Report: Vikings Hoping to Re-sign Tom Johnson

DT Tom Johnson was a pleasant surprise last year as cheap free agent and now the veteran is apparently looking to cash in.

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Per Darren Wolfson, UFA Johnson and the Vikings have touched base and it looks like Johnson is seeking a raise.

#Vikings hoping to re-sign DT Tom Johnson. But $$, like always, the issue right now. There was a meeting in Indy.
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) February 24, 2015

The 30-year-old Johnson made $845,000 last year with a $50,000 signing bonus. The former Saint produced 6.5 sacks in 440 snaps as an interior lineman with 22 overall tackles. PFF rated Johnson as the Vikings’ most productive pass rushing defensive tackle with 30 total pressures in 310 pass rush snaps.

Johnson also helped take up some of the slack early in the year when Linval Joseph was still battling back from his gunshot-related injury and was not as strong as he would be later in the season. Johnson himself was less productive as the season wore on, collecting only one sack in the final six games.

On the negative side, Johnson was arrested for disorderly conduct in an early morning nightclub incident that remains somewhat shrouded in mystery. The Vikings never acted like the incident was that big a deal but that won’t stop them from bringing it up in negotiations.

Retaining Johnson as a veteran backup would be a good move by the Vikings but it’s by no means critical to the team’s future that they keep him in the fold. For what it’s worth, PFF currently ranks him as the 10th best available free agent interior lineman.

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