Vikings to Release Nose Tackle Michael Pierce After Signing Harrison Phillips

Pierce was the Vikings' big free agent pickup in 2020 but played in just eight total games.

The Vikings are releasing nose tackle Michael Pierce, according to multiple reports. This news comes just hours after it was reported that they are signing defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, meaning Phillips is essentially replacing Pierce on the interior of Minnesota's defensive line.

According to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press, the Vikings asked Pierce to take a pay cut and he declined, leading to his release. This move creates over $6.2 million in cap space for the Vikings, although it comes with $4 million in dead money.

Pierce was Rick Spielman's big free agent pickup back in the 2020 offseason, signing a three-year, $27 million deal to replace Linval Joseph at nose tackle. The former Ravens standout was set to play a big role right away, but opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pierce, who has a history of asthma and dealt with a bad case of pneumonia earlier in his NFL career, was a high-risk opt-out.

Pierce's contract tolled for 2020, meaning the three-year deal was pushed back to start in 2021. He eventually revealed that seeing the way the NFL handled things during the 2020 season made him question his decision to opt out, but said he made the right choice based on the information available to him at the time.

When he finally made his Vikings debut, Pierce showed what the team had been missing without him, sacking Joe Burrow twice in the Week 1 overtime loss to the Bengals. However, he played just four games before tearing his tricep, which caused him to miss seven games. Pierce played at a very high level for four games after returning from the injury, but then missed the final two games of the year with a non-COVID illness.

In total, he played just 8 of 17 games in his first season on the Vikings' active roster. He was outstanding when available, but that unfortunately didn't happen as frequently as he would've liked.

Phillips, 26, is more than three years younger than Pierce, who turns 30 this year. He also has a bit of an injury history, but will be slightly cheaper than Pierce and is presumably someone the Vikings view as a long-term option at defensive tackle.

With Pierce gone, the Vikings will roll with Phillips, Dalvin Tomlinson, Armon Watts, and others at defensive tackle. They could potentially spend a middle-round pick at the position to add additional depth.

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