Vikings Want To Keep Chad Greenway. . .For Less

We're getting close to the start of free agency in the National Football League, and while we're waiting for cuts around the league to really start flowing, one of the main names that fans of the Minnesota Vikings are concerned about is linebacker Chad Greenway.

Greenway is slated to make a little more than $7 million in 2015, and the consensus has been that if he does come back, there's no way he's going to be making that amount of money. His level of play has really dropped off over the past couple of seasons, and he's battled injuries in both.

Both the team and Greenway have acknowledged that there are some "issues to work through" to facilitate Greenway's return, and that $7 million price tag would have to be the main one. Still, as Pro Football Talk reports, both sides have expressed mutual interest in Greenway playing for the Vikings next season.

The linebacker position hasn't been a huge strength for the Vikings the past couple of seasons, and at least a little bit of that can be attributed to the drop-off in Greenway's play. Still, with Anthony Barr coming off of a strong rookie campaign and a young cast that includes Gerald Hodges (who would, presumably, replace Greenway if he isn't back) and Audie Cole, the cupboard may not be completely bare at the position.

I still think it's going to be a bit of an upset if Greenway is back with the Vikings next season, and if he is back, I'd have a hard time believing that he's going to have the same sort of role. Still, I'm not privy to what's going on inside of Winter Park, so it might not be a huge surprise if Greenway is back, either.