Still waiting for the Vikings to make a move in free agency and upgrade the offensive line?
The cash-strapped Vikings suddenly have a little more money to work with thanks to defensive end Everson Griffen agreeing to restructure his contract,” according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.
“To avoid becoming a cap casualty, Griffen agreed to drop his base salary from $10.9 to $6.4 million in 2019 while is weekly roster bonuses went from $500K to $1.5 million,” says Cronin. “Griffen’s cap hit was initially $11,743,750 and is now $7,431,250, which created $4.3 million in cap space for the Vikings.
The extra $4.3 million gives the Vikings approximately $7.25 million in cap space.
Related: Brees, Ryan restructured contracts, so why not Cousins?
Minnesota became cash-strapped after signing Anthony Barr to a five-year, $67.5 million contract, with the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling reporting that it’s a backloaded deal that will pay him $5.6 million in 2019 and then between $12-$18 million the next four years.
It’s been reported that Minnesota will need about $3 million to pay players they take in the April NFL Draft, so they clearly needed to work with a player like Griffen to free up more money.
Griffen, entering the first year of a four-year, $58 million extension, was due to make $10.9 million this season.
The veteran defensive star had just 5.5 sacks in 2018 after missing a handful of games to focus on his mental health. Prior to last season, Griffen had gone to three straight Pro Bowls and racked up 43.5 sacks from 2014-17.
