EDEN PRAIRIE, Minnesota — The Minnesota Vikings, winners of the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs in 2019, can get back into the black in 2020 by losing one key player on their defense: St. Croix’s Linval Joseph.
And according to NFL sources speaking privately to the Virgin Islands Free Press this weekend, Minnesota is likely to do just that — dump star nose tackle Joseph because they are an estimated $12,330,944 over the salary cap.
Joseph, who signed a $50 million contract with the Vikings in 2017, will cost the Minnesota team a cap hit of $12,887,500 if they allow him to stay on the team in 2020.
And for a Vikings team that demonstrated full-on ED in the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers in 2019, sources say it will be a good time to go in a different direction with their formerly “Big D.”
In 2017, Joseph signed a four-year, $50,350,000 contract with the Minnesota Vikings, including a $6,000,000 signing bonus, $31,500,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $12,587,500. An outright release gives Minnesota a cap savings of about $10.5 million, money the Vikings desperately need, according to the Daily Norseman.
In 2020, Joseph will earn a base salary of $11,150,000, a roster bonus of $437,500 and a workout bonus of $100,000, while carrying a cap hit of $12,887,500 and a dead cap value of $2,400,000.
Joseph, 31, has played nine seasons in the NFL, after starting his pro career as a defensive tackle with the New York Giants.
He was a second-round draft choice, 46th overall in the 2010 NFL draft.
Minnesota has an estimated team salary cap of $211,478,971 in 2020, according to Spotrac. The average age of a player on their team is: 25.68.
The Vikings have already signed 50 of 53 players for their regular season roster in 2020.
ST. CROIX’S LINVAL JOSEPH BY THE NUMBERS 2014-2019
Stats from the Decade: 88 games (88 starts); 350 tackles, 15 sacks, 32 tackles for loss, 51 quarterback hits, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, two passes defensed; one defensive touchdown
“I think Linval Joseph deserves mention (on the Minnesota Vikings’ all-decade defensive players’ team),” Pete Bercich said. “Linval does so much. [The linebackers] standing behind Linval Joseph have benefited from him being around the last few years.”
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2020/2/20/21145510/should-i-stay-or-should-i-go-linval-joseph
https://www.vikings.com/news/minnesota-vikings-all-decade-defensive-line-from-2010-19