Defensive tackle Kevin Williams’ 11th season with the Vikings could be his last.
Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com reports that Williams and the Vikings have reached a deal to rework his contract that makes him a free agent after the 2013 season. Williams had two years left on his deal with base salaries of $7 million each season, but the money wasn’t guaranteed either year. Pelissero reports he’s agreed to a guaranteed $4.9 million in 2013 and erased the final year of the deal.
The team also dropped a $400,000 weight clause in his contract, which makes for a total cap savings of $2.5 million. The Vikings had $4.4 million in cap space earlier this month, so the Williams deal puts them in better financial footing when it comes to signing draft picks and other players to round out their roster for offseason activities and training camp.
Williams remains a strong run-stopper and he’s been durable over the course of his career, missing just four games in his first 10 seasons. With Williams now on the final year of his contract, the Vikings have only one of their starting linemen -- defensive tackle Letroy Guion --signed beyond this season. Defensive ends Jared Allen, Brian Robison and Everson Griffen join Williams as possible free agents after next season.