The Vikings paid Alex Boone $3.4 million in guaranteed money on his $6.6 million deal to go away. Former Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway thinks he knows the reason: Boone was out of shape.
“I had heard through some players that I know that are out there every day that said he came back not the Alex Boone of old, a little bit out of shape, and wasn’t really prepared for the season, and I thought that was pretty interesting,” Greenway said on KFAN, via Chris Tomasson of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was asked about Greenway’s comment and couldn’t confirm or deny, saying only, “I don’t know that Chad was in any of the meetings or the other players when we talked about cut to 53.”
Greenway retired after the 2016 season, spending last season with Boone after the Vikings signed the guard to a four-year, $26.8 million deal in the offseason. Boone signed with the Cardinals on Tuesday after his release from the Vikings.
“It really did surprise me,” Greenway said on Boone being released. “I like Boone. I played with him last year. I thought he brought a really good mentality to the offensive line. I am surprised they ate that much guaranteed money, but that tells me that something was clearly off with his game, with his style of play, that they said, ‘We have to just eat this and move on and go to a younger player and see how that works.’”