Minnesota Vikings will not tender restricted free agent Jeremiah Sirles
By Adam Carlson
Despite his versatility on the offensive line, the Minnesota Vikings have decided not to place a tender on restricted free agent Jeremiah Sirles.
The Minnesota Vikings are a team that loves versatility. They consistently draft players who can play multiple positions to take on several different roles in order to maximize the value of all 53 men on the roster.
One valuable piece of the team since 2015 has been offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles. Sirles has been an excellent asset as a rotational and backup tackle or guard who was willing to step in at any time the team needed.
Heading into the 2018 NFL season, Sirles was a restricted free agent. That means the Vikings had the first crack at bringing back the offensive lineman and gave them the opportunity to place a value on him so other teams can’t sign him without receiving compensation.
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Sadly, Minnesota has opted not to place a tender of any kind on Jeremiah Sirles and allow him the opportunity to pursue deals with other franchises according to a post on the website of the Star Tribune.
Even though Sirles could draw plenty of interest from teams looking to add depth on their offensive line, the Vikings will save $1.9 million by not having the right to match any deal placed on the table by other franchises.
The Vikings will likely be looking to improve both their offensive line situation as well as several other spots on the roster. That means the team will need to have as much salary cap available as possible and that includes not sticking themselves with the money needed to tender Sirles.
The Vikings do reportedly have interest in bringing him back, but won’t keep him from exploring other options according to Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling on Twitter:
Next: Vikings 2018 offensive line forecast
At this point, it may be hard to see a situation where the Minnesota Vikings will be able to bring Jeremiah Sirles back unless he doesn’t get a lot of interest from other franchises. But considering the depth and versatility he brings to the offensive line, retaining him will be a massive challenge.