Eric Kendricks' Release Might Just Be the Start of a Vikings Veteran Purge
The Vikings released linebacker Eric Kendricks on Monday after eight seasons with the team, and that might just be the beginning. It's possible that cutting Kendricks — a team captain and former All-Pro — could be the start of a purge of beloved veterans this month.
Releasing Kendricks freed up $9.5 million in salary cap space, but the Vikings have a lot more work to do on that front. They remain roughly $15 million over the cap and need to get well under it to add free agents later this month. Cap space can be created via restructured contracts or extensions, but in Kendricks' case, the Vikings decided it was time to move on. That could be a sign of things to come.
Moving on from players isn't just about creating salary cap space. It can also be about reacting to (or predicting) a decline in production, freeing up snaps for young players, and recognizing when a veteran might not be a great fit for a specific role at a specific cost. In his second offseason as the Vikings' general manager, we may see Kwesi Adofo-Mensah put more of his stamp on the team's roster by making some difficult decisions this month.
Kendricks was the first domino to fall. Who could be next?
Adam Thielen is a big one. The hometown hero turns 33 in August and has the Vikings' highest non-Kirk Cousins cap hit at just shy of $20 million. Last month, Thielen said that his representation and the team were working through some things with his contract. If he remains with the Vikings this year, one imagines a pay cut would be involved. Otherwise, it's not difficult to envision the team moving on. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says "it wouldn't surprise if talks resulted in a fresh start (elsewhere)" for Thielen.
Thielen's contract, as currently constructed, is tricky. If he were to be traded or cut, the Vikings would eat $13.5 million in dead money with just $6.4 million in cap savings. However, designating his release as post-June 1 would flip essentially those numbers around. Thielen reportedly wants a bigger role in the Vikings' offense, and although Kevin O'Connell has praised the veteran wideout, Minnesota may want to get younger and faster at the WR2 position opposite Justin Jefferson. Thielen's base salary for 2023 becomes fully guaranteed on March 17th.
Dalvin Cook is another longtime member of the Vikings' offensive core whose future is uncertain. Reports have indicated that he is unlikely to accept a pay cut. Cook has a $14.1 million cap hit in 2023 and is under contract for two more years after that; his contract is another tough one where a trade or a pre-June 1 cut would come with significant dead money. Still, Cook is coming off a career-worst season by various advanced metrics and turns 28 this year. It'll be interesting to see what Adofo-Mensah does at the running back position, where Alexander Mattison is a free agent and young players Ty Chandler and Kene Nwangwu could be ready for expanded roles. Keep an eye on fullback C.J. Ham, too, after he was rarely used in O'Connell's first season.
Defensively, there are several veterans who could join Kendricks as cap casualties, especially with the team changing schemes again under new coordinator Brian Flores. Fellow starting linebacker Jordan Hicks could be one of them. Releasing Hicks would create another $5 million in cap space with just $1.5 million in dead money. It would also create a hole at the other linebacker spot next to Asamoah that would need to be filled.
Harrison Smith, the Vikings' longest-tenured player, is another one to watch. The 34-year-old safety has a $19.1 million 2023 cap hit on a contract that runs through the 2025 season. The Vikings could look to restructure Smith's deal or completely move on from one of the team's all-time greats. Keeping him around could make sense with Flores in town; Smith's versatility figures to be more of an asset in Flores' defense than it was when he was playing deep all the time under Ed Donatell. Fowler agrees, writing "the sense here is Smith stays on, even if it's at a reworked salary."
Releasing edge rusher Za'Darius Smith would clear over $12 million in cap space without much dead money, but would that make the Vikings a better team in 2023? He has a very affordable contract for a pass rusher who finished among the league leaders in pressures in his first year in Minnesota, even as his production was slowed by a knee injury in the second half of the season. The Vikings also have to address Danielle Hunter's future, as he's set to enter the final year of his contract, which factors into the Za'Darius Smith decision.
The Vikings' offseason is about to heat up. Kendricks' release might have just been the start of what could be a whirlwind period of change.
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