The Vikings came just short of reaching the Super Bowl this year and it’s not clear whether Brian Robison will be a part of the redemption effort next season. In a radio interview on Monday, the defensive end said that he is pondering retirement. 
“I think that’s a decision I’m going to have to make here over the next few weeks,” said Robison (via La Velle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune). “I think I need to sit down with my wife and talk about it and maybe sit down with [General Manager Rick Spielman] and just think it out. You don’t want to make any spur-of-the-moment decisions just because your emotions are all over the place. You want your mind to calm down and think things through. It is a very important decision.”
Last spring, Robison inked an extension with the team to take him through the 2018 season. At the time, he said that he would retire after the ’18 campaign. Now, those plans might be accelerated.
Robison will turn 35 in April and the longtime starter is showing signs of decline. After starting nearly every game for Minnesota from 2011-2016, the veteran made just one start in 2017. His four sacks and 20 tackles were his lowest posting since 2010 and his 53.4 overall score from Pro Football Focus portrayed him as a below-average edge defender.
Robison is due a base salary of $3.2MM in 2018 with $1.25MM guaranteed, plus $200K in per-game roster bonuses and $100K through a workout bonus. Even if Robison decides to continue playing, the team may choose to move on from him and save ~$2MM.
It’ll be sad to see a quality guy go. He is slowing down so I see where Minnesota could decide to move on. Hard to find individuals of this character these days though.
He busts up more plays than John Wilkes Booth. While he may be slowing down a bit he is still better than the rest in the NFL. I hope we get at least one more year of mic drops !! \m/ SKOL