Christian Darrisaw signs rookie contract

We know that the Minnesota Vikings have started signing the members of their 2021 NFL Draft class, and yours truly speculated that it would probably take a while for the first player they selected a couple of weeks ago to get his deal done.

Oops.

Offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw, who the Vikings selected with the 23rd overall pick in this April’s selection meeting, has agreed to the terms of his rookie contract.

According to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Darrisaw’s deal is a four-year contract worth $13.35 million with a team option for a fifth year. He received a signing bonus of $7.066 million and will have a 2021 salary cap figure of $2.426 million.

The value of the fifth-year option for Darrisaw will depend on a number of factors connected to playing time and performance. Here’s a look at those from the folks at Over The Cap:

• Multiple Pro Bowls: Fifth-year option salary will be equal to the franchise player tender at offensive tackle
• One Pro Bowl: Fifth-year option salary will be equal to the transition player tender at offensive tackle
• Playtime criteria: Fifth-year option salary will be equal to the average of the 3rd through 20th-highest paid offensive tackles in the NFL. This will trigger if Darrisaw plays 75% or more of the Vikings’ snaps in two of his first three seasons, an average of 75% of the Vikings’ snaps or more in his first three seasons, or a total of 50% of the Vikings snaps in his first three seasons.
• Basic: If Darrisaw does not meet any of the above criteria, his fifth-year option salary will be equal to the average of the 3rd through 25th-highest paid offensive tackles in the league.

Once a team chooses to exercise the fifth-year option on a player, that money becomes fully guaranteed. Here’s hoping that Darrisaw breaks the bank, honestly.

Congratulations to Christian Darrisaw on officially becoming a member of the Minnesota Vikings and the National Football League!