Jake Long’s contract with Vikings surprisingly friendly
By Adam Carlson
The one-year contract worked out between the Minnesota Vikings and free agent offensive tackle Jake Long is one that Is very team and player friendly.
The Minnesota Vikings lost another offensive tackle recently, as news broke that right tackle Andre Smith would be placed on injured reserve. Left with few options, the team was forced to look to free agency for help.
One of the best prospects available was Jake Long. Long was a former #1 overall draft pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2008, but has struggled to stay healthy for long periods of time over the course of his career.
However, when healthy, he plays at a high level. He has been in 4 Pro Bowls and been named to two All Pro teams while playing for the Dolphins, Rams, and Falcons. Now, with the Minnesota Vikings, he’s looking to prove he can make a comeback in the NFL.
Meanwhile, the Vikings are looking for any help they can get. Seeing what Long has done in the past gives them hope he can be an asset when needed, and his experience playing with both Sam Bradford and Shaun Hill while in St. Louis should help out as well.
The most interesting thing is how Minnesota was able to get Long to the team without going over the salary cap. USA Today’s Tom Pelissero broke it down for us on Twitter:
Jake Long's 1-year deal with #Vikings is a minimum salary benefit, so he'll count just $423,529 against the cap. Prorated salary of $885K.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 13, 2016
If you do the math on the salary, it just doesn’t add up. The reason for that was revealed when Cody B on Twitter asked Mr. Pelissero about the reason the salary wasn’t prorated for the remainder of the regular season.
Minimum salary benefit reduces cap # for vets on minimum deals. Designed to let them compete for jobs vs. younger/cheaper guys.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 13, 2016
Next: Andre Smith placed on Injured Reserve
With how complicated the salary cap situation in Minnesota is this season according to ESPN, it’s a surprise that the Vikings were able to get any funds to sign anyone. Minnesota currently has over $30.8 million dollars of their salary cap on injured reserve, and the fact the team was able to do some financial gymnastics to get things done with Jake Long says a lot about this team’s front office and their commitment to winning in 2016.