© USA Today via Imagn Content Services, LLCRiley Reiff
Yet another big-name player is getting the ax. The Vikings are releasing offensive tackle Riley Reiff, the team announced Wednesday afternoon.
We heard over the weekend that Minnesota was looking for Reiff to take a pay cut, and obviously the two sides weren't able to come to an agreement. The release will now save the Vikings about $11M in cap space for 2021. Reiff was due a $5M roster bonus on March 19, so there was a tight timeline here. With the move the Vikings are now officially under the salary cap as they get ready for free agency.
The cap savings are nice, but they'll now need a new starting left tackle. Prior to Week 17 when he was placed on the COVID-19 list, Reiff hadn't missed a snap in 2020. In his nine seasons in the league, he has never played in less than 13 games, which will certainly help his cause on the open market. The Vikings did right by him and gave him a $1M bonus back in February to make up for the playing time incentive he missed because of that COVID game, which had led to some optimism they'd be able to work something out.
The 23rd overall pick of the 2012 draft, Reiff spent his first five years in Detroit. He then signed a five-year, $58.75M contract with the Vikings in March 2017 and has been their left tackle ever since. Minnesota will now either look for his replacement elsewhere or move Brian O'Neill from right tackle to left.
Reiff will hit free agency again now at the age of 32. Although he's never made a Pro Bowl or All-Pro Team, he's capable of being a solid starter. Plenty of squads should be interested as he joins a strong offensive line market, and a team like the Chargers make a lot of sense on paper.
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