The Vikings and tackle Riley Reiff are stuck in a late-camp salary impasse, and for now Reiff is creating the impression that he won’t blink.
Per a league source, Reiff has told teammates he expects to be cut. This means that he doesn’t expect to reduce his $10.9 million salary for 2020.
Cutting Reiff would create $8.7 million in cap space, with $2.2 million in dead money this year and another $2.2 million next year.
It’s a common late-August dynamic for veterans with non-guaranteed contracts. After rosters elsewhere are set, the team gives the player an ultimatum on a reduced salary. By then, it will be difficult if not impossible for the player to get as much or more elsewhere.
Behind the scenes, Reiff’s agent will gauge the market before making a final decision. Although it’s tampering for another team to tell Reiff’s agent what Reiff would be paid if he suddenly becomes available, it happens all the time.
Reiff, 31, was a first-round pick of the Lions in 2012. He signed a five-year, $58.75 million deal with the Vikings as a free agent in 2017. He has made $36 million in three years with the Vikings.