Vikes OT McKinnie gets new seven-year, $48.5M deal

[chewy-bacca]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2580049

they are setting the bar for line pay on both sides of the ball.

[red]

wow, 2-50 million dollar o-linemen

well at least they're bringing in and resigning guys that are worth more then the vet minimum

[Rastak]

wow, 2-50 million dollar o-linemen

well at least they're bringing in and resigning guys that are worth more then the vet minimum

Kind of a risk here though in a sense. McKinney isn't a great run blocker and he can get beat by speed at times. He was really improving last year and he's a big dude. If he had a mean streak he'd be fantastic. All that having beed said, left tackles don;t grow on tress and he's only 26 so I like the move. Plus, with the cap going up again the next two years, why not?
Better to keep the guys in place next year than to run out find a new guy and end up paying him good money while waiting for things to gel.

[mmmdk]

I envy the Vikings O-line but it's a lot of $$. Building your O-line through the draft is the way to go; just say it TT - WE ARE REBUILDING. This is not a whining cry 'cos I'm gonna have fun (w/ some pain) watching the Packers build a new contender.

:dead: I had to put this one in just to see and 'cos I am kinda beating a dead horse with the rebuilding theme!

[chewy-bacca]

ok, I was thinking that other cat was on the D line.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I wonder how much this will affect their future cap. Personally, I don't think McKinnie is quite upper echelon, so they overpaid. However, who knows what a guy like him would get on the open market. Gotta believe this will put a little crunch on their future cap though.

Thompson should extend a few contracts to put more money into this season--when we still have a lot of open cap space.

[ahaha]

I wonder how much this will affect their future cap. Personally, I don't think McKinnie is quite upper echelon, so they overpaid. However, who knows what a guy like him would get on the open market. Gotta believe this will put a little crunch on their future cap though.

Thompson should extend a few contracts to put more money into this season--when we still have a lot of open cap space.

I think they will, but not until later in the season. See who really deserves it. Cole, Jenkins, Barnett, Harris, Carroll, or Wells would be my guess. If any of these guys really step up this year, they'll probably get that front loaded extension before the end of the season.

[Packnut]

Vikes

I like the Vikings aggressive style. That's the way a GM is suppossed to be. Take chances and not sit around for 3-4 yrs of being laughed at. The cap keeps going up so the money is there and will continue to be there, ya just gotta have someone who knows how to work it.

[]{ilr]3]

Re: Vikes

I like the Vikings aggressive style. That's the way a GM is suppossed to be. Take chances and not sit around for 3-4 yrs of being laughed at. The cap keeps going up so the money is there and will continue to be there, ya just gotta have someone who knows how to work it.

I dont like it, but then again I dont really care that much

Chances like that are fine if they work out, but then you look at the success of Bill Belichick. Unconventional style of building his team. Got laughed at for years, and then bang! it all come together and it still working.

[Patler]

Re: Vikes

I like the Vikings aggressive style. That's the way a GM is suppossed to be. Take chances and not sit around for 3-4 yrs of being laughed at. The cap keeps going up so the money is there and will continue to be there, ya just gotta have someone who knows how to work it.

The cap goes up, but usually no where near what it did this year. Rounded off, the cap has been

1994 - 34.6
1995 - 37.1
1996 - 40.8
1997 - 41.5
1998 - 52.4
1999 - 58.4
2000 - 62.2
2001 - 67.4
2002 - 71.1
2003 - 75.0
2004 - 80.6
2005 - 85.5

2006 - 102
2007 - 109 (as agreed during the negotiations this summer)

The only time the cap has increased dramatically was when new TV contracts kicked in. The big one was 1998, when it increased over 26%. Otherwise, you can expect less than 10% annually, and more typically in the 5-7% range.

With a fixed cap, a team can have only a limited number of "mega-deals." The Vikings have committed two to the O-line, and it seems they are the same duration with similar terms (if what I read is accurate), That means neither offsets the other in terms of high and low cap impact years. This could present problems in the future, similar to what GB had last year with high cap values for Sharper and Wahle, plus the need to sign Rivera.

With the "average" cap impact floating at near $2 million/player (somewhat less when you factor in IR, practice squad, dead money, etc), for every mega-deal you need a few rookies and first year players on the roster to offset the money committed. You can be successful if your young players are good. With fewer mega-deals you can carry more experienced veterans, even at the higher vet minimums.

Basically, it seems that the Vikings gave up on Moss and Culpepper, and used those "spots" in their cap to sign long term deals with Hutchinson and McKinnie. The Vikings will be successful if McKinnie and Hutchinson stay healthy and the Vikings draft well so that players still in their rookie contracts contribute significantly. They will likely have room for only one more big deal in the next few years.

[Packnut]

Re: Vikes

{ilr]3]

I like the Vikings aggressive style. That's the way a GM is suppossed to be. Take chances and not sit around for 3-4 yrs of being laughed at. The cap keeps going up so the money is there and will continue to be there, ya just gotta have someone who knows how to work it.

