Top 5 depth chart positions where the Vikings spend their money
By Dustin Baker
No. 4 – Defensive Line
$26,151,720 (13.25% of 2020 cap, 24th in NFL)
To be fair, this ranking of number four on the list is predominately because the Vikings currently have 15 men classified as defensive linemen.
Nearly nine million of this figure is paid to defensive end Danielle Hunter. The next two players in order of most salary are Michael Pierce and Shamar Stephen–both around five million dollars apiece. The bottom twelve will all separately bring home under one million dollars in 2020.
Although this total number looks vast at first glance, the Vikings will spend the ninth-least amount of money in the NFL on defensive linemen in 2020.
As it stands, there is a clear path for youngster Ifeadi Odenigbo to start at EDGE opposite Danielle Hunter. His contract is the reason that Minnesota ranks toward the bottom of the league in defensive line dollars. Odenigbo will earn $812,500 in 2020.
There is still a feasible chance that longtime Viking Everson Griffen returns to the team. In this case, the defensive line position spending would increase, assuming Shamar Stephen is not jettisoned via trade.