Michael Pierce, Tajae Sharpe, and Anthony Zettel Officially Sign Contracts
The Vikings' three recent free agent signings – nose tackle Michael Pierce, wide receiver Tajae Sharpe, and defensive end Anthony Zettel – all officially signed their new contracts on Thursday.
Pierce remains the Vikings' one high-priced pickup of the offseason thus far. The former Ravens nose tackle was signed to replace Linval Joseph as a dominant run-stopper who can command double teams in the middle of the defensive line. His presence should allow Eric Kendricks to continue to make plays at an elite level, and he's already become a fan favorite on social media. If defensive line coaches Andre Patterson and Imarjaye Albury can help Pierce improve as a pass-rusher, he could become even more valuable.
Read: Three Takeaways From The Vikings' Acquisition of Michael Pierce
Pierce's contract is worth $27 million over three years, with $18 million guaranteed and up to $1 million in incentives. He has a cap hit of $5.1 million in 2020, $10.5 million in 2021, and $11.4 million in 2022.
Following the Stefon Diggs trade, the Vikings didn't make a huge splash at wide receiver by signing someone like Emmanuel Sanders, Robby Anderson, or Breshad Perriman. But they did find a solid low-cost option in former Titans receiver Tajae Sharpe. The 6-foot-2 Sharpe has good size, route-running ability, and hands. He has 47 games of NFL experience and will compete with Bisi Johnson, Chad Beebe, and rookies for playing time alongside Adam Thielen.
Read: Assessing the Vikings' Receiver Group After Adding Tajae Sharpe
Sharpe's one-year deal with the Vikings is worth $1 million, with $675,000 guaranteed and up to $500,000 in playing time incentives.
The Vikings also added depth to their defensive end room by bringing in veteran pass-rusher Anthony Zettel. Zettel recorded 6.5 sacks as a productive starter for the Lions in 2017, but has bounced around several franchises without much success since then. He'll have a chance to compete for snaps in Minnesota, given that Everson Griffen and Stephen Weatherly departed this offseason.
The details of Zettel's contract have not yet been made available.
Signing a contract may seem like a formality, but it's an important step; it was reported on Thursday that cornerback Darqueze Dennard would no longer be signing with the Jaguars as planned.
Pierce, Sharpe, and Zettel are officially members of the Minnesota Vikings. Now we wait and see if anyone else will be joining them in the coming weeks leading into the NFL draft.
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