Yannick Ngakoue trade could come at big price for Kirk Cousins
By Mike Luciano
Yannick Ngakoue could cause some issues for the Minnesota Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings showed that they are serious about competing for a Super Bowl this season, trading for disgruntled Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue despite the presence of Danielle Hunter and several other quality backups.
However, Ngakoue will come with a hefty price tag, and the area Minnesota is considering cutting costs could be lethal for quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The Vikings have given left tackle Riley Reiff, who is set to account for a $13.2 million cap hit this season, the option of taking a pay cut to give them the financial room to accommodate Ngakoue. Reiff has taken the day off to mull this request over.
In place of him, right tackle Brian O’Neill has shifted over to left tackle, while 2019 sixth-rounder Oli Udoh is taking snaps at right tackle over 2020 second-round pick Ezra Cleveland.
Hearing the Vikings have gone to LT Riley Reiff about re-structuring his contract. If he’s not willing, they may cut him to save more than $8M in cap space.
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) August 31, 2020
Sounds like it may not have been a fluke that Brian O’Neill was at LT at practice yesterday.
Riley Reiff was inconsistent last season, so Minnesota could cut him for Ngakoue
Reiff’s respectable 71.2 PFF grade can be a bit deceiving, as he committed eight penalties and allowed five sacks despite being one of the highest-paid tackles in the league. The Vikings want Reiff around, as they gave him the option of taking a pay cut, but keeping him with his expensive salary is too much for Minnesota to stomach.
Cousins, for all his strengths, is whatever the polar opposite of what an elite athlete at the quarterback position is. Keeping him upright in the pocket is an absolute must, and squabbling on financial matters with your left tackle a few weeks before the season is slated to start isn’t an ideal situation.
Players who would create the most cap space for the #Vikings if traded:
— Adam Patrick (@Str8_Cash_Homey) August 30, 2020
Anthony Harris - $11.4M
Riley Reiff - $11M
Anthony Barr - $10.1M
Minnesota could certainly do worse than Reiff at left tackle, but potentially replacing him with more cost-effective O’Neill and Cleveland could help them absorb the financial burden Ngakoue brings with him. If Reiff refuses to take a pay cut and ends up on the market, poor performances from his replacements could be enough to derail the Vikings’ offense.
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