Analyzing Kirk Cousins' restructure, Garrett Bradbury's return and the Byron Murphy signing
You might need a law degree and Master’s degree in math to fully understand how the NFL salary cap works but we can normally figure out the bottom line. In the case of Kirk Cousins’s contract restructure on Tuesday, however, there’s still some fogginess about where the arrow is pointing for his future.
The immediate read of the the Minnesota Vikings moving $16 million of Cousins’s current cap hit into void years is that it was one of the team’s only options to create cap space without signing him to a long-term deal. The restructure comes with severe implications in the form of a $28.5 million cap hit in 2024 if they do not sign him to a long-term extension and he leaves in free agency next year. There are also now two additional void years that carry cap penalties.
If they do sign him to a long-term deal, it would not make void years go poof, it would instead allow the Vikings to spread out the dead cap hits over the length of an extension. As always, the bill comes due no matter what happens next but the form of the bill can be controlled.
The fundamental question is whether this restructure makes an eventual extension more or less likely. If you judge by the recent reports that the two sides aren’t close to a long-term deal or the lack of commitment from the brass or owner Mark Wilf in an NFL Network interview, you might guess that there is no extension coming and the restructure was — in their view — the best way to become cap compliant and open the door to further signings in the opening days of free agency.
Still, a restructure buys them time if both sides do want a long-term commitment. They can spend in free agency now and then work on an extension throughout the summer.
One thing the restructure takes off the table is a trade. It would now come along with a $38 million cap hit for the Vikings in 2023. Not that there was ever buzz about Lamar Jackson and the Vikings but the restructure does end any chance of that happening.
Here’s how the complete structure looks, per OverTheCap.com:
The restructure doesn’t fundamentally change the path that the Vikings seemed to be on anyway: The Competitive Rebuild. Letting veteran players go in free agency and signing a buy-low options like Marcus Davenport. The fact that they haven’t harmed their 2024 cap situation further suggests more of a future approach than previous offseasons.
That doesn’t mean they will have massive cap flexibility next year. While they have a projected $97 million for ‘24 per OverTheCap.com, that’s only with 26 players under contract and if Cousins leaves there is still another QB contract (even if it’s a rookie deal) to get added onto the $28.5 million in dead cap space, meaning they’ll still be locked into huge dollars at the QB position. These are the types of plays that teams with legendary QBs like Drew Brees and Tom Brady were known for making during “Last Dance” type situations. It’s hard to put the current Vikings in the same category.
Garrett Bradbury returns
After the first run of offensive line signings, it seemed that center Garrett Bradbury might get priced out of the Vikings’ range similarly to Dalvin Tomlinson with defensive tackles. But two other centers Ethan Pocic and Bradley Bozeman signed with their teams for reasonable numbers, which may have played a role in Bradbury coming back and an extremely manageable three years, $15.75 million.
The 2019 first-round pick took an uneven route to his extension. He was briefly benched in 2021 for backup Mason Cole and struggled at the outset of 2022 training camp, leading head coach Kevin O’Connell to acknowledge early in camp that there was competition for the starting spot. When Bradbury got the hang of his new offensive system, he thrived, putting together his best NFL season by a country mile.
By PFF standards Bradbury ranked as the 10th best overall center in the NFL. More importantly, he scored as an above average pass blocker for the first time in his career.
A multi-year deal allows the Vikings to have continuity at a high-difficulty mental position and opens the door for continued growth from Bradbury. Offensive linemen historically take longer to develop and stay good longer than other positions. The one concern might be a back injury suffered at the end of last season but the Vikings would know best about his long-term health outlook.
Cornerback Byron Murphy signs
Following the exit of Patrick Peterson, the Vikings needed to dip their toe in the cornerback market. The first day was filled with big-money signings that out-priced the Vikings but Day 2 opened the door for free agents looking for a landing spot at a more reasonable dollar figure. The Vikings grabbed 25-year-old DB Byron Murphy on a two-year, $22 million contract. He’s the third player they have signed that has potential upside from what he has already produced and plenty of years left in his prime to improve.
Over the last three years, Murphy has split time between the slot and outside and graded by PFF around average. He ranked 43rd of 75 corners in coverage grade and 59th in QB rating allowed on throws into his coverage. But he was ninth in yards per reception allowed.
While his coverage statistics are flawed, those numbers can be tricky when trying to evaluate defensive backs. They don’t include throws that didn’t go toward a corner and can’t factor scheme fit. In Murphy the Vikings are looking for a player who was drafted 33rd overall in 2019 to maximize his talent under defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Like Marcus Davenport, the signing takes a swing at finding a gem for a reasonable price who could ultimately end up playing a long-term role on the team if things work out. If he doesn’t fit, the losses are minimal.
Vikings bring back Greg Joseph and long snapper Andrew DePaola
The Vikings are taking a bit of a leap of faith in bringing back kicker Greg Joseph on a one-year deal. Last year he ranked 29th in field goal percentage (min. 10 attempts) and third-to-last in extra point percentage. Joseph did finish the season strong, particularly with a game-winning 61-yard field goal to beat the Giants but he shouldn’t go uncontested in training camp/preseason.
Pro Bowl long snapper Andrew DePaola also inked a a three-year, $4.025 million deal that includes $2.265 million guaranteed. It had to be quite the day for him. In 2018 he tore his ACL in Week 1 and didn’t play again until 2020 when the Vikings picked him up. Now he’s locked in as a key part of the special teams unit.
What’s next?
We expected movement on Tuesday regarding Za’Darius Smith, Harrison Smith and Dalvin Cook but nothing happened. NFL Network reported after the Marcus Davenport signing that Za’Darius would likely be cut. It’s plausible the Vikings spent Tuesday looking for trade suitors or trying to convince him to stay on a different contract. Cook tweeted out a highlight reel, whatever that means. There has been talk for days that he could be traded, so the team might be running both decisions to the last minute. Harrison will either have to do something to his contract or be released. We should know by the middle of the day Wednesday. The Vikings have to be cap compliant by 3 p.m. CT.
