00:00The guaranteed money for the UDFA class of the Minnesota Vikings has been released,
00:04and it shows the brilliance of Cueso Fomensa's roster construction.
00:08How does that work? It's very simple.
00:13The Minnesota Vikings have done a great job with the UDFA class.
00:17During the tenure of Cueso Fomensa, there have been eight players who have made the 53-man roster
00:23from the undrafted free agency ranks.
00:25Just Luigi Villain in 2022, and seven over the last two years.
00:32They've done a great job of identifying talent and paying them to come to Minnesota,
00:38and that's the important part.
00:39They're giving them money.
00:41So let's talk about the reason why.
00:44And one of the interesting things about the why behind it is how the Vikings have ended up using that money.
00:51Now, you're only allowed to give out a certain amount of money in bonuses, and the Vikings did just that.
00:58They maxed out that bonus money, and only Tyler Batty ended up getting a bonus above $20,000 to $25,000.
01:05But it's the guaranteed salary that makes the most sense.
01:09It's a guaranteed salary where that brilliance comes in.
01:12So let's take a look at it.
01:13The Minnesota Vikings gave six players $234,000 in guaranteed money, and they did give away two signing bonuses of $20,000.
01:23One to tight end Ben Urasek, and one to edge rusher Chaz Chambliss, both of whom were from Georgia.
01:28Another interesting element in this whole conversation.
01:31Of the nine players that got over $200,000 combined in fully guaranteed money,
01:36they all came from Power 5 programs, or Power 4 now.
01:42The Pac-12 should still be alive, I promise.
01:45But it's really interesting.
01:47Where does $234,000 come from?
01:50Why does that make sense?
01:51Why does that ring a bell?
01:53I can tell you.
01:54It is the salary, a year's salary, for a player who's on the practice squad for all 18 weeks.
02:02Yep.
02:02The number matters.
02:04So, Tyler Batty, if he's on the practice squad all 18 weeks, guess what?
02:09They would have given him $234,000 anyways.
02:12And if any of these guys are cut and then claimed off of waivers, guess what?
02:17The Vikings no longer have to give them that guaranteed money.
02:19They only have to worry about the signing bonus.
02:21The signing bonus is so minimal.
02:23$25,000, yeah, it's a lot of money.
02:25But when it comes to an NFL salary cap, it's pennies on the dollar.
02:30It's not that big of a deal.
02:31So, the Vikings are expecting these six players to at least stay on the practice squad.
02:36So, you've got an edge rusher in Tyler Batty, tight end Ben Yurasek, cornerbacks of Maivon, linebacker Austin Keyes, offensive tackle Logan Brown, and quarterback Max Brosmer.
02:45They expect those guys to be on the practice squad.
02:48They have essentially said, hey, we are writing you down in pencil to be on the practice squad.
02:53The money matches that.
02:55So, they're using that to their advantage.
02:59The player knows that they're going to get $234,000 plus their signing bonus no matter what.
03:07And it's also interesting that those players are also going to be making more than both Kobe King and Gavin Bartholomew from a guaranteed perspective.
03:18Now, Kobe King and Gavin Bartholomew each have signing bonuses around $200,000.
03:25But, they have zero guaranteed base salary.
03:29And that's where being an undrafted free agent can really come into play.
03:33Why?
03:34Being an undrafted free agent, you can guarantee salary.
03:37You don't get that with a rookie contract that late in the draft.
03:41So, the Vikings have really done a good job in maneuvering and figuring out how to maximize the talent that they bring in in these spots.
03:51Will it work?
03:53It's already worked.
03:54They've got guys like Ivan Pace doing this.
03:56And Ivan Pace is one of the better linebackers we've had in this building in a long time.
04:03Kwecito Fomentz is just brilliant.
04:04He understands how to play the game and plays it well.
