New Vikings Defender Has a Very Team-Friendly Contract
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings have been hard at work over the past few days trying to fill out their roster for the 2024 season.
One of the players that they signed this week was Blake Cashman, a linebacker who spent his collegiate years in Minnesota playing for the Gophers. The Vikings agreed to terms on a three-year deal with Cashman, and now that the details of that contract have been revealed, it appears to be a very team-friendly arrangement.
Full Details on LB Blake Cashman’s Contract with Vikings
The contract details for Cashman’s deal with the Vikings were published on Over the Cap. Here is how things break down for the three-year, $22.5 million contract:
- Total Guaranteed Money: $9.475 million
- Base Salary: $12.95 million
- Prorated Signing Bonus: $7.75 million
- Roster Bonus: $1.5 million
- Workout Bonus: $300,000
In summary, this contract provides the Vikings with plenty of flexibility, particularly later on in the deal. Here are the cap hits for Cashman per year, along with the potential cap savings if he were to be cut:
- 2024: $4,220,098 (-$5,254,902)
- 2025: $8,108,333 ($2,941,666)
- 2026: $10,083,334 ($7,500,000)
Cashman’s deal is essentially a two-year contract for the Vikings with an easy way to get out without too much damage in terms of the salary cap in the third season of 2026, which will be the linebacker’s age-30 campaign.
Cashman, 27, spent all four of his collegiate seasons at the University of Minnesota from 2015-18, and he put together 183 tackles, 31 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks during his time with the Gophers. As a result, he was selected in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
The linebacker spent three seasons with the Jets, but he saw very limited playing time in part due to a number of different injuries.
Prior to the 2022 season, Cashman was traded to the Houston Texans where he was finally able to make it through a full season without dealing with an injury. He played 16 games and recorded 26 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, and a pair of passes defended largely in a reserve role.
Cashman then had his breakout season in 2023 by starting 13 games and putting together 106 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two sacks, five passes defended, and an interception. His presence in Houston’s defense was a big reason why the Texans were able to be a surprise playoff team this past year.
Now, he heads to Minnesota to be the replacement for Jordan Hicks, who has opted to join the Cleveland Browns this offseason on a two-year contract worth $8 million. With Cashman and Pace, the Vikings have a young core at the linebacker position who can hopefully be productive centerpieces of the defense over the next few years.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Over the Cap, Pro Football Reference and Sports Reference CFB.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.