The Raiders agreed to terms with Shelley on Thursday.
The 2019 sixth-rounder is coming off a 2022 campaign with the Vikings in which he recorded 31 tackles and an interception in 11 games. With Las Vegas, Shelley has a chance to earn steady snaps in a cornerback corps that also includes David Long, Nate Hobbs, Brandon Facyson, Amik Robertson and Sam Webb.
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Vikings' Jonathan Bullard: Back with Vikings
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Minnesota is re-signing Bullard on Tuesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Bullard played a depth role in his 12 appearances with the Vikings last season, recording 23 tackles (17 solo). The 29-year-old looks set to handle a similar reserve gig for Minnesota in the 2023 campaign.
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Vikings' Harrison Smith: Staying on restructured deal
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Smith agreed to a restructured two-year contract to remain in Minnesota on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The new deal will pay Smith $8 million in 2023, with $2 million in incentives. Smith has played his entire 11-year career with Minnesota, posting at least 78 tackles in each of the last seven seasons.
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Vikings' Kenny Willekes: Re-signs with Minnesota
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Willekes (undisclosed) re-signed with Minnesota on Wednesday.
Willekes spent the entire 2022 campaign on IR due to an undisclosed injury, but he appears to be healthy after agreeing to re-sign with Minnesota. The 2020 seventh-round pick has appeared in only six NFL contests -- all coming in 2021 -- and totaled 18 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one pass defense across 194 defensive snaps during those matchups.
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Browns' Dalvin Tomlinson: Cashes in with Cleveland
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Tomlinson agreed to a four-year, $57.5 million contract with the Browns on Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Tomlinson's deal -- which can't be consummated until the new league year begins Wednesday -- includes $27.5 million guaranteed. The 29-year-old defensive tackle has been remarkably consistent, totaling between 39 and 59 tackles in each of his six NFL seasons. Cleveland will be Tomlinson's third team, as he spent the past two seasons in Minnesota after opening his career with the Giants for four years.
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Chargers' Eric Kendricks: Lands in Los Angeles
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Kendricks is in line to sign with the Chargers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
After spending the first eight seasons of his career in Minnesota, it took little time for Kendricks to find a landing spot with the Chargers. The veteran's signing shouldn't come as much of a surprise, as fellow inside linebackers Drue Tranquill, Kyle Van Noy and Troy Reeder are all unrestricted free agents this offseason. Last season, the 31-year-old Kendricks proved he could still contribute, playing a career-high 1,051 defensive snaps on his way to 137 tackles (87 solo), one sack, a fumble recovery and six passes defended. He'll look to build upon his stellar performance and provide a boost to an already impressive defensive unit.
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Commanders' Cameron Dantzler: Claimed off waivers by Washington
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Washington claimed Dantzler off waivers Monday, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Dantzler was waived by Minnesota on Friday and will head to Washington ahead of the new league year. The 2020 third-round pick has totaled 149 tackles, 17 pass defenses, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three defensive touchdowns in 35 appearances across his first three NFL seasons. He figures to compete for a rotational role in Washington's secondary during the offseason.
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Steelers' Patrick Peterson: Heads to Steelers on two-year pact
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The Steelers and Peterson agreed to terms on a two-year, $14 million contract contract Monday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.
Peterson turns 33 this summer and reportedly wants to play at least two more seasons. After spending 10 seasons with the Cardinals, Peterson started 30 games for the Vikings over the last two years. He's no longer an elite shutdown corner, but Peterson provides solid coverage on the outside.
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Vikings' Jordan Hicks: Restructures contract with Vikings
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Hicks agreed to a restructured contract Monday, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star-Trubune reports.
Hicks was scheduled to count $6.5 million against the Vikings' cap in 2023, but he's converted a portion of his salary into a bonus to create room for Minnesota. The 30-year-old started all 17 games for the Vikings last season, recording 129 tackles and three sacks on 81 percent of the defensive snaps.
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Cameron Dantzler: Done in Minnesota
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The Vikings waived Dantzler on Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Dantzler began his career in Minnesota back in 2020 and drew nine starts last season, but he was ultimately part of the reason why the Vikings sported a league-worst pass defense. After having registered 50 tackles and five passes defensed in 2022, Dantzler will now look for playing opportunities elsewhere.
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Vikings' Ross Blacklock: Agrees to adjusted contract
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Blacklock and the Vikings agreed Wednesday to restructure his contract for the 2023 season to the NFL veteran minimum of $1.01 million, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
The renegotiation now saves Minnesota roughly $683,000 in cap space. Blacklock is slated to remain with the Vikings for at least one more campaign after he tallied two tackles and one sack across 11 games this past season while operating as a depth/rotational defensive lineman.
