Can Pat Elflein resurrect his career with the Vikings in 2020?
By Dean Jones
Elflein’s contract situation
It would appear that Pat Elflein’s time with the Vikings is running short. Both from a playing and contractual perspective.
The offensive lineman is heading into the final year of his rookie deal, which is set to pay him $2.14 million in base salary. He’s currently accounting for about $2.38 million of Minnesota’s salary cap.
This uncertainty is not the easiest position to be in. But even Elflein shouldn’t have expected an extension given his level of production since he entered the league.
Should the Vikings decide to cut him at any point during the offseason or through training camp, it would free up just over $2.1 million that might be better spent elsewhere.
Much will depend on how high Minnesota selects an interior offensive lineman in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft. There is also the prospect of the Vikings drafting a top-end offensive tackle and moving Riley Reiff to the guard spot as he is still part of the team’s current roster despite his $13.2 million cap hit for next season.
Given Elflein’s lack of productivity, especially in 2019, there is little chance of Minnesota moving the player via trade. The Vikings are lacking a little bit of offensive line depth after the shocking move to release Josh Kline after just one season. This might make Elflein useful in a reserve capacity until his contract expires.