Vikings defensive tackle Linval Joseph has shown glimpses of promise for the team, but with the way the salary cap situation is playing out at the moment, no player with a cut friendly contract is safe.
Joseph’s contract results in the Vikings saving over $10.4 million and creates $2.4 million in dead money in the first year, per Over The Cap. That’s a lot of money saved for a team that is considering re-signing talents like Everson Griffen, Anthony Harris, Mackensie Alexander and Trae Waynes. If Minnesota wants to sign even one of those guys, especially Harris, Joseph is a candidate that either has to restructure or leave, as hard as that would be.
I hope he restructures. He had three sacks, a forced fumble and 26 total tackles this season. Those numbers aren’t staggering, but he’s also a large defensive tackle, whose job it is to take up holes and command double teams, so sometimes that’s the way it goes, even if you’re doing things like getting pressure or the defensive as a unit is having success.
That said, Joseph’s numbers don’t necessarily stand out, and unfortunately for him the later years of his contract have no guaranteed money. It seems as though the Vikings will be able to restructure, signing him for much cheaper, or he will have to find a team in desperate need of a defensive tackle.