Are the Vikings looking to move Shamar Stephen out of Minnesota?
By Adam Patrick
Could defensive tackle Shamar Stephen be the next veteran player the Minnesota Vikings decide to release?
With the salary cap enduring a significant reduction this offseason, the Minnesota Vikings have been forced to part ways with a few of their high-priced veteran players.
During the last two weeks, the Vikings said goodbye to tight end Kyle Rudolph, kicker Dan Bailey, and left tackle Riley Reiff. These three roster moves, along with some others, have Minnesota currently sitting with a little more than $10 million in cap space.
The Vikings can add a few cheap free agents with their current cap space. But if they want to go after one of the top players available in free agency this year, Minnesota will likely need to part ways with another veteran or two to create some more spending money.
Is Shamar Stephen the next Minnesota Vikings player who will be sent packing?
If the Vikings are going to cut another notable player in the near future, some believe it could be defensive tackle Shamar Stephen who is shown the door. Stephen has a cap hit of just under $5.1 million for next season and Minnesota would save $3.75 million if they release him before June 1.
He hasn’t performed very well since re-joining the Vikings in 2019, so his cap hit for next season seems a little too high for someone that isn’t providing much help when they’re on the field.
On a recent episode of “The Viking Age Podcast” I asked Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune if Stephen could be someone Minnesota releases during the next few weeks (begins at the 21:23 mark).
Basically, Goessling says he could see the Vikings cutting Stephen this year. At the very least, he believes Minnesota will probably bring in someone from free agency or the draft to compete for Stephen’s current spot on the roster before they return to the field next season.
In addition to his thoughts on the veteran defensive tackle, Goessling also said that he believes the recent Danielle Hunter Twitter activity isn’t something to brush to the side. He said it does sound like there is some “smoke” when it comes to Hunter wanting a pay raise this year.
Goessling also provided a bunch of good insight during the episode on some other notable Vikings topics including Riley Reiff’s departure, Minnesota’s kicking troubles during the Mike Zimmer era, and why trading Kirk Cousins probably isn’t going to happen this year.
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