Purple_Pain

Rookie Salaries 2020

$8,278,068 is required by the Vikings for the ten 2020 rookies at current draft positions. $2,468,682 goes to pick #25, $975,791 goes the the second round, pick #58 for the Vikings. Each of the three 7th round picks get $532K. We currently have ten total picks.

Spreading out the signing bonus to back end load helps lower the cap hit this year. The Rhodes and Griffen numbers check out, so the difference is between $5.8M and $6.5M in cap space with the above releases. According to Sportrac.com, the current cap space is only $736,556, instead of $1,379,736 from Overthecap.com. I like the numbers from OTC better, hoping they are correct. We are closer to making it work, perhaps releasing Reiff if you feel Vaitail is a good replacement will resolve many issues.

I still think Cousins needs to give a somewhat team friendly deal, or we will continue to be in salary cap purgatory.

It depends on who we release and perhaps resign. Right now, even if we release Griffen (gone), Rhodes, and Joseph, and re-sign Anthony Harris for ~$13.5M/yr, we don’t have enough money to sign all 10 of the 2020 rookies. Those moves will give us $5.8M in salary cap space, but we need $8.3M to sign the (10) 2020 rookies, $2.5M for pick #25 alone. Not enough money if they keep pick #25 and the rest.

If we sign Waynes or Mac instead, for $8.5M/year, and let Ant walk, (giving $10.8M in cap space) then we can pay all of the 2020 draft picks. Or if we release Reiff too, as Mark proposes, we would be able to sign the 2020 draft picks. But I’d really want to work to keep Ant. Harris, although I have a bad feeling that they will let him walk and go the cheaper route.

I changed my mind about him as our pick at #25. He would be a great pick at DE in round 1. I wasn’t aware that a good amount of his time at Penn State was spent at other positions like DT too. I hope we do find enough money to sign a first round pick, instead of trading back.

Waynes, Mac Alexander, Anthony Harris, and Jayron Kearse are all free agents, I suspect we keep only one, hoping it’s Ant.

Reiff is the big question. If we keep him, our biggest need by far is at CB. If we release him, we lose $4.4M in dead cap money but save $8.9M in cap space, we may have enough to keep Mac or Waynes, or perhaps get a FA. We will still have to restructure contracts though, especially Barr’s. If released, OT will be the big need too.

Dead cap is $12.4M including Griffen. It’s a lot of money to give away for all those players doing nothing in a Vikings uniform this year. The cap savings is significant, $27.38M, even more if you count Griffen’s salary, which has since been deleted in Sportrac. Gross-Matos is a DE, I got that too.

I suppose the only thing that is different in your scenario, is that cutting Reiff gives us an extra $8.8M this year, to perhaps sign the FAs and all the 2020 rookies. Then I can see taking Gross-Matos, at pick #25, around where he is valued and now we can afford him. I will be hoping for someone to slip, as it seems someone always does, to get a huge value pick. In your first draft, if Vaitai can take over for Reiff, I’m good with that!

Maybe there is hope, more than I thought. I feel we need higher priority on CB in the draft though. Cutting Reiff is pretty bold. That’s a total of $12.4M in dead money we are giving away (including Griffen). However, this is the year we should accumulate future draft choices (to save cap space this year), instead of giving up a future 2nd rounder. Not counting the fact that RS or Zimm may be on the bubble, which is why it could happen.
Gross-Matos in scenario 1 and Duvernay in scenario 2 are really good picks. However, I feel if the BPA at our #25 pick is Gross-Matos, we will most likely trade back into the second round, and grab the BPA (hopefully a CB and/or DE) in round 2. Getting Shelton in FA deters the need for a DL in the draft.
I also think that with the WR depth in this draft, we can wait until late round 4 or later to grab a WR, even though I like Bowden. I would look for OL help at that spot or earlier. Thanks for showing me there may be a way to make it work. Not that it will happen with the front office, but that there is a way out of salary cap hell.

Our needs and priorities become CB, DT and DE, and then OT/OG. That’s just the numbers as I see it.

With the depth at WR in this year’s draft, we can wait until the fourth round or later to nab a WR or two.

Intriguing prospect, possibly a hidden gem. Only 5’10", 4.48 sec. 40. 106 receptions, 1,386 yards, 9 TDs. A raw prospect, RB build, and limited route tree knowledge. Good kick returner also. Look for him in the late rounds. #42 in WalterFootball.com

I haven’t watched his tape yet, but his numbers stand out. If he’s got good hands and is willing to work on his routes, he could be really good for a 6th or 7th rounder. I expect he will move up the boards after the combine though. Not sure why he is rated so low, but the WR class is extremely deep this year. No rush to get one in this year’s draft, imo.

I like Cephus Quintez as a later round WR too. He does have good hands! #22 in WalterFootball.com

That’s just the numbers talking. I’d hope to keep Harris, but I suspect it will have to be Mac. We may get some money for free agency then, but they need $8.3M just to sign the rookies at the draft slots in 2020. What a salary cap mess! Barr and Harrison Smith should be restructured if possible.

I now feel that Mac Alexander (or Trae Waynes, if either take that salary) will be signed for around ~$8-9M/year, and Anthony Harris will walk. This will give us enough money to sign all of the rookies ($11.3M), Currently we need $8.3M to sign the 2020 rookies at the current draft positions.

