Munnerlyn's deal, according to ESPN Stats & Information, includes $4.45 million in guaranteed money, and is worth $11.25 million over the next three years. The former
Carolina Panthers cornerback, who signed with the Vikings on Thursday, can push his total compensation to almost $15 million through incentives, but the Vikings certainly won't be stuck with a big bill if things don't pan out with Munnerlyn.
His signing bonus is just $1 million, meaning the Vikings only have to count $333,333 of it against the cap in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Like
Matt Cassel and
Linval Joseph, Munnerlyn will get a roster bonus next week, paying him $1.5 million. But like those players, most of his up-front money will count against the cap this year, not in future seasons.
It's another example of the Vikings' pay-as-you-go strategy, and despite the team's big spending this week, it's likely to keep them out of cap purgatory in years to come; the Vikings have just over $109 million committed to 42 players for the 2015 season, when the cap is expected to spike again to north of $140 million. Tight end Kyle Rudolph is projected to be the Vikings' only major free agent after the 2014 season, and low guaranteed dollar figures should give the Vikings some cap flexibility.
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= Playoffs
