The Minnesota Vikings entered the 2023 offseason with salary cap concerns. Over the cap, some tough decisions had to be made, including cutting wide receiver Adam Thielen. The Minnesota native had spent his entire career with his hometown team but moved on to the Carolina Panthers as his nearly $20 million cap hit was too much.
Thielen was far from the only loss that the Vikings suffered this offseason. Their much-maligned defense lost three key contributors in Dalvin Tomlinson, Patrick Peterson and Eric Kendricks, who all departed in free agency.
The front office did its best to address those departures, signing Dean Lowry, Marcus Davenport and Byron Murphy. But, out of all of the moves that the Vikings made, it was the re-signing of running back Alexander Mattison that was regarded as the top under-the-radar transaction.
Mattison signed a new deal with the Vikings that guarantees him $6.35 million over two seasons. It was a move that piqued a lot of interest because the running back market was slow this offseason and because it goes against how the franchise normally operates. Could this signing be a sign of things to come?
Locking Mattison up at a favorable price beyond 2023 could be a sign that the Vikings are going to seriously consider trading Dalvin Cook. Cook has thus far refused a pay cut, leaving the team in a tough spot. But, the contract that Mattison received shows that the team is confident in him taking over should they move on from Cook.
After seeing the fewest touches of his career in 2022 with only 89, you can be sure that Mattison will see his role increase one way or another. Backup running backs do not get paid that much money, which gives the impression that more moves are on the horizon.
Whenever Mattison has filled in for Cook, he has excelled. In six games without Cook in his career, Mattison has 477 rushing yards, 216 receiving yards and five total touchdowns. He certainly has the skill set to become a featured back and we could see that unfold in Minnesota this season.
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