The drastic option is that Harrison Smith is released (favorable dead money), and then we sign Anthony Harris with Mac. Perhaps even find a player in free agency. This should not happen, but there is a chance.

The more likely option is that Harrison Smith will be asked to restructure his contract, if they try to keep Anthony Harris. Barr is also a candidate for restructure, so let’s hope both restructures happen and we keep the really good younger players.

I do not think we are able to play in free agency at all. No money!

I am curious as to who is your BPA in the following list of players at this time?? (Assume these are our best choices, unless you have a sleeper).

Chaisson, Epenesa, Fulton, Henderson, Diggs, Kinlaw, Wills, Becton, Thomas, or Wirfs??

In my opinion, if any of these were available, I would feel fortunate for the Vikings. If not, the overwhelming best option is to move down unless we can create more salary cap space this year than I have.

It will be a poor reflection on the front office. Unless he commands more than $14M/year, he should be the highest re-signing priority.

If they choose to re-sign a CB instead, either Waynes or Alexander, that is the cheap and easy way out. However it may mean that RS is over his head and proves the Cousins experiment has failed… As a result, we lose a good football player in Harris!

is guaranteed $4.8M in 2020 from the Vikings. He won’t play for less than his guaranteed money. He can easily go to another team, get $4M this year from them, and still make a total of $8.8M this year.

I’m not sure how he made the Pro Bowl. Some teams may need experience. It will be difficult to get anything… Smart ass questions are relevant.

If that’s even possible… We may not get a good return however.

It is nice to be able to pick players without regard to salaries. This year however, we can’t even afford a high first round draft pick, we would need to get rid of more players than I suggested above. Or better, trade for future draft choices, but RS and Zim are in a contract year, so they will not do it. We are strapped for cash! The 9th pick in the 2020 draft will cost us $4.2M, eating up most of the $5.8M I’ve tried to save above.

Patrick Queen is a good player, but does not fill a need for the Vikings, especially after signing Barr to that huge deal. Unfortunately, this would not be a wise choice in my opinion, considering all of the other dire needs.

I agree, BPA in most situations, especially in the first round.

Griffen is a free agent. Rhodes and Joseph are next to be released.

I was pounding the table for Aaron Rodgers, and we passed on him twice in the first round. I think we had Daunte Culpepper, and we made horrible draft selections, Erasmus James and Troy Williamson.
I pounded the table for Russell Wilson, and we passed on him for three rounds. I could go on…

I am in favor of selecting the BPA in round 1, and ideally it fills a need too. Jeffrey Simmons may have been BPA last year at our pick, but looking forward he was going to fill a need this year. Dillard filled an immediate need however, and either Reiff or Dillard would slide to LG. In the second round, I strongly feel that McCoy would have been available at center, fixing our OL. The choice between Dillard and Simmons is a tough call in my mind, but a moot point since RS went the other way.

So not knowing if one of the top safeties will be available at our pick #25, it is a bigger gamble to let Harris walk in my opinion. I guess what I’m saying is that I generally favor BPA in most circumstances. Perhaps this year I see multiple dire needs, so more emphasis has to be given to position, and it is a calculated gamble that the BPA may match with one of our top needs. Also considering that this draft is very strong in WR, it is not as imperative to grab one early, even if Lamb or Jeudy is available at #25. If we do sign the cheaper CB option this year and let Harris walk, then a top safety could be in play.

If we did take BPA irregardless of position (WR, QB, S, or LB) this year, to me it is suggesting that we build for 2021 and forego 2020. I wanted Moss that year, and we got him, but we didn’t have as many glaring holes. Like you, I wanted Jeffrey Simmons last year, even though we had Joseph, but he was an overwhelming BPA over the next best, aside from Dillard, who filled a need. This year it is likely that BPA will match one of our biggest needs (CB, DE, DT, OL), so I call it fortuitous.

However I’m still in discovery mode about our salary cap and money needed to sign all of the draft choices, I think we may be forced to move out of the first round if we do sign Harris. If we sign one of the CBs instead for ~$8M, and let Harris walk (ugh!!) then we could possibly retain our first round pick. RS has tendency to trade back, and this year it seems more a necessity due to salary cap.

At present, the Vikings have 10 picks, which will require $8,278,068 to pay the rookies in 2020 according to overthecap.com. In round 1, it will cost $2,468,682 for pick #25. They will have to move down into round 2, and hopefully acquire future draft choices in this year’s draft to be able to afford all of the rookies. They can’t even easily afford their first round pick, unless they trade down for a bunch of 7th round picks! Oh, I get it now! Did I say that I hate this strategy!

Overthecap.com Rookie salary scale

A Canton bust. Super Bowl or bust. A first round bust. Busted by the cops. And I could keep going, but that may get me in trouble…

That would be an extremely good fortune to get a good starting CB after the second round in this years draft. But there are a lot of quality WRs into the fourth and later rounds.

There may be good IOLs available in the mid rounds. CBs, DEs, and DTs are more scarce too in the later rounds, unless we can find a hidden gem. Maybe a safety in the later rounds too, but it took the Vikings at least three years to develop Anthony Harris into the player he is.

The SB for the Vikings this coming year will be challenging, more so than this year.