The Money Goes to the Mountain
The Minnesota Vikings on Friday night reached agreement with standout left offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie on a new seven-year, $48.5 million contract, team and league sources confirmed. The deal takes the fifth-year veteran out of the unrestricted free agent market next spring.
This makes me quite happy, for a couple of reasons.
- The ass-kicking left side of our offensive line is now going to be together until at least 2013.
- If you'll recall, Steve Hutchinson's contract had a clause in it that states all his money ($49 million) becomes guaranteed if there comes a point where he isn't the highest paid O-lineman on the team. Hutch has a $49 million deal. . .McKinnie's deal? $48.5 million. Half a million less than Hutch, which means his total compensation is less (by $500,000), and his annual average is less (by about $80,000/year). Again, tell me that Rob Brzezinski doesn't rule the known world and several outlying planets.
- This is just one less thing we have to worry about next year, when McKinnie would have become a free agent, and we no doubt would have ended up franchising him and STILL possibly losing him to another team.