The Giants were able to retain Leonard Williams via franchise tag, but were unable to retain fellow defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson in free agency.
According to multiple reports – many retweeted by Tomlinson’s agency, SportsTrust advisors – the defensive tackle has agreed to a two-year, $22 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings. Details courtesy of NFL insider and frequent WFAN guest Ian Rapoport:
Per the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the way the Vikings allocated his money – the $15 million signing bonus plus base salaries of $1 million in 2021 and $6 million in 2022 – give Tomlinson a cap hit of just $8.5 million this year, and $13.5 million next.
Tomlinson, 27, had 49 tackles (including 8 for loss), 3.5 sacks, 15 pressures, and 10 QB hits last season. He also led the team with four batted passes at the line of scrimmage, and according to NextGen Stats and Pro Football Focus, his 5.1 percent run stuff rate was third among interior linemen, and he ended up with a 74.6 pass rush grade and 75.1 overall PFF grade.
Originally a second-round pick out of Alabama in 2017, Tomlinson has not missed a game in his four-year career, and has 207 career tackles and eight sacks. He will further bolster a Vikings line that underperformed last year after losing Danielle Hunter to injury and top 2020 free agency signing Michael Pierce, who opted out due to COVID-19 concerns.
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