Griffen voiding contract the start of a tumultuous pre-free agency period for cap-tight Vikings
The first piece of the Vikings difficult salary cap puzzle fell in place this week with the reports that defensive end Everson Griffen has voided his contract, freeing up over $13 million in needed 2020 cap space for the team.
Griffen earned that right by hitting play time and sack levels last season and wisely opted out of the contract as a preemptive strike before the Vikings surely would have released him if he didn’t agree to a significant pay cut as he did prior to last season. It means that unless Griffen re-signs with Minnesota at a lower salary before free agency opens on March 18, the 32 year old four-time Pro Bowler will hit the open market for the first time in his career.
It will be interesting to see how this story unfolds. Over the next couple weeks, Griffen and his agent will see what teams are interested in him and at how high a price as he comes off a productive season with eight sacks and 66 pressures. Those conversations will begin in earnest at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis next week when team execs and agents gather for the annual pre-draft physicals, interviews and on-field testing of the incoming rookie class as there’s always lots of contract talk during Combine week involving vets such as Griffen.
After the playoff loss to the 49ers, Griffen said, “I want to be a Viking for life, but it’s a business, so we’ll figure that out when the time gets here.” And now the time is here so the first question is whether the Vikings will make a solid offer in an attempt to bring Griffen back at a reduced salary? And will another team with a lot more cap room propose a deal that’s too rich for Minnesota to match or approach?
Meanwhile, Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman will likely be trying to re-sign impending free agent Stephen Weatherly who has played well as a rotation player the past two seasons and was impressive as the starter when Griffen missed five games in 2018 due to his mental health issues. Spielman and Coach Mike Zimmer also will be counting on third year man Ifeadi Odenigbo who is coming off an excellent season with seven sacks in limited play time.
With Griffen now counting only $800,000 in dead money against the 2020 cap, the Vikings have moved out of the hole and have an estimated $1.4 million in cap room according to Over the Cap. They need to free up a lot more cap space in order to tender and sign their two restricted free agents who are key contributors—fullback C.J. Ham whose role should continue to increase in Gary Kubiak’s offense and Eric Wilson, a starter at outside linebacker.
And there is the question of whether to put the franchise or transition tag on safety Anthony Harris after his outstanding season in which he led the NFL with seven interceptions (including postseason). The franchise tag tender amount is an estimated $12.735 million which would basically take Harris off the market and the transition tag—that would give the Vikings a right of refusal to match an offer—is projected at $10.8 million. But a team could structure a transition free agent offer sheet to Harris with a huge first year cap number that would be tough for the Vikings to absorb.
Then there are several other key free agents the team would like to sign such as kicker Dan Bailey, punter Britton Colquitt and at least one of their free agent corners—Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander. Another place where cap room probably will be needed is for a possible Dalvin Cook extension. And of course the incoming draft class must be signed.
Look for several Vikings veterans to be released in the next couple weeks or asked to take major pay cuts including Xavier Rhodes at an $8.1 million savings if he’s cut and Linval Joseph ($10.55 million off the books if let go). Tackle Riley Reiff could be another target for a pay cut based on his $13.2 million cap hit with a scheduled $11 million in salary and possible cap savings of $6.6 million if he’s released. And as I suggested last week, a Kirk Cousins extension could free up substantial cap room for this coming season.
I certainly understand the challenge facing Spielman and team executive VP and capologist Rob Brzezinski. In my GM and team president years in Minnesota and Tennessee, I often had to deal with a tight salary cap situation that comes with a playoff team and mature payroll based on lots of Pro Bowl caliber players.
One player who some in the media have speculated on as a possible trade candidate is Stefon Diggs. I don’t see that happening this year due to the $9 million in dead money that the Vikings would have against this year’s cap with only $4.5 million in cap savings. In 2021, things could be different when the Vikings would save $9 million against the cap by trading Diggs but they would need to have an adequate replacement for the talented receiver.
Diggs, who seems to enjoy creating controversy, has removed all Vikings references from his Instagram account again sparking the trade chatter. But Spielman and Zimmer probably are not worrying too much about Diggs’ social media presence.
Stay tuned. There’s going to be lots of salary cap and contract maneuvering going on with the Vikings and other NFL teams leading up to the start of the 2020 league year and then on into free agency so Griffen’s move to void his contract is just the start.
Around the NFL Observations:
1.The big NFL news this week involved Drew Brees’ announcement that he will return to New Orleans for his 20th NFL season. Like the Vikings, the Saints have little cap room (a reported $9.3 million) so they also have challenging times ahead to get Brees signed along with their other needed signings. The return of the future Hall of Famer almost certainly means that former Viking Teddy Bridgewater—a free agent-to-be—will be moving on to a new team and there should be plenty of suitors after he went 5-0 last season as the starter when Brees was out with a thumb injury.
Also interesting is Taysom Hill’s situation. He is a restricted free agent who will be tendered by New Orleans—likely at a first round level—and should move up to the No. 2 QB spot, continuing his role as one of the NFL’s most versatile players. The last time we saw Hill in action was in the Saints’ wild card loss to the Vikings. He was a force that day, completing a 50 yard pass, rushing four times for 50 yards as a wildcat QB and fullback and he caught a 20 yard touchdown pass as a slot receiver. Hill also played 27 snaps on special teams, making one tackle in kick coverage.
2. The NFL offseason—a misnomer if there ever was one—kicks into high gear with the NFL Combine next week along with the start of the franchise/transition tag period. I caught up this week with former Gophers star receiver Tyler Johnson and will describe in next week’s column how he has been preparing for the Combine, his upcoming Pro Day at Minnesota in late March and the April draft.