Just like the NFL news cycle, building the best 53-man roster really is a year-round process. For a team like the Minnesota Vikings, who entered the offseason with a limited amount of cap space and draft capital, improving the roster after a 13-win season was always going to be a challenge for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Whether the 2023 Vikings will be better than the 2022 version is up for debate, but we can’t argue the fact that the team is trying to get creative as they put together their best roster ahead of training camp.
The latest example came after the NFL Draft was over, with the Vikings able to secure 15 undrafted free agents, which is a common number for teams as they look to fill out the roster. What was uncommon was how much the organization paid one of their priority free-agent signings.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Vikings signed outside linebacker Andre Carter II out of Army by offering a base salary guarantee of $300,000 while chipping in a signing bonus of $40K for one of the top undrafted players available.
Related: 2023 undrafted NFL free agent tracker: Team-by-team signings and more
Measuring in at 6-foot-6, plus having posted a 14.5 sack season in 2021, as you can imagine, there was likely a lot of competition for the 22-year-old edge rusher once the draft wrapped up. Carter was likely in heavy consideration to come off the board at the end of the NFL Draft.
Yet, instead of hearing his name called during draft weekend, Carter still managed to secure a nice payday, even if it doesn’t quite match the $705,000 rookie salary that even the last draft pick receives on his rookie contract as Brock Purdy saw last season.
Except the major difference here is that Carter’s 300K is fully guaranteed. He doesn’t even have to make the roster. It’s one of the biggest guarantee amounts an undrafted rookie has ever received in the NFL.
Generally when a player receives such a large signing bonus, it’s not only an indication that the team really likes his skillset but also increases the chances of him making the final roster. With players like Danielle Hunter, Za’Darius Smith (for now), and Marcus Davenport all on the depth chart well ahead of Carter, he’ll have his work cut out for him this summer.
Related: Minnesota Vikings will listen to trade offers for multiple Pro Bowl players