The Vikings, in the midst of a cash-strapped 2021 offseason, have found creative ways of maneuvering in free agency while remaining under the cap.
That has led to some good deals being on the books, but there are still some bad contracts that the Vikings can’t really get out of at the moment. PFF’s Brad Spielberger assessed both.
An interesting point: Spielberger’s favorite and least favorite Vikings contracts were both reworked this offseason.
Spielberger tabbed Anthony Barr as Minnesota’s worst contract. He wrote:
“Barr had reportedly agreed to terms with the New York Jets on a free-agent deal in the 2019 offseason, but just before the ink had dried, the Vikings swooped in at the eleventh hour to bring him back to Minnesota. They certainly regret that decision in hindsight and have now cut his deal short to get out from under it sooner.”
Spielberger still thinks Barr is still on a bad contract despite the revision, but he tabbed Danielle Hunter’s new deal as Minnesota’s best value. He wrote:
“The roster bonus will effectively serve as a trigger date (read: ultimatum) for Minnesota to either give Hunter a new long-term extension or let him test free agency. Even following this update, Hunter’s deal is still an incredible value, and the restructuring of his salary into a bonus appears to have enabled Minnesota to sign Sheldon Richardson in the process.”
Minnesota stands to benefit a lot from both of these deals. Now, the team still has cap space remaining, meaning it could extend another player or maybe even sign a free agent.