The Viking Age
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Minnesota Vikings will reportedly give Latavius Murray an ultimatum

By Adam Patrick

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 14: Latavius Murray #25 of the Minnesota Vikings carries the ball in the first quarter of the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the New Orleans Saints on January 14, 2018 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 14: Latavius Murray #25 of the Minnesota Vikings carries the ball in the first quarter of the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the New Orleans Saints on January 14, 2018 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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The Minnesota Vikings are expected to part ways with the running back if he does not agree to take a pay cut this offseason.

When the Minnesota Vikings and Latavius Murray agreed to a three-year contract worth $15 million last year, the hope was that he could possibly become the team’s top running back in 2017. Well that all changed once the Vikings opted to select Florida State’s Dalvin Cook in the second round of the 2017 draft.

To make matters worse for Murray, he underwent offseason surgery on his ankle last year and it eventually resulted in Minnesota naming Cook their starting running back to begin the 2017 season.

Unfortunately for Cook, his rookie year was cut short by a torn ACL. But his injury also allowed Murray to see a dramatic increase in his snaps for the remainder of the season.

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Latavius Murray
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Latavius Murray /

It took a few games, but by Week 7, the veteran running back was able to find his groove and become a productive piece of the Vikings’ offense. During Minnesota’s final 10 games of the season, Murray scored eight touchdowns and averaged 74 rushing yards per matchup.

The majority of the money in the running back’s current contract is in the final two years. In both 2018 and 2019, Murray’s deal has him carrying a cap hit of at least $5.6 million.

However, the Vikings have the option of releasing him before March 16 and only owing $1.2 million in dead cap.

This appears to be a route Minnesota is willing to take according to 1500 ESPN’s Shawn Zobel on Monday.

It seems fair for the Vikings to ask Murray to take a pay cut considering he is scheduled to have the fourth-highest cap hit of any NFL running back in 2018 ($6.35 million). For a guy that is not even expected to be a starter next season, that seems a bit too much for Minnesota to pay.

The hope for the Vikings is that Murray actually will agree to take a little less money in 2018. He and Cook would form a pretty talented duo in Minnesota’s offensive backfield next year.

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If not, the Vikings adding a running back through free agency or the draft is something they will just have to add to their list of offseason duties.

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