Big roster moves could be happening very soon for the Vikings

A number of Minnesota Vikings players will have their 2019 salaries guaranteed within the next two weeks, including some who are currently on the roster bubble.

Over the last few offseasons, the Minnesota Vikings have been busy spending money on some of the top free-agents and on extensions for some of the best players on their roster.

Well, now all of that spending has caught up with the Vikings and they are currently facing a 2019 offseason that will likely be full of tough decisions. Some longtime members of Minnesota’s roster might have already played their last game for the franchise.

The Vikings currently have around $5 million in cap space and that is definitely not enough for them to make any improvements to their roster this offseason. With the new league year kicking off in less than two weeks, Minnesota has to begin making some big decisions sooner than later.

Prior to March 12, the Vikings must decide if they are going to pick up the 2019 contract option for safety Andrew Sendejo. If Minnesota chooses to not pick up Sendejo’s option, the team will free up $5.5 million more in cap space.

With the way that Anthony Harris performed last season, the Vikings letting go of Sendejo this year seems like something that will probably happen.

Next, Minnesota has to decide if they want to keep cornerback Trae Waynes around in 2019 at his current price. Waynes is due to make over $9 million next season and the Vikings have until March 13 (the beginning of the new league year) before his salary becomes fully guaranteed for 2019.

If the Vikings are considering a release or a trade for defensive end Everson Griffen, they’ll likely want to do so before March 15 when his salary of more than $10 million for next season becomes fully guaranteed.

For someone like tight end Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota has a little more breathing room to decide if they want him to stick around for 2019 or not. None of Rudolph’s 2019 salary is guaranteed, so the Vikings will still save around $7 million if they move him before or after the start of the new league year on March 13.

Offensive linemen Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers could both be on their way out of Minnesota this offseason as well. However, the Vikings would create more cap space for 2019 (over $9 million for Reiff and almost $6 million for Remmers) by cutting or trading them after June 1.

Minnesota could possibly assign a June 1 designation for these two players, which would allow them to become free-agents in March. But the Vikings may decide to keep these two veteran blockers around for at least for training camp considering the team’s recent string of bad luck with the health of their offensive line.

Whatever Minnesota chooses to do with their roster this offseason, some of their biggest decisions for 2019 appear to on the horizon.