Riley Reiff will reportedly remain with the Minnesota Vikings.
On Monday, Riley Reiff’s future with the Minnesota Vikings appeared to be very much in doubt. The Vikings reportedly approached Reiff to take a pay cut or be released and the left tackle had apparently begun to say his goodbyes to his teammates.
But now, it appears as though the veteran offensive lineman will be returning to play for Minnesota this season after all.
According to multiple reports on Tuesday, Reiff and the Vikings are agreeing to a restructured contract that will lower his 2020 cap hit and keep him with the team this year.
Vikings News: Riley Reiff couldn’t find any trade interest
After Minnesota asked him to consider taking a pay cut, Reiff was prepared to play elsewhere this season. His agent reportedly attempted to find any team that was interested in trading for the veteran left tackle, but no one was willing to take on his current contract that came with an $11 million cap hit according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
Realizing that his best chance to play in 2020 was likely going to be with the Vikings, Reiff clearly had a change of heart and agreed to a restructured deal.
As underwhelming as he has performed during the last two seasons, Reiff returning is good news for Minnesota. The Vikings no longer have to find a brand new starting left tackle and with less than two weeks before their first game of the season, that is something that could’ve turned into a disaster.
The details of the restructure are unknown at this point in time, but the new terms of Reiff’s deal should create a good amount of cap space for Minnesota this year.
So not only did the Vikings acquire a Pro Bowl-caliber defensive end in Yannick Ngakoue on Sunday, but the team was also able to figure out a way to do it without having to get rid of any significant contributors. Minnesota’s front office deserves a pat on the back for this one.