Contract details for Vikings WR Jauan Jennings have been revealed, and it says everything about Minnesota’s intentions
The contract details for Jauan Jennings have been revealed, and it says a lot about the Minnesota Vikings’ intentions.
When the Minnesota Vikings signed Jauan Jennings as a free agent, it filled one of the biggest holes on the roster in WR3. Jennings brought something to the Vikings that they desperately needed: versatility in the wide receiver room.
Standing a 6-3 and 212 pounds, Jennings gives the Vikings a much-needed size and physicality profile. With Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison on the roster, they don’t have a major physical presence, nor are they excellent blockers. Jennings will give them that aspect and then some.
Jauan Jennings contract details revealed
We knew that the Vikings signed Jennings to a one-year contract worth $8 million, with a max value of $13 million. That in itself was both a sizable contract and also a steal, as Jennings is the 43rd highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.
Over The Cap has dropped his contract details, and it showcases a lot of interesting elements.
Some interesting details here:
- Base salary: $1.63 million (fully guaranteed)
- Signing bonus: $4.5 million (fully guaranteed)
- Other bonus: $1.75 million
- Per game roster bonus: $1.875 million
- Salary cap hit: 9.53 million
- Likely to be earned incentives: $1.53 million
- Not likely to be earned incentives: $3.47 million
One of the big things here is the difference in how the incentives are broken down. If the incentive is likely to be earned, it hits the salary cap. The difference between the two of them are simple.
Likely to be earned are those that were accomplished the prior season. For example, if they played all 17 games, the per-game roster bonuses would hit the salary cap. However, if they played just 10 games, then 10/17ths of said bonuses will hit the salary cap immediately, with the other 7/17ths not hitting until they are earned. If those likely to be earned bonuses aren’t earned during the season, they will be credited on the following season’s salary cap.
The fact that Jennings has his entire contract hit the salary cap this year instead of adding void years to spread out the cap hit. With how the salary cap is going up every year and the Vikings having limited cap space this year, spreading contracts out is essentially an interest-free loan. Not doing it sends a signal that the Vikings likely see this as a one-year mercenary signing. That is fine, but it ‘s a signal about hte long-term viability of Jennings in Minnesota.
As things currently sit, the Vikings have $2.93 million in salary cap space, and will get $12.3 million on June 2nd.