Erin Henderson Gets 1-Year, $2 Million Contract From Vikings

No more Twitter rants for Erin Henderson. On Friday the Vikings brought back the apparently disgruntled linebacker on a new 1-year, $2 million contract. Henderson came into last season as a big question mark on the weak side but by year’s end was arguably the team’s best linebacker – yes even with Chad Greenway making the Pro Bowl. Many thought this marked improvement in Henderson’s game would put him in line for a nice free agent deal but for whatever reason he never generated much interest among other teams.

It was thought the Vikings would re-sign Henderson before the opening of free agency but instead, possibly anticipating how soft the bidding would ultimately prove to be, they allowed him to hit the market. This led to much consternation on Henderson’s part, as evidenced by his Twitter rant of last week. Henderson’s tirade made it clear he thought the Vikings were trying to low-ball him. At one point Henderson indicated he would sooner retire than take less than he thought he was worth.

Ultimately the market never materialized for Henderson’s services and he was “forced” to settle for the Vikings’ $2 million offer. Henderson now has the opportunity to improve even more on the field and possibly earn a big free agent pay day next year. It’s hard to look at this whole thing and not think the Vikings won. They get to keep a starting player for just $2 million for one year. Let’s hope an angry Henderson is a motivated Henderson. And let’s hope he keeps his feelings off Twitter from now on. Only Chris Kluwe knows how to properly vent over social media.

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