Tackle Phil Loadholt took a pay cut this offseason in order to hold onto his spot on the Vikings roster, but it appears he won’t be collecting that adjusted salary.
Adam Schefter and Adam Caplan of ESPN report that Loadholt is expected to retire. The veteran, who is coming off a torn Achilles, is slated to meet with team officials on Monday.
Loadholt was a 2009 second-round pick of the Vikings and started 89 games over six seasons before missing all of last year because of his injury. In May, word out of Minnesota was that Loadholt was moving well during offseason work although it seems something wasn’t feeling well enough for Loadholt to continue feeling the urge to play in the NFL.
The Vikings signed former Bengals tackle Andre Smith as a free agent this offseason and Loadholt’s departure would leave him without much competition for the starting job.