Earlier this week, Vikings offensive lineman Phil Loadholt announced his retirement from football. While Loadholt cited his health as the driving factor in his decision, Mike Florio of PFT wonders if the veteran’s recent pay cut was an even greater motivation to walk away from the sport. This spring, the Vikings pushed Loadholt to amend his ~$5.5MM base salary to a $2MM base for 2016 with up to $3.5MM in incentives. Ultimately, Loadholt may have opted for early retirement rather than playing for a reduced salary this season.
Here’s more from the NFC North:
- Or, maybe Loadholt did retire because of injuries. The lineman had a setback two weeks ago while working out in Houston, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (on Twitter) hears. The leg issue, which was unrelated to his troublesome Achilles tendon, would have sidelined him during training camp.
- Former Miami wide receiver Tyler Davis and former Green Bay wide receiver Larry Pinkard both worked out for the Lions earlier this week, along with quarterback Jimmy Clausen, ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein tweets. However, after the Lions added Anquan Boldin on Wednesday, it’s not clear if there is still a spot available for Pinkard or Davis.
- Yesterday, we discussed the Vikings’ offseason with reporter Darren Wolfson.