Vikings decide to release guard Josh Kline after one season

After signing him to a three-year contract in 2019, the Minnesota Vikings have apparently decided to move on from the offensive guard after just one season with the team.

During the 2019 offseason, the Minnesota Vikings didn’t make a ton of splashes in free agency. The Vikings were able to re-sign linebacker Anthony Barr and their biggest free-agent acquisition was former Tennessee Titans guard Josh Kline.

Kline did a solid job as Minnesota’s starting right guard last season, but now the team has apparently decided to move in a different direction.

Despite having two years left on his current deal with the team, the Vikings announced on Wednesday that they have released Kline. The move only saves Minnesota around $1.5 million in cap space.

This decision is definitely a surprise. Kline was regarded by most as one of the top-performing members of the Vikings’ offensive line last season and it seemed like he earned at least one more year on the roster.

Clearly, Minnesota saw things differently though. Kline was scheduled to have a cap hit of just over $6 million for next season and maybe the team just didn’t think he was worth it.   

Either way, the Vikings now have an opening at right guard for 2020. Dru Samia will be someone that immediately comes to mind as a candidate to fill the role. Samia spent time in college at Oklahoma as a right guard and Minnesota might be ready to try him out as a starter.

With the move, Kline is now the latest member of the Vikings 2019 starting lineup to be shown the door this offseason. Everyone knew Minnesota would be going through some changes this year, but this decision, in particular, is not something that many saw coming.