Vikings sign their 2022 first round pick to a four-year, fully-guaranteed deal

The Minnesota Vikings have locked down their first-round pick from the 2022 NFL Draft with a four-year deal that is fully guaranteed.

It has been a busy offseason for the Minnesota Vikings as they work to install a new general manager and coach as well as new schemes and personnel throughout the franchise. That’s why it’s not surprising the team didn’t wait long to get one of the easy things done.

It was announced by NFL insider Adam Schefter on Twitter that Lewis Cine, the first-round pick of the Vikings, signed his four-year, fully guaranteed rookie contract worth approximately $11.5 million.

Here is the tweet from Schefter:

Cine shared a story from draft day

Lewis Cine will wear the No. 16 jersey for the Minnesota Vikings but he didn’t think that would be happening when watching the 2022 NFL Draft unfold. The young man said he was under the impression that a team would pick him at No. 27 overall if he was available according to the Richard Sherman Podcast 

That didn’t happen and Cine fell to the final pick of the first round and into the lap of Minnesota.

"“It was at twenty-seven. The whole process — if you’re there — we’re gonna pick you. They move down to the first pick of the second round. I’m like, damn, they did me just so dirty.”"

It’s easy to look at the draft and see he was talking about the Buccaneersbased on the pick position and trade. Thankfully, the University of Georgia standout wasn’t selected by Tampa Bay and instead found his way to the purple and gold of Minnesota.

This seems to be the outcome the Vikings wanted from the draft, passing on several more highly regarded targets to get Cine at No. 32. Let’s hope he turns out to be a great pick for Minnesota and can contribute for many years to come.