Minnesota Vikings release All-Pro LB Eric Kendricks
The Vikings have to release one of their best players for cap purposes.
Coming into Monday, the Minnesota Vikings were a little more than $24.4 million over the salary cap, per Over The Cap. So, it was a matter of "when" and not "if" regarding potential cap cuts.
Sure enough, All-Pro veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks was released on Monday, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Kendricks was originally drafted by the Vikings in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, so this will be the first year in which he's playing for an NFL team that's not located in Minnesota.
Per Spotrac, Kendricks signed a five-year, $50 million deal with the Vikings in 2018. 2023 was the final year of his deal and he was going to count $11.430 million against the cap. That number included a $9.150 million base salary, which immediately comes off the books after the release.
Therefore, the Vikings will save all $9.150 million of Kendrick's base salary and he will count just $2.280 million against the salary cap. Based off OTC's numbers, that gets them to where they're just slightly more than $13 million over the cap.
Kendricks had a solid year in 2022. He racked up the second-most total tackles (137) and the most solo tackles (87), but he didn't make the splash plays the team and its fans are used to seeing.
Regardless, the All-Pro/Pro Bowler should have suitors, even if he did just turn 31-years-old.
