On the day they welcomed players back into their building for the start of offseason workouts, the Vikings ushered one of their linebackers into a new tax bracket.
The team announced it signed Eric Kendricks to a contract extension, locking up the first of four significant players scheduled to hit free agency after the 2018 season. Kendricks' deal is worth $50 million over the next five years, with $25 million of it guaranteed, a league source confirmed.
Kendricks, the Vikings' second-round pick in 2015, posted 113 combined tackles last season, with a sack and one interception (which he returned 31 yards for a touchdown). He started all 16 games at middle linebacker for the first time in his career in 2017, a year after he played 15 of the team's 16 games and made 109 tackles to go with a 77-yard interception return for a touchdown.
The 26-year-old's deal comes one month and one day after the team signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to a three-year, $84 million deal, and it indicates the Vikings will continue to be aggressive in locking up their young players.
Linebacker Anthony Barr, wide receiver Stefon Diggs and defensive end Danielle Hunter are all scheduled to hit free agency after the season, and it stands to reason the Vikings _ who signed Kendricks after finishing extensions with cornerback Xavier Rhodes, defensive end Everson Griffen and defensive tackle Linval Joseph last summer _ will try to get at least one more player signed before the start of the 2018 season. The team had $17.8 million in cap space remaining for the 2018 league year as of Monday.
