Minnesota Vikings and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah continue to make out like bandits following Aidan Hutchinson extension news

Jonathan Greenard continues to be a steal

The price for an elite edge rusher continues to skyrocket, and it makes sense why. Having a great player at that position makes everything easier for your defense, as they can get into the backfield and attack consistently, not to mention forcing double teams and using either tight ends or running backs to chip.

The Vikings have one of those in Jonathan Greenard. He may not have the sack production so far this season, but he has 30 pressures so far, which is tied for 14th in the NFL. Even with him being slightly lower with his pressure number, Greenard is just four away from being seventh on the list, which is where Garrett sits.

What Greenard does for the Vikings is exactly what you see from all the elite edge rushers in the NFL: he attacks every gap with a vengeance and wreaks havoc. He also faces an ample amount of double teams, and still finds a way to impact the quarterback.

Where things get really interesting is looking at Greenard's contract compared to the elite players at the position. Now, Greenard isn't quite up to par for those players, but is in the next tier below them. Where he becomes a steal is with his contract. Greenard is currently the 17th-ranked edge rusher in average annual value at $19 million per season with Brian Burns of the New York Giants making an average of $28.2 million per season. Greenard is playing like a top-10 player at the position, and his contract is looking more and more like a steal.

It was a gutsy move for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to sign Greenard instead of the incumbant Danielle Hunter, who signed a two-year deal worth up to $51 million in total, and the Texans already gave him a one-year extension. The thought process was that Greenard was a better fit in Brian Flores' defense, and it paid major dividends.

It's paying off in that Greenard is massively outplaying his contract, making just 40.86% of what Parsons is at the top of the market. Right now, the Vikings have a surplus with Greenard, as Over The Cap has him valued at $25.86 million per season. Earlier this year, I wrote about how the Vikings should sign Greenard to an extension worth more money, because the longer the Vikings wait, the more Greenard is going to command.

There is an argument to enjoy the salary cap surplus that Greenard gives them with his ability, but Adofo-Mensah has shown the willingness to take care of his players early on, and it would behoove them to do the same here.

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