Inside The Vikings

Vikings Restructure Eric Kendricks' Deal to Make Room For Dalvin Cook Contract

This isn't a pay cut, the Vikings are just converting some base salary into signing bonus for Kendricks.
Will Ragatz|
Vikings Restructure Eric Kendricks' Deal to Make Room For Dalvin Cook Contract
Vikings Restructure Eric Kendricks' Deal to Make Room For Dalvin Cook Contract

The Vikings are restructuring linebacker Eric Kendricks' contract in order to create salary cap space for Dalvin Cook's new deal, according to Adam Schefter.

It's important to note that the word "restructure" here doesn't mean that Kendricks is getting less than he's owed. That word was used to describe the pay cut taken by left tackle Riley Reiff a couple weeks ago, but that was an entirely different situation. That was an underperforming player (at least relative to his contract) with no guaranteed money left on his deal who accepted a pay cut in order to avoid being released.

With Kendricks, the Vikings are simply converting $6 million in base salary into signing bonus money, a common tactic that allows teams to spread money across several years and lower the cap impact for the current season. Kendricks is a star player who the Vikings wouldn't ask to take any sort of pay cut. Still, it's an unselfish move by him to delay some of his earnings in order to accommodate an extension for an important teammate.

This is actually the second time Kendricks' contract has been slightly changed to create salary cap space. Last year, the Vikings did it to get first-round pick Garrett Bradbury under contract.

Vikings cap guru Rob Brzezinski has become a household name in Minnesota because of his ability to always make things work for a salary cap perspective, especially with moves like this one. Led by GM Rick Spielman, Brzezinski, and George Paton, the Vikings have one of the savviest front offices in the NFL.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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