I dont like it, but then again I dont really care that much

Chances like that are fine if they work out, but then you look at the success of Bill Belichick. Unconventional style of building his team. Got laughed at for years, and then bang! it all come together and it still working.

The Pat's coach is one of a kind and trust me, TT will never be compared to him. As for the cap, a lot of good teams are able to pay their talent and find a way to make it work. Or of course you can go TT's way and have 8 mill of un-used cap space and 2 rookie O lineman starting.

[Patler]

Re: Vikes

I like the Vikings aggressive style. That's the way a GM is suppossed to be. Take chances and not sit around for 3-4 yrs of being laughed at. The cap keeps going up so the money is there and will continue to be there, ya just gotta have someone who knows how to work it.

I assume you realize that in 2004, the Vikings essentially carried an unused cap space of over $10 million? That is why they had an effective cap of over $95 million in 2005 when the league cap limit was $85.5.

[Rastak]

Re: Vikes

I like the Vikings aggressive style. That's the way a GM is suppossed to be. Take chances and not sit around for 3-4 yrs of being laughed at. The cap keeps going up so the money is there and will continue to be there, ya just gotta have someone who knows how to work it.

I assume you realize that in 2004, the Vikings essentially carried an unused cap space of over $10 million? That is why they had an effective cap of over $95 million in 2005 when the league cap limit was $85.5.

Patler, keep in mind that because of the recent contract, the cap is scheuled to rise dramatically over three years, this being the 1st year of that.

No, sadly, I don't have the numbers.

[Patler]

Re: Vikes

I like the Vikings aggressive style. That's the way a GM is suppossed to be. Take chances and not sit around for 3-4 yrs of being laughed at. The cap keeps going up so the money is there and will continue to be there, ya just gotta have someone who knows how to work it.

I assume you realize that in 2004, the Vikings essentially carried an unused cap space of over $10 million? That is why they had an effective cap of over $95 million in 2005 when the league cap limit was $85.5.

Patler, keep in mind that because of the recent contract, the cap is scheuled to rise dramatically over three years, this being the 1st year of that.

No, sadly, I don't have the numbers.

Ya, I know. As I posted above, the owners and players already agreed to $109 million for 2007, with a chance it could go somewhat higher depending on some final numbers. Some are projecting as high as $125 million by 2008-2009. Thereafter, it should stabilize somewhat, with the more typical 5-7% increases.

Of course, by then Hutchinson and McKinney will be entering the real big cap-hit portions of their agreements too. With just those two, the Vikings will be fine. But if they land some players in the positions that more commonly receive large contracts (QB, impact RB or WR, DE, CB) they will face what every team faces, limits on what they can do.

One way to look at it is this. Over the next seven years the cap will be $102, $109 and 5 years uncertain but probably ranging from $120 to $150.
Over the 7 year span of Hutchinson and McKinneys contracts the total cap is unlikely to exceed $900 million, and Hutchinson and Mckinney will take up nearly $100 million of it. That is still a big chunck in just the O-line, not traditionally the highest paid positions.

[Rastak]

Re: Vikes

I like the Vikings aggressive style. That's the way a GM is suppossed to be. Take chances and not sit around for 3-4 yrs of being laughed at. The cap keeps going up so the money is there and will continue to be there, ya just gotta have someone who knows how to work it.

I assume you realize that in 2004, the Vikings essentially carried an unused cap space of over $10 million? That is why they had an effective cap of over $95 million in 2005 when the league cap limit was $85.5.

Patler, keep in mind that because of the recent contract, the cap is scheuled to rise dramatically over three years, this being the 1st year of that.

No, sadly, I don't have the numbers.

Ya, I know. As I posted above, the owners and players already agreed to $109 million for 2007, with a chance it could go somewhat higher depending on some final numbers. Some are projecting as high as $125 million by 2008-2009. Thereafter, it should stabilize somewhat, with the more typical 5-7% increases.

Of course, by then Hutchinson and McKinney will be entering the real big cap-hit portions of their agreements too. With just those two, the Vikings will be fine. But if they land some players in the positions that more commonly receive large contracts (QB, impact RB or WR, DE, CB) they will face what every team faces, limits on what they can do.

One way to look at it is this. Over the next seven years the cap will be $102, $109 and 5 years uncertain but probably ranging from $120 to $150.
Over the 7 year span of Hutchinson and McKinneys contracts the total cap is unlikely to exceed $900 million, and Hutchinson and Mckinney will take up nearly $100 million of it. That is still a big chunck in just the O-line, not traditionally the highest paid positions.

Yup, we do agree that is a big chunk. IF McKinnie plays as well as last year then it's an ok move by me. Everything starts and ends with line play.
I can't wait until Monday night. They BETTER be able to run the ball more effectively than the preseason or I'll be bummed and so will Zygi and company....