FEBRUARY 3: Felton confirmed to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that he has officially opted out of his contract with the Vikings, which will make him a free agent.
DECEMBER 26: Vikings fullback Jerome Felton said he has decided to opt out of his contract at season’s end and become a free agent this offseason, reports Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.
“The economics of my thing is they’re not going to pay me $2.5 million,’’ said Felton. “You wouldn’t just stay in a contract knowing your salary is that high. There’s no guarantee in the contract, so it wouldn’t make sense for me to opt in. So I’m a free agent after this season. If they wanted, they could re-sign me (at a lesser amount).’’
Felton has been considering opting out for a while now, despite having his base salary reduced this past offseason. A number of factors have contributed to his decision, including a heavy snap reduction under offensive coordinator Norv Turner.
Part of that could be the presence of Zach Line on the roster, and also the lack of commitment to the running game without Adrian Peterson in 2014.
Felton has not ruled out the possibility of returning to the Vikings despite opting out. “You never say never,’’ Felton said. “I like the coaching staff and I appreciate the organization. We’ll see what the future holds.’’