Details of the new deal for the Minnesota Vikings linebacker were recently released and it looks like both he and the team made out quite well.
The Minnesota Vikings extending the contract of linebacker Eric Kendricks was a move that many had predicted. However, the majority didn’t think he would be the first of the Vikings’ potential 2019 free-agents to be given an extension.
But Minnesota clearly felt that retaining Kendricks was an important decision and one that needed to get done before the upcoming season.
According to multiple reports, the extension the Vikings and the linebacker agreed to last Monday is for five years and $50 million.
At first glance, it seems like Minnesota is giving a ton of money to Kendricks for the next five seasons. But they’re really not.
Only $11,638,080 of the $50 million is fully guaranteed according to a report by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio on Thursday. Kendricks’ fully guaranteed money includes a $10.5 million signing bonus and his $1,138,080 base salary in 2018.
The full breakdown of the extension is below according to Over The Cap.
In his report, Florio also mentions that Kendricks’ base salary in 2019 ($4.15 million) and 2020 ($7.15 million) are only guaranteed for injury. But each of the base salaries for both of these seasons becomes fully guaranteed if the linebacker is still on the Vikings’ roster on the third day of the respective league year.
Kendricks’ base salaries in 2021, 2022, 2023 are not guaranteed, no matter if he’s injured or not.
Based on the cap hits and dead money amounts, this pretty much looks like a three-year deal for Minnesota and their linebacker. Even if he is still on the roster in 2021, the Vikings would probably try and figure out how to re-negotiate the rest of Kendricks’ contract to lower his cap hit.
Next: The Vikings' greatest 7-round draft of all-time
For those who were unhappy with Minnesota giving the young linebacker “so much” money, you can breathe a little easier now.