Vikings veteran LB Chad Greenway tells Tom Pelissero that his agent and the team are currently working towards a new contract that would allow him to remain in Minnesota for the 2015 season.
Vikings GM Rick Spielman previously told Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune that there’s no question that they would like to have Greenway back next year.
“We have a lot of things that we’ll be working through between now and before March 10th [when free agents can be signed], but we’d love to have Chad Greenway back and finish [his career] as a Minnesota Viking,” Spielman said.
The problem, of course, is the fact that Greenway stands to make a base salary of $7 million for the 2015 season to go along with a cap figure of $8 million.
Over the course of his career, Greenway has been a very durable player, but this past season, he missed time due to a broken hand, broken ribs, and finished out the year with a knee injury, so there are some concerns about keeping him at his current rate.
Greenway, 32, has one year remaining on his five-year, $40.6 million contract that included $20 million guaranteed.
According to OverTheCap.com, releasing Greenway would free up $7.1 million in available cap space while creating $1.7 million in dead money for the Vikings.
In 2014, Greenway recorded 93 tackles, one sack, a forced fumble and three pass defenses over the course of 12 games. However, Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 38 outside linebacker in a 4-3 defense out of 40 qualifying players.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
Booooooooo! great guy and has been a great player for the Vikings for years but his days are over. rated one of the worst linebackers in pro football. are the Vikings serious give me a break
The Vikings are presently $13 million under the cap. With a cut in pay, that number goes up to $17 million. How does a one year deal that pushes the cap space up restrict this team? He is a locker room guy, a class act, and still the best option at his position presently on the roster. It’s stupid to cut him…it doesn’t improve the team.
I disagree that he is the best option. When Gerald Hodges is in, he makes plays. When Chad is in, he misses tackles, assignments, and gets beat in coverage routinely. Give the young guys their shot. He’s had his already.
I guess I agree with Coach Zimmer who says Greenway is the best LB on the team at his position. Also, no one said anything about being on the field every down. I’ve listened to Hodges many times and when asked about who he goes to for advice, he says without hesitation that it is Greenway. If you pay him $3 million to be a part time player, part time coach, you are miles ahead than signing some street free agent to provide depth. You don’t cut locker room guys especially on a team this young.
I really like Coach and I think he can lead this team to be a champion. I think Greenway is a class act, as well. But let’s face it, Greenway is too slow to cover tight ends down the middle and he is definitely not an edge rusher. In the run game, he’s missed more tackles than almost every linebacker who had 1000 snaps in the past three years(76 out of 78 tackled better then him). He’s paid to play football, not coach it. Maybe we should make him a full-time coach instead?