The Minnesota Vikings are leaving no stone unturned to stay under the salary cap. With the re-signing of offensive lineman Olisaemeka Udoh to a one-year deal, they are employing a rarely used exemption that will lower his cap number for 2023.
This type of deal, known as four-year qualifying contract, is a way to reward teams for developing players. To be eligible, a player must have been on a 90-man roster with a single team for four or more years. It is essentially a qualifying offer like those used with restricted free agents or exclusive rights free agents.
Oli Udoh’s deal with the #Vikings is a four-year qualifying option contract, which pays him $2.5825 million for 2023 while counting for just $1.2325M against the cap.
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) March 24, 2023
The contract allows the Vikings to pay Udoh a base salary of $2.43 million with only $1.08 million counting against the salary cap. Add in his signing bonus and Udoh will count only $1,232,500 this season against the cap.
Udoh’s situation is very similar to what the Vikings did with offensive tackle Rashod Hill for a couple of years. Udoh is a versatile player who can do a lot for the Vikings, which is what they need from their sixth offensive lineman.