Vikings Will Release DT Letroy Guion

Dec 1, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Letroy Guion (98) celebrates the missed field goal by the Chicago Bears in overtime at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. Vikings win 23-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

This is the time of year for cutting ties with players who are not worth their cap number for the coming season. Defensive tackle Letroy Guion is the perfect example of such a player.

So it’s no surprise the Vikings are expected to cut Guion, per Adam Caplan.

Releasing Guion would save the Vikings $4 million on their cap. Wednesday, the Vikings parted ways with tight end John Carlson to recover $2 million on the cap.

For most of us, cutting Guion has seemed like a no brainer all along. The defensive tackle might be a decent enough depth player but $4 million is too much to pay for a backup.

Guion was signed to a 3-year/$9 million deal back in 2012, and frankly at the time it looked like a silly contract. But as it turned out, the Vikings had plenty of built-in protection for themselves.

The contract was front-loaded with guaranteed money, so almost all the dead money came off the cap that first year. Guion was set to make a base salary of $3.9 million this year with $350,000 in various bonuses. The way it was set up by master capologist Rob Brzezinski, Guion’s dead money this year was only $300,000.

In other words, it was a three year deal the Vikings could easily bail on after just two years. And that’s what they’ve done.

With this move, the Vikings are down to just a handful of viable defensive line candidates on the roster. Everson Griffen, Jared Allen, Kevin Williams and Fred Evans are all set to hit free agency. Obviously D-line will be a heavy priority in free agency and the draft.

Guion hits the market as a marginal player at best. It frankly wouldn’t shock me to see him come back to the Vikings on a very small one-year deal to provide a backup.

Like The Viking Age on Facebook.
Follow TVA on Twitter.
Subsribe to the Fansided Daily Newsletter. Sports news all up in your inbox.