Jerome Felton To Opt Out Of Contract Next Season

In a move that shouldn't come as a huge surprise, Minnesota Vikings' fullback Jerome Felton has told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that he will be opting out of his contract after this season to test the free agent market.

"The economics of my thing is they're not going to pay me $2.5 million,'' Felton told the Pioneer Press. "You wouldn't just stay in a contract knowing your salary is that high. There's no guarantee in the contract, so it wouldn't make sense for me to opt in. So I'm a free agent after this season. If they wanted, they could re-sign me (at a lesser amount).''

This season, the Vikings have made less use of the fullback spot than they have over the past few seasons. According to Pro Football Focus, Felton has been on the field for only 16% of the team's offensive snaps in 2014 (158 of 986). He did score his first career touchdown with a fumble recovery against the New York Jets in Minnesota's 30-24 overtime victory against them in Week 14.

The good news on this front for the Vikings is that Felton has a $2.5 million cap figure for next year, which will immediately go towards the team's available space. Felton mentioned the possibility of re-signing with the team for a smaller salary than he was due next season. However, as is the case with many NFL teams now, the fullback position simply isn't a priority any more in Minnesota.