Up against the cap, Vikings sign 1st-round pick Bradbury

EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings have signed first-round draft pick Garrett Bradbury, the center from North Carolina State selected with the 18th overall pick.

The deal forced Minnesota into a corresponding adjustment for salary cap compliance. The Vikings confirmed to multiple reporters that they restructured the contract of linebacker Eric Kendricks to get Bradbury to fit under their salary cap.

According to NFL Players Association records, the Vikings were roughly $664,000 under the $188.2 million cap entering Tuesday, the least amount of space in the league. Bradbury’s four-year contract with a team option for 2023 was slotted for a value around $12.8 million and a cap hit of about $2.3 million.

Bradbury’s signing left the Vikings with one of their 12 draft picks unsigned: seventh-rounder Austin Cutting. The Air Force long snapper has a two-year military service requirement to fulfill, complicating the start of his NFL career.