Source: Dalvin Tomlinson to #Vikings
2 years, $22M
$20M total guarantee
$16M fully guaranteed
$15M Signing Bonus
$16M First Year— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2021
Minnesota’s defense was torn apart by a lot of different NFL offenses last year. One of the biggest reasons why? The defensive line.
The Vikings’ biggest free agency signing of 2020, Michael Pierce, was a high-risk opt out. DE Danielle Hunter was out for the duration of 2020 due to an injury.
Even with those two ready for 2021, the Vikings defensive line still seemed like it could use more improvement after how poorly 2020 went. Minnesota got that in the form of an interior defensive lineman, according to a report.
Dalvin Tomlinson, who played for the Giants, is signing a two-year, $22 million contract with the Vikings, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Tomlinson gets $16 million of that fully guaranteed.
Tomlinson is a nice pass-rushing complement to Pierce on the defensive line. He had a 74.6 pass rush grade in 2020, per PFF. His overall PFF grade was 75.1. Tomlinson had 3.5 sacks and 10 QB hits in 2020. He also had 15 pressures. That’s good news for a Minnesota defensive line that struggled to get pressure this past season.
He could come in and be a presence behind the line of scrimmage right away for the Vikings. That will help the defensive line and, by extension, the defense overall.
