Fansided

3 salary cap casualties for the Minnesota Vikings after the 2020 season

By Steven Kubitza

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 11: Head coach Mike Zimmer of the Minnesota Vikings looks on from the sidelines during the second half of NFC Divisional Round Playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings at Levi's Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 11: Head coach Mike Zimmer of the Minnesota Vikings looks on from the sidelines during the second half of NFC Divisional Round Playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings at Levi's Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Minnesota Vikings
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 11: Dan Bailey #5 of the Minnesota Vikings kicks a field goal in the second quarter of the NFC Divisional Round Playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings at Levi’s Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 60. K. . Dan Bailey. 2. player

Dan Bailey has been with the Vikings since 2018 and had a bit of a rocky start. Yet he was able to win a kicking competition last preseason and was rewarded with a three-year, $10 million deal.

Bailey has a cap hit of $3.8 million in 2021 with a dead cap value of $2.1 million. $1.7 million in savings doesn’t jump off the page for the Vikings. However, Bailey will surely be an expendable player if the money gets tight.

He went 21/28 on field goals in 2018 and improved in 2019 with a mark of 27/29, earning him the new deal. He is still not an elite kicker and special teams is a spot where teams can look to save money right away. Bailey should be safe for the 2020 season barring a total collapse.

2021 is where the Vikings can either draft a kicker for cheap or just sign a player for a minimum deal after holding a kicking competition. There is plenty of turnover at the position and the Vikings can get a player well below Bailey’s cap hit of $3.8 million. One potential negative trade-off is a decline in performance, which is true when releasing any veteran simply because of finances.

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