In the midst of a turnover-ridden offseason, Minnesota kept a useful player for its defense: linebacker Eric Wilson. That said, I don’t even think the Vikings knew just how helpful Wilson would turn out to be.
Linebacker Anthony Barr went down with a season ending injury. Linebacker Eric Kendricks has missed the last four games. With those two gone, Wilson has arguably been the team’s best linebacker. With Barr gone and Kendricks in the lineup, Wilson would shine on the Minnesota defense at times.
Wilson has three interceptions, eight passes defended, three sacks and nine QB hits this season. His PFF grade of 51.4 isn’t the best, though.
So, what should the Vikings do this offseason? Wilson’s contract runs out this March, and I think it’s safe to say he will command a bigger salary than the one he got this year: just over $3.2 million for 2020, per Over The Cap.
Over The Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald thinks it could be a lot more than that. He told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press that Wilson’s value is at $9 million or $10 million a year.
Barr is set to make $12.3 million in 2021, via Over The Cap. If the Vikings want to pay Wilson $9 million or $10 million a year, that is an awful lot of money to allocate to the linebacker position.
It’s also money the Vikings don’t have for 2021 at the moment. With rookies and other key players that need to be signed, Minnesota would have to move some players around.
It seems like Minnesota has a decision to make in that case: Does the team want to keep Barr or re-sign Wilson? The Vikings are gearing up for another offseason of key personnel decisions. The ones they make for the linebacker spots will be important.