The Minnesota Vikings have been in a state of flux when it comes to the salary cap. They started the offseason $15 million over the cap limit and had some work to do in regards to trimming that number down.
The first move they made was giving quarterback Kirk Cousins a one-year extension, which gave the team $14 million of cap relief. They also maneuvered by restructuring the contracts of safety Harrison Smith and wideout Adam Thielen.
However, the biggest elephant in the room was edge rusher Danielle Hunter.
Due an $18 million roster bonus on the fifth day of the league year, Hunter is set to have a 2022 cap charge of $25.83 million, per Over The Cap. The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling reported on Saturday that the Vikings still have some flexibility regarding the roster bonus.
A couple things to know about Danielle Hunter’s $18M roster bonus:
—While it becomes guaranteed this weekend, he still has to report to training camp on time to earn it.
—First $6M paid w/in 10 days of camp report date.
—Vikings still have right to convert it to SB at any time
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) March 19, 2022
The key verbiage here is that the roster bonus becomes fully guaranteed this weekend but isn’t paid out right away.
Why does this matter? Per another tweet from Goessling later in the thread, he goes into detail about the bonus itself being more flexible.
I believe so. Here’s the wording: “Player and Club agree that during the duration of this Contract, Club shall have the right, but not the obligation, to convert any portion of Player’s 2022 roster bonus into signing bonus.”
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) March 19, 2022
The Vikings, who currently sit in the neighborhood of $9 million under the cap, still have their draft class to sign, which will cost them upwards of $7 million with numerous holes to fill on both sides of the ball.
They could very well sit on Hunter’s roster bonus and take the cap hit this year to give them more flexibility down the line. The cap hit for next season in this scenario would be $8.62 million, per Over The Cap. At any time, they can still create up to $13.5 million in cap room by converting all $18 million into a signing bonus.
The argument against making such a move is that it limits the flexibility the Vikings have moving forward. As of now, Hunter has two void years on his current contract. The more money you push down the line, the harder it will be to keep and acquire talent.
One element from Goessling’s tweet is how the bonus itself is structured. Hunter still has to report to training camp on time to earn it, and $6 million of it is due within 10 days of his camp report date.
This will be a really big decision for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the front office. Even if the roster bonus fully guarantees, it doesn’t mean that a trade is off the table, as it can be very easily maneuvered and manipulated to accommodate nearly any scenario.
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