How will the Vikings approach the No. 3 receiver spot after cutting Jarius Wright?
When the Minnesota Vikings signed Kirk Cousins and Sheldon Richardson on back-to-back days during the first wave of free agency, something had to give elsewhere on the roster in order to create necessary salary cap room.
Last Thursday, running back Latavius Murray agreed to nfl jerseys cheap china restructure his contract, dropping his base salary for 2018 from $5.15 million to $3.65 million, which created $1.15 million in cap space. About an hour after announcing Richardson’s signing on Friday, the Vikings cut veteran wide receiver Jarius Wright.
That move freed up $2.64 million in cap space, but came with a cost of $2.12 million in dead money. With a cap number of $4.76 million in 2018, it was inevitable that Wright would be released if a restructure, which the WR already did ahead of last season, could not be agreed upon.
The Vikings’ trusty third-down threat saw his time in Minnesota draw to a close after his role decreased considerably over the past two seasons. In 2017, the receiver played 23 percent of snaps and caught 18 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns; 13 of those 18 catches came on third down.
Wright always made the most of his limited opportunities and because of that, the Vikings are interested in bringing him back. It’s a move, however, that would come with a considerable pay cut. How much interest Wright draws from teams looking to bolster their roster with a veteran slot receiver and how much his role would increase will determine if he accepts a dip in salary based on the opportunity presented for him in Minnesota’s offense.
The No. 3 receiver was a position the Vikings struggled to solidify in 2017. Last August,wholesale nfl jerseys it appeared the role was going to be assumed by Michael Floyd after he outperformed everyone else in the running, including first-round pick Laquon Treadwell, in training camp.
