CJ Ham May Need to Rework His Contract
K. Joudry
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CJ Ham, very reasonably, is a fan favorite in Minnesota. Heck, he’s one of my favorite players. One thing that remains to be seen, though, is if the incoming leadership will view him as one of their favorite players (as Cole suggests in his recent piece on Minnesota’s RBs). Depending on how things shake out, CJ Ham may need to rework his contract to stay around Minnesota.
According to PFF, Ham was the NFL’s second-best fullback. Baltimore’s Patrick Ricard – who made a big impact in the game against Minnesota – takes the top spot, largely due to his elite 87.6 run blocking score. Ham trails Ricard by a large margin in the run blocking category, and yet Minnesota’s fullback has a sizeable advantage in the receiving game. Ham is also the better pass blocker.
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In previous installments of my salary cap articles, I’ve focused on more high-profile players. Players like Adam Thielen, Kirk Cousins, and Dalvin Cook are all making a ton of money, so the decisions on their deals will have the most importance. Even still, one wonders if the new regime will try to pinch pennies wherever they can. Ham is one of the league’s preeminent fullbacks. He does a ton to make the offense work, and yet that may not be enough for the incoming leadership.
Over the Cap suggests that cutting CJ Ham would only leave behind $1.5 million from his contract. The team, in turn, would save just under $2 million. Moving things around to a post-June 1 designation would mean a mere $750,000 cap charge and $2.7 million in cap space. The caveat with that scenario is it pushes dead money to next year. Moreover, it also limits the team insofar as the money only becomes available to be spent following June 1. Regardless, it’s an option to consider.
By the end of the year, Ham had 17 catches for 125 yards. He also had 7 carries for 34 yards. Partner those (albeit modest) stats with his blocking abilities and it’s easy to see that he is a valuable part of the team. He was in on 33% of the offensive snaps. He played 52% of the special teams snaps.
Since entering the league back in 2016, Ham has solidified himself as a critical part of his team’s success. Whether that keeps him in Minnesota at his current cost is a question for the incoming GM and HC.
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