Minnesota Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman has locked down his middle linebacker for the next five seasons.

Eric Kendricks has signed a brand new five-year contract according to the Minnesota Vikings. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network says that the deal is worth $50 million with $25 million guaranteed.

Kendricks was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of UCLA. He has appeared in 45 of a possible 48 regular season games in that timeframe. So far during his career he has tallied 314 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and two interceptions in his first three seasons. Those two interceptions were returned for touchdowns.

He joins defensive players Xavier Rhodes, Everson Griffen, Harrison Smith, and Linval Joseph as players who have recently had their contracts extended. All of those players have contracts that now run up to or beyond 2022.

The last potential piece of the puzzle on the defensive side in terms of contracts now comes down to Anthony Barr. Barr is currently scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the beginning of the 2019 league year.


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