Minnesota Vikings Defensive Tackle Blacklock Takes Pay Cut

The Minnesota Vikings are doing everything they can to clear cap space ahead of 2023 free agency, including asking some players to tighten their belts. Defensive tackle Ross Blacklock took a roughly $683 K pay cut which can be earned back in incentives.

#Ravens NT Michael Pierce took a $2 million pay cut as part of a contract restructure that cleared $2.668M. He can earn back the difference in incentives.

Same for #Vikings DT Ross Blacklock, who took a roughly $683K cut and can earn it back through a playtime incentive.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 10, 2023

The Vikings traded for Blacklock last offseason, giving up a sixth-round pick in exchange for Blacklock and a seventh. He initially entered the league as the Houston Texans' 40th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. So far, he has failed to carve out a role for himself in the NFL, playing a mere 849 defensive snaps over 29 appearances.

Blacklock's pay cut indicates the precarious place his career presently finds itself. He only has 38 tackles and 3.0 sacks to his name, and it isn't like he has been trapped on deep defensive lines; the Vikings ranked 31st in yards allowed, and so did his Texans in 2021. Even with this team-friendly transaction, he's at risk of being cut before the regular season.