Everson Griffen has voided the final three years of his contract in a move that will save the Vikings a significant amount of money, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.
By voiding his contract, Griffen saves the Vikings approximately $13 million in salary cap space, while costing the team $800,000 in dead money. Overall, it’s a huge decision considering Minnesota was an estimated $12 million over the cap, according to Spotrac.
Everson Griffen’s reported opt-out clears a much needed $13M of cap space for the #Vikings, who still have financial moves to make to prepare for the 2020 league year. It’s largely expected Griffen will be brought back on a restructured deal.https://t.co/y5gwkRVxFN
— Spotrac (@spotrac) February 20, 2020
What’s more is that Cronin says Griffen is optimistic he can stay with the Vikings on a new contract.
“I want to be here,” Griffen told the Star Tribune recently. “I love this team. I love this organization. They took great care of me when I needed it the most. I want to be a Viking. We’ll see what happens.”
Griffen, 32, took time away from the Vikings during the middle of the 2018 season to focus on his mental health. His numbers took a dip but the Vikings reworked his contract last offseason so that it could be voided if he reached six sacks in 2019, which he surpassed with eight sacks.
