The new regime for the Minnesota Vikings has some big contract decisions lying on the horizon, and one of them includes the bloated contract of standout linebacker Eric Kendricks.
NFL Network’s analytics expert Cynthia Frelund did some number-crunching regarding marquee players in the NFC that would be candidates for either a contract restructuring or an outright release. It wasn’t surprising to see Kendricks’ name on that list considering he is projected to count $13.5 million against the salary cap in 2022.
“Next Gen Stats and I both agree he’s a valuable piece,” Frelund wrote on Kendricks, via NFL.com. “In fact, he is one of just four players (along with Bobby Wagner, Lavonte David and Demario Davis) who eclipses 40 QB pressures and 350 defensive stops in the NGS era, going back to 2016. But his cap hit is robust, ranking eighth among all off-ball linebackers, and the new guys might look to reallocate some of those funds.”
The top priority for Vikings newly-hired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would likely be a restructuring of some kind and keeping an impact player like Kendricks on the roster, especially with four-time Pro Bowler Anthony Barr and Nick Vigil already slated to be unrestricted free agents.
Minnesota’s defensive backfield could already look drastically different than it did last season, and if the team moves on from Kendricks, the same could be said about their linebacker position.
But moves obviously have to be made for a team that’s already projected as $16 million over the cap. No one said it would be easy.
