The Minnesota Vikings were quick to secure the services of defensive end Marcus Davenport when free agency opened last week, and the details of his one-year contract were finally revealed on Sunday night.
Marcus Davenport's deal with the #Vikings is in — and it's an interesting one:
$8.5M SB
$1.5M base salary for '23 (fully g'td)
Up to $2M in per-game roster bonuses
$1M workout bonus
Void years from 24-27 if he's on the roster 23 days before the '24 LY2023 cap #: ~$5.25M
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) March 20, 2023
Though this contract’s total value of $13 million was enough to lure him to the North Star State, the structure of the deal will keep his impact on the Vikings’ salary cap relatively low in 2023. Nearly all of this contract is guaranteed, and the $4.5 million signing bonus combined with the void years from 2024 to 2027 will spread out the financial toll of the agreement in the interest of minimizing its impact on the team’s short-term finances.
The cash-strapped Vikings couldn’t have made this deal happen without tacking on the void years to keep his cap hit manageable, though the strategy of gaining immediate talent at the expense of long-term stability could prove detrimental to the team in the long run.
After this season, Minnesota could end up paying Davenport for four years should they fail to re-sign him ahead of the 2024 season, which could present a quandary for the team if he doesn’t live up to expectations this year. Time will tell how this deal ends up affecting the team’s future, but for now, Vikings fans are sure to be happy that the team managed to sign the best available pass rusher on the market to bolster the team’s defense.
