How much money will it take for the Vikings to re-sign Richardson?

In order to re-sign the free-agent defensive tackle, how big of a contract will the Minnesota Vikings have to bring to the negotiating table this offseason?

This offseason, the Minnesota Vikings have a number of talented players from their 2018 roster that are scheduled to become free-agents. With their limited amount of cap space this year, the Vikings are likely going to have to say goodbye to a few of their most notable contributors from a season ago.

One of these players that Minnesota has to make a decision on this year is defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. Last season with the Vikings, Richardson added another versatile element to the interior of the the team’s defensive line.

If Minnesota is interested in bringing back the talented defensive tackle (which they should be), they must first figure out how much it will cost to re-sign him.

According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, a contract of around five years for $50 million is likely what Richardson is going to be looking for this offseason. At 28-years-old, this may be the veteran defensive lineman’s last opportunity to get a lucrative, multi-year deal before his time in the NFL is over.

If re-signing Richardson is a serious priority for the Vikings this offseason, then parting ways with some fan-favorites is likely going to be necessary in order to free up some more money. Guys like Andrew Sendejo, Everson Griffen, Mike Remmers, and Trae Waynes are all at the top of the list of players that could end up being salary cap casualties for Minnesota this year.

Are the Vikings willing to sacrifice a few veteran contributors in order to re-sign Richardson? Especially when there is no guarantee that the defensive tackle will continue to play at a high level once he signs a big money deal?

If one were to ask Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer what he would do when presented with this situation, it shouldn’t be too hard for someone to guess which route he would take.