Insight on McKinnie deal
The timing and staggering size of this deal may seem curious to many of you. But this actually could be a win-win deal for the Vikings and McKinnie.
Why, you ask, would the Vikings make Bryant McKinnie, who has never been to a Pro Bowl, the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL? Because left tackle is one of the most difficult -- and important -- positions to fill in the NFL. The position requires a massize, tremendously athletic man who also is most responsible for protecting the blind side of right-handed quarterbacks against some of the most league's athletic defensive players. Without a good left tackle, offenses have to allocate a tight end to help block the right defensive end, which means there is one less option for quarterbacks.
The position is also a good investment because tackles -- and offensive linemen in general -- tend to have the fewest major injuries.
While McKinnie has not yet been to a Pro Bowl, he is a gifted athlete with unlimited potential. The Vikings are banking on him tapping into that -- or at least continuing to play at his current clip, which would still make him among the league's top 10 at his position.
The Vikings also have little leverage in negotiations because left tackles are always in demand and, thus, overpaid.
Two months ago, the Cincinnati Bengals locked up Levi Jones, the 10th overall in the 2002 NFL draft, three spots behind McKinnie, to a six-year, $40 million extension that included $14 million in guarantees.
McKinnie is better than Jones, and he's better than anyone else who will become a free agent in the next few years. In addition, left tackles are rarely diamonds in the rough. The league's elite are usually high draft picks, so the Vikings would only be gambling on an unproven commodity in future drafts. Too, those players are going to cost as much -- if not more -- than McKinnie.
Consider that D'Brickashaw Ferguson, the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft, got a guarantee of at least $17 million.
Fact is, McKinnie's run as the highest-paid offensive linemen will be short-lived, possibly trumped by a rookie from the 2007 NFL draft class.
So why did the Vikings cough up $18 million in guarantees? Because that's the going rate for a premier left tackle. Had he become a free agent next offseason, the Vikings surely would have slapped a franchise tender on him. The tag at his position would have been about $8 million.
What's wrong with that, you ask? Well, if McKinnie does have a Pro Bowl season, he'd command guarantees well north of $20 million. And history shows that offensive tackles (see Walter Jones and Orland Pace) aren't afraid to hold out. In fact, McKinnie held out 98 days during his rookie season. You think he'd blink about holding out as a coveted veteran? In the end, more than any other position, offensive tackles get what they want (Jones and Pace are among the NFL's five highest-paid offensive linemen).
If the Vikings couldn't swing a deal next year, then McKinnie would be content waiting until the following offseason, when his franchise tender skyrockets 120 percent, to nearly $18 million.
See how we get to that ultimate number?
In the end, as mentioned above, the Vikings are playing the odds. While he has not yet been to the Pro Bowl, McKinnie has been a consistent performer at left tackle, and he's started every game the past three seasons.
Just as important, the Vikings can avoid another dramatic holdout and distraction, and they can continue to show that they're willing to pay a premium price for talented players.
Why, you ask, would the Vikings make Bryant McKinnie, who has never been to a Pro Bowl, the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL? Because left tackle is one of the most difficult -- and important -- positions to fill in the NFL. The position requires a massize, tremendously athletic man who also is most responsible for protecting the blind side of right-handed quarterbacks against some of the most league's athletic defensive players. Without a good left tackle, offenses have to allocate a tight end to help block the right defensive end, which means there is one less option for quarterbacks.
The position is also a good investment because tackles -- and offensive linemen in general -- tend to have the fewest major injuries.
While McKinnie has not yet been to a Pro Bowl, he is a gifted athlete with unlimited potential. The Vikings are banking on him tapping into that -- or at least continuing to play at his current clip, which would still make him among the league's top 10 at his position.
The Vikings also have little leverage in negotiations because left tackles are always in demand and, thus, overpaid.
Two months ago, the Cincinnati Bengals locked up Levi Jones, the 10th overall in the 2002 NFL draft, three spots behind McKinnie, to a six-year, $40 million extension that included $14 million in guarantees.
McKinnie is better than Jones, and he's better than anyone else who will become a free agent in the next few years. In addition, left tackles are rarely diamonds in the rough. The league's elite are usually high draft picks, so the Vikings would only be gambling on an unproven commodity in future drafts. Too, those players are going to cost as much -- if not more -- than McKinnie.
Consider that D'Brickashaw Ferguson, the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft, got a guarantee of at least $17 million.
Fact is, McKinnie's run as the highest-paid offensive linemen will be short-lived, possibly trumped by a rookie from the 2007 NFL draft class.
So why did the Vikings cough up $18 million in guarantees? Because that's the going rate for a premier left tackle. Had he become a free agent next offseason, the Vikings surely would have slapped a franchise tender on him. The tag at his position would have been about $8 million.
What's wrong with that, you ask? Well, if McKinnie does have a Pro Bowl season, he'd command guarantees well north of $20 million. And history shows that offensive tackles (see Walter Jones and Orland Pace) aren't afraid to hold out. In fact, McKinnie held out 98 days during his rookie season. You think he'd blink about holding out as a coveted veteran? In the end, more than any other position, offensive tackles get what they want (Jones and Pace are among the NFL's five highest-paid offensive linemen).
If the Vikings couldn't swing a deal next year, then McKinnie would be content waiting until the following offseason, when his franchise tender skyrockets 120 percent, to nearly $18 million.
See how we get to that ultimate number?
In the end, as mentioned above, the Vikings are playing the odds. While he has not yet been to the Pro Bowl, McKinnie has been a consistent performer at left tackle, and he's started every game the past three seasons.
Just as important, the Vikings can avoid another dramatic holdout and distraction, and they can continue to show that they're willing to pay a premium price for talented players.
posted by Unknown at 3:17 PM
3 Comments:
Thanks Sean... Any chance the purple attempt to increase Brad Johnson's deal current? It was headline material when there was little else to talk about, and now it has disappeared.
Thanks for the feedback, guys. If there is anything you want to know about, just post a question.
Sean
Great points, Sean... I had a hard time understanding such a massive deal for McKinnie (I thought he'd be gone after this year), but the main point I came away with was that there won't be very many good left tackles in the free agency market for several years now, and that plus it's going to keep most of the line together for many years, thus allowing the opportunity to get better through repetition.
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