if he wants to. LB Eric Kendricks, WR Adam Thielen, S Harrison Smith, RB Dalvin Cook and LB Jordan Hicks are some of the guys, to name a few,” Meirov explained on the Vikings landscape of possibly departing players.
He then narrowed in on Smith, “On the surface, Za’Darius Smith was signed to a reported three-year, $42 million deal last offseason, but after a closer look, it was a one-year, $9.5 million contract, ‘and we’ll see’ type deal. Smith was a star in his first nine games with 9.5 sacks, 17 QB hits, 14 tackles for loss and 29 tackles. The next eight games were a different story, and Smith was a bit of a non-factor.”
Smith as a “non-factor” down the stretch of 2022 isn’t exactly accurate. He registered just 0.5 sacks from Week 11 to 18, but his QB pressures remained present. He was a fringe Defensive Player of the Year candidate through early November, setting the bar incredibly high in his Vikings maiden voyage. But after Week 10 or so, Smith turned into “just a good defender,” not an elite contributor.
So, Vikings fans must ask themselves, is the non-DPOY version of Smith good enough for a sequel? Per Meirov, the answer could be no.
If Meirov is correct and Minnesota releases the 30-year-old in the coming weeks, it will save $12.1 million in cap space while incurring a $3.3 million dead cap hit in 2023. Smith reached the Pro Bowl in 2022, and some Vikings enthusiasts merely swept that under the rug because the second half of his season didn’t mimic the first half. And next year, his cap hit is scheduled at $16.9 million. Five years ago, that was a gaudy number. But this isn’t five years ago.
As of March 2nd, Smith’s 2023 cap hit ranks 22nd in the NFL among EDGE rushers. Couple that ranking with Smith’s 13th-best PFF grade in 2022, and the variance isn’t egregious. In fact, one might argue he’s a steal of a deal. It’s a scenario where the guy owning the 22nd-largest cap hit was the 13th-most efficient pass rusher. What say you?
Meirov isn’t the only media entity banging the drum of Smith’s exit from Minnesota. Bleacher Report published an article last week about ‘dream trades’ during the NFL offseason, and Smith was included.
BR’s Kristopher Knox advanced a theory for a Vikings-49ers trade where Minnesota would receive a mid-round pick or two for Smith, and San Francisco would inherit a notable pass rusher opposite Nick Bosa. Knox explained, “In a dream scenario, the Vikings would make Za’Darius Smith available as part of their salary-purging efforts. Trading Smith before June 1 would save Minnesota $13.7 million in cap space, which would account for a large portion of its $21.3 million cap deficit.”
“Smith would also likely make a more immediate impact than a drafted rookie, especially considering San Francisco doesn’t have first- or second-round selections. Given Minnesota’s need to create cap space, a third-round pick or two might be able to get a deal done. San Francisco just so happens to have a trio of third-round picks this year,” Knox concluded.
Whether outright release or trade, the “he gone” theories regarding Smith are out there.
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 Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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