Vikings Defender Earns Underpaid Label
After the first reports of a newly signed player hit the airwaves, Vikings fans patiently wait for the contract details to be released. For example, the news that Jonathan Allen signed a deal with the club led to excitement, but his average salary of $17 million per year raised some concerns, although the positive feelings still prevailed.
Vikings Defender Earns Underpaid Label
A year earlier, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah agreed to terms with pass rusher Andrew Van Ginkel. The specifics? A two-year deal worth $20 million. Yes, a total of $20 million, not per season.
There’s no doubt about it; a contract rarely ages this masterfully.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon released a list of the most underpaid players for each team in the league. Between mostly cheap players on their rookie deals, there was the veteran hidden.
Gagnon wrote: “A rare veteran with a $10-million-a-year contract on this list, Van Ginkel outperformed his free-agent deal by a massive margin in a second-team All-Pro 2024 campaign. He would have landed a much bigger contract than $20 million over two years had he done that one season earlier in Miami. If he proves it wasn’t a fluke in ‘25, he could double that AAV as a free agent again.”
Van Ginkel was hired alongside Jonathan Greenard to replace departed four-time Pro Bowler Danielle Hunter and his teammates, Marcus Davenport and D.J. Wonnum, who also left.
Flores drafted him as Miami’s head coach and reunited with his former student. Throughout his tenure in the AFC East, Van Ginkel somehow remained in a rotational role. Even in his final year in Florida, he was an injury replacement for Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips.
Luckily for the Vikings, the Dolphins allowed him to test the market, and he has been an enormous win on Adofo-Mensah’s resume.
Van Ginkel produced 11.5 sacks and 79 tackles. Of course, he also scored two INT return touchdowns. Those two plays put him on the map. The defender possesses versatility. He can drop into coverage, stop the run, and rush the passer. His motor never stops, and he is a smart player.
Talking about the Defensive Player of the Year award, fellow Wisconsin Badger and future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt praised the first-time Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro.
“A guy that I think is extremely overlooked in all this, Andrew Van Ginkel up in Minnesota,” Watt emphasized. “Two pick-sixes on the year. He has six PBUs (pass breakups), he has over 75 tackles on the year, possibly 80, he’s got over 11 sacks, he’s doing everything in the run, in the pass, dropping back, rushing the passer, picking it, doing a little bit of everything. I think he’s overlooked, partially playing in Minnesota. I think Jonathan Greenard, on the other side, is also a great player. That duo doesn’t get talked about enough.”
Greenard and Van Ginkel cost an average of $29 million per season. Four edge rushers make more than that by themselves.
Van Ginkel is a decent candidate for a contract extension. Although sophomore Dallas Turner is waiting in the wings, the Vikings surely want to keep a player as good as the 29-year-old in the building beyond the 2025 season.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt