Vikings left tackle Riley Reiff lived up to his contract in 2020.
Reiff gave up just one sack and finished with a PFF grade of 71.4. He had a cap hit of $8.2 million in 2020, which isn’t terrible for a good left tackle.
But with Minnesota’s current cap situation and offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland waiting in the wings, there was an argument to be made for the team moving on from Reiff. On Wednesday, it became more than an argument: The Vikings announced that they released Reiff.
With that decision, the Vikings saved $11.75 million and incur $3.2 million in dead money, per Over The Cap.
Cleveland, who is coming off a rookie season at right guard, played tackle in college. He’s an option for Minnesota at the open left tackle position. The team could also move right tackle Brian O’Neill to that position. Outside of that, the team could find a rookie or free agent for cheaper than Reiff’s deal.