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Vikings' Lewis Cine: On track for return
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Head coach Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that Cine (leg) is doing very well in his recovery, and could participate in phase 3 of OTAs, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Cine suffered a fractured leg Week 4 against the Saints, which required surgery and sidelined the rookie for the remainder of the season. However, he appears to be on track to be a full participant when training camp comes, if not during OTAs.
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Vikings' Andrew Booth: Making progress
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Booth (knee) is doing well in his recovery from knee surgery, and should be ready for training camp, head coach Kevin O'Connell said Thursday, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Booth underwent surgery in November and is expected to be limited during OTAs. However, if he can be healthy by training camp, he should be able to begin the 2023 campaign on time. The 2022 second-round selection made six appearances last season for the Vikings, recording 12 tackles.
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Eric Kendricks: Released ahead of free agency
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The Vikings released Kendricks on Monday.
Kendricks has been a pillar of Minnesota's defense since the team selected him in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, but the productive linebacker will now have to look for a fresh start. The 31-year-old hasn't missed a regular-season game since 2017, has seven consecutive seasons with over 100 tackles and played a career-high 1,051 defensive snaps last year, so there are plenty of reasons for teams around the league to be confident in his ability to continue contributing. Kendricks should have no shortage of suitors in free agency.
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Vikings' Dalvin Tomlinson: More time for negotiations
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Tomlinson and the Vikings agreed Wednesday to move his contract's voiding date to March 15, buying more time for extension negotiations, Field Yates of ESPN reports.
Tomlinson's contract would have caused Minnesota to push $7.5 million of dead money into 2023, but if both sides can agree on a new extension, it could eliminate that entire amount as an immediate cap hit. Though Tomlinson was limited to a career-low 523 defensive snaps after a calf injury forced him to miss four games, he still managed to rack up 40 tackles and two sacks in 13 contests.
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Vikings' Khyiris Tonga: Inks new deal
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The Vikings re-signed Tonga on Friday.
Tonga, a 2021 seventh-round selection of the Bears, joined Minnesota back in October and made 11 appearances as a member of the Vikings. The 338-pound interior defensive lineman tallied 28 tackles this past campaign, and he's now in line to stay put in Minneapolis for the time being.
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Vikings' Duke Shelley: Starting role down the stretch
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Shelley posted 31 tackles (23 solo) and an interception over 11 games during the 2022 regular season.
Shelley opened his first campaign with Minnesota in a limited role on special teams, and he did not even appear in six of the first eight games. However, he stepped up into a starting role with cornerback Cameron Dantzler (ankle) sitting out all but two of the team's final nine regular-season games. In the process, Shelley logged a career-high eight passes defended over that span, including the first pick of his career in Week 18 against Chicago. He also posted six more tackles and another pass defended while playing every defensive snap in the Vikings' wild-card loss to the Giants. Shelley is now set to become an unrestricted free agent for the second year in a row.
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Vikings' D.J. Wonnum: Smaller role in 2022
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Wonnum totaled 38 tackles, including four sacks, while playing 16 games during the 2022 regular season.
Wonnum took a step back in both playing time and production following his career-best campaign in 2021. The third-year linebacker shifted into a rotational role behind Minnesota's top pass rushers Danielle Hunter and Za'Darius Smith. Wonnum still played at least 43 percent of defensive snaps in every game outside of the 2022 season opener, though he totaled just one-half sack over the final 10 contests, including the Vikings' wild-card loss to the Giants. Wonnum will look to post a more productive campaign during the final season of his rookie contract in 2023.
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Vikings' Dalvin Tomlinson: Set to hit free agency
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Tomlinson tallied 42 tackles (20 solo), including 2.5 sacks, and one fumble recovery while playing 13 regular-season games in 2022.
Tomlinson was limited to a career-low 523 defensive snaps due to his four-week hiatus with a calf injury midway through the season. Nevertheless, the 325-pounder still compiled over 40 tackles and two sacks for the fifth time in his six-year career. Tomlinson is now set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and, with Minnesota currently $24.5 million over the cap heading into the offseason, he could be set to play elsewhere during his age-29 season in 2023.
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Vikings' Za'Darius Smith: Return to form in 2022
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Over 16 regular-season games in 2022, Smith accumulated 44 tackles (32 solo), including 10 sacks, and a career-high five passes defended in his first campaign with the Vikings.
Smith played all but one regular-season game in 2022 after he missed nearly all of the 2021 campaign with Green Bay while recovering from back surgery. The 30-year-old edge rusher was still limited to his fewest number of defensive snaps (735) since the 2018 season, as he regularly appeared on the weekly injury report while dealing with a knee issue. While his production also slowed with just one-half sack over the final eight weeks of the regular season, he did log double-digit sacks for the third time in his career. Smith formed an effective pass-rushing duo in his first season alongside Danielle Hunter (10.5 sacks). However, it's unclear if this pairing will be kept together since the Vikings are currently $24.5 million over the cap heading into 2023.
