The Minnesota Vikings are going to move on from many fringe players this offseason, but some higher-profile players will likely be cap casualties as well. The first may be Michael Pierce.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the new front office will construct a team that reflects their new schemes and concepts. That’s why it’s going to be a tricky offseason. They inherit a team from Rick Spielman, who was dead set on backloading contracts over the next couple of seasons.
I don’t hold anything against Spielman. He was trying to go all out for a Super Bowl run with Mike Zimmer. But the old front office has put this team in quite a predicament. The Vikings are $16,040,779 over the cap at the moment. That means they can’t even pay rookies right now. So who will be the cap casualties?
Well, with (nearly) one fell swoop, the front office could alleviate most of the owed money over the cap by cutting Danielle Hunter. Blasphemous, but they would only be about $1.4 million over the cap if they cut him. That’s tempting. But based on what new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell has said about him, there’s little chance he’s not a part of the new defense next year.
Does that mean he’ll assuredly be on the team next season? No. But he’s an incredible player, and the Vikings can extend him to save money now. And that’s where the argument for cutting Pierce comes into play.
The Vikings would save $6.5 million if they cut Pierce, about 41% of the amount they are over the cap. That’s a massive savings from cutting one player who isn’t necessarily the perfect fit for the team going forward.
Pierce came to Minnesota only to sit out his first year under contract due to concerns over COVID-19. That’s understandable, but the front office made an odd move in 2021, considering Pierce was on track to return. They signed Dalvin Tomlinson, a similar player to Pierce and almost earns the same salary.
Don’t ask why they made that move. I haven’t got a clue, but it’s a good problem to have. Now the Vikings can pick which one they want, and it’s likely going to be Tomlinson. He’s cheaper, has played more snaps, and was pretty good last season. Besides, he fits a 3-4 defense better as a 0-technique defensive tackle.
Not only that, but Armon Watts has earned snaps based on last season’s performance. Only Hunter and D.J. Wonnum, both defensive ends, had more sacks than him for the Vikings last season. And he’s probably one of the few D-lineman Minnesota has drafted since Hunter who exceeded expectations. Obviously, the jury is still out on a few of them, but it hasn’t been pretty overall. It’s worth investing in Watts because he is a homegrown player, and that’s rare on the defensive line around here.
Pierce is good, but he’s not worth keeping with the talent the Vikings already have at his position, especially since he is the seventh-highest-paid player on the roster. Pierce is probably worth the contract from a talent perspective, but he has missed time and hasn’t been a cornerstone of the team.
It’s also possible Pierce traded, but I think he has lost a lot of value by missing so much time since he signed with Minnesota. Watts and Tomlinson have also replaced him, and the D-line still performed well last season.
If the Vikings are going to move from him, it might be better to do it sooner rather than later, especially if they don’t have any interest from potential suitors before it gets too late in the offseason.
Pierce is the most likely to get moved of all the players taking up meaningful cap space on the Vikings’ payroll. There will have to be more. But considering how much the team can save now with moving on from Pierce, he could be the most well-known player the Vikings cut.
