Thread: Vikings to have NFL's 1st $100 Million Dollar Offensive Line . . .

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5948942

[size=10pt][size=10pt]Vikings, McKinnie close to new deal [/size] [/size]
Jay Glazer / FOXSports.com
Posted: 15 minutes ago




The Minnesota Vikings are about to have the NFL's first $100-million offensive line.

FOXSports.com has learned that the Vikings are close to agreeing to terms on a new seven-year extension with starting left tackle Bryant McKinnie worth a possible $53.5 million. The kicker of the deal is that McKinnie, despite never making a Pro Bowl, will get over $18 million in guaranteed money when you factor in his 2006 salary, which becomes guaranteed on Monday.
The new deal is worth between $48.5 and $53.3 million, depending on whether certain incentives are reached.

And he won't even be the highest-paid lineman on the team.

The contract had to average less than what guard Steve Hutchinson earns per season. According to terms of the free-agent contract Hutchinson signed in March, if any lineman has a higher average salary than his number for this season, then Hutchinson's entire $49 million gets guaranteed.

So when you add Hutch's $49 million to McKinnie's $53.5 million, that gives the Vikes the first $100-million o-line tandem in league history.

McKinnie is in the final year of his rookie deal and, assuming the deal gets done, will be taken off the free-agent market for the 2007 shopping season.

The deal is even better for McKinnie because the team was likely to slap him with the dreaded franchise tag next year. The former first-round pick's base salary jumps from a little under $900,000 to almost $4 million in 2006.

AWESOME! Bye far the best news I've heard all day! Its so ironic becuz I was thinking about that today.I was thinking that the second he became a FA next year, he'd be gone.I could see the SeaChickens signing him next year in retaliation to Hutch.GREAT news tho!!!

If it's true that would be great news.

That takes away our biggest concern for next years Free Agency. Fantastic
work by the front office.

I love it.
Get the contract stuff out of the way so him and Hutch can develop some longterm chemistry.

I'm glad he's sticking around, but that is way too much money for a player like him, who isn't even in the Top 5 at his position.

"ItalianStallion" wrote:

I'm glad he's sticking around, but that is way too much money for a player like him, who isn't even in the Top 5 at his position.

Well, they have two options- pay him this much or let him go.
If they let him go, it will be almost impossible to replace him with someone of his caliber (he's not in the top 5, but he's def. a top 10 tackle) unless you hold a top 10 draft pick.

I like that McKinney staying in town(even though he still has to prove himself), but I don't like how much the Vikes need to spend to keep him.

With the money the Vikings are dishing out right now, just on the O-Line, they better be the best O-Line in history (even better than the '98 Vikings O-Line) next year.
Heh.

"ItalianStallion" wrote:

I'm glad he's sticking around, but that is way too much money for a player like him, who isn't even in the Top 5 at his position.

That's true.

But like aceclown said, we had to overpay him a little bit, to make sure we wouldn't lose him in free agency.

If Bryant Mckinnie could improve on his run blocking, he would be a top 5 player at his position. He's already a great pass blocking tackle, but his run blocking needs improvement.

Now that he's gonna get the money . . . let's see if he worth it!

"WilliamsonOfTroy" wrote:

AWESOME! Bye far the best news I've heard all day! Its so ironic becuz I was thinking about that today.I was thinking that the second he became a FA next year, he'd be gone.I could see the SeaChickens signing him next year in retaliation to Hutch.GREAT news tho!!!

They don't need McKinnie, they have Walter Jones at LT.