Riley Reiff Staying With Vikings on Restructured Contract
Riley Reiff isn't going anywhere.
The Vikings have finalized a restructured contract with their starting left tackle that will keep him in Minnesota for at least the 2020 season, according to multiple reports. This is a somewhat surprising end to a saga that played out over the past couple days, as everything was pointing to Reiff being released by the team.
Details of the renegotiated deal aren't yet known, but it will come with a significant pay cut. Reiff's original 2020 cap hit of $13.2 million was second-highest on the team and paid him like a top-15 tackle in the league, even though he has been just average to slightly above-average on the field.
After trading for star pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue this weekend and committing virtually all of their remaining cap space to him on a one-year deal, the Vikings needed to free up some room to operate. So they approached Reiff and essentially told him he could either take a significant pay cut to stay in Minnesota, or refuse the pay cut and be released.
On Monday, ProFootballTalk reported that Reiff told teammates he was expecting to be released, meaning he had chosen not to accept the pay cut. Reiff apparently said an emotional goodbye to his fellow offensive linemen, and multiple coaches and players spoke about him on Tuesday morning as if he was heading out the door.
Reiff's agent called several teams to explore a potential trade, but no one wanted to take on the $11 million in base salary he was set to make on his former contract. He could've chosen to decline the pay cut and hit the open market, but it's unclear how much he would've received from another team this late in the offseason. That also would've come with a move and the need to get familiar with a new situation with less than two weeks remaining before the season starts.
In the end, Reiff and his camp decided to accept the pay cut to stay in Minnesota. According to Adam Schefter, "wanted to remain with OC Gary Kubiak, OL coach Rick Dennison and assistant O-line coach Phil Rauscher."
This is great news for the Vikings, who would've been in a tough spot if they had been forced to cut Reiff for cap savings. Now they can keep stud right tackle Brian O'Neill at that spot instead of moving him over to the left side, and they retain their solid starting LT at a more reasonable price.
With the extra cap room created by Reiff's pay cut, the Vikings have a few options. They could try to resume negotiations with Dalvin Cook's agent about a contract extension; talks broke off in recent weeks due to the two sides reaching an impasse. They could potentially look to add another veteran in free agency. They could also save the money to roll over to the 2021 offseason, when Ngakoue, Cook, and safety Anthony Harris will all be set to hit free agency.
This is a big-time win for Rick Spielman, Rob Brzezinski, and the Vikings' front office. It was a risky move to call Reiff's bluff, but it worked out and their offensive line remains intact.
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