Vikings, Dalvin Tomlinson Extend Contract Negotiating Window

Earlier this week, we thought (DT) Dalvin Tomlinson became a free agent. That’s because his contract was scheduled to void on Monday, which would have replaced his future services, as a Minnesota Viking, with a $7.5 million dead cap penalty.

But on Wednesday morning, Field Yates (ESPN) is reporting that the Vikings and Tomlinson reached an agreement to extend that deadline from February 20 to March 15, allowing the two sides to continue extension talks without that $7.5 million in dead cap hitting the books.

Vikings DT Dalvin Tomlinson’s deal was set to void in recent days, which would have pushed $7.5M of dead money onto their 2023 cap. The team & Tomlinson agreed to move the void date to 3/15. This buys more time for a possible extension that avoids all $7.5M hitting the 2023 cap.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) February 22, 2023

This news makes me believe that Tomlinson is more likely to sign an extension in Minnesota, than he is to leave for free agency. If signing Dalvin Tomlinson wasn’t Kwesi Adofo-Mansah’s priority, there would have been no point in extending the void deadline.

Dead cap money doesn’t just go away, even if the Vikings bring Tomlinson back. It does, however, allow Kwesi to push $5 million of that penalty into the future.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan