Salary Cap Savings Continue as Vikings DT Takes Pay Cut

Sep 19, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles guard Isaac Seumalo (56) blocks Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Ross Blacklock (96) at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Quick update, folks. According to Tom Pelissero, Vikings DT Ross Blacklock has agreed to a pay cut.

The move will clear around $683,000 in cap space:

Overall, it’s not a large amount of money, but Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will be looking to gain cap room in any manner that he can. Ideally, the DT can play so well that he earns back all the money (and much more on a larger contract next offseason).

A 2nd-round selection in 2020, Blacklock began his career with the Texans. He struggled to gain traction in Houston, starting a mere 3 games in his couple seasons despite the lofty draft status. He was traded to Minnesota before the 2022 season began.

Unfortunately, he struggled to make much of an on-field impact last season. The young DT has 1 lonely sack in 2022 (for his career, he has 3). For whatever it’s worth, the defense as a whole struggled mightily. Brian Flores – the new defensive coordinator – can hopefully find a way of unlocking the talented DT.

Of course, the news that’s on most Vikings fans’ collective mind is the Eric Kendricks cut and then the Adam Thielen cut. Both were long-time starters who had a “C” on their chest. Both had started to decline on the field and were carrying large cap hits in 2023. The Blacklock move should be understood within the broader context of the team’s effort to get the finances in order.

Stay tuned, folks. The moves are just getting going. Last year, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took some time to make roster decisions. He has followed the same pattern this offseason, waiting until close to the last minute to start getting his ledger sorted out.

More moves to come.

Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.

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