Every day we’ll take a look at one of the Minnesota Vikings heading for free agency, what he has meant to the team before and a prognosis on whether he’ll be back with the club in 2016. You can find the entire series here:
Free agent to be: Rhett Ellison
Position: Tight end
Age: 27
Years in the league: 4
What he made last season: $1,617,146 (cap number); $1,542,000 (cash value)
What he did last season: Ellison again played a prominent role in the Vikings' offense, lining up in the team's two-tight end sets and working as a run blocker and pass protector, in addition to being an occasional receiving threat. He was asked to help out in pass protection more often in 2015 with the Vikings looking to help rookie right tackle T.J. Clemmings. Ellison struggled to get a consistent push as a run blocker, though, and his torn patellar tendon during the Vikings' regular-season finale in Green Bay set him up for a six-month rehab.
His potential market value: Coming off major knee surgery, Ellison figures to be out for all of the offseason program, and assuming everything goes according to plan, he'll just be getting done with his rehab around the time training camp starts. It's a tough blow for a player whose selflessness and work habits had made him a favorite around Winter Park -- the Vikings honored him before their wild-card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks -- but Ellison doesn't figure to have much of a market until he shows he's healthy.
Will he still fit the Vikings? It's tough to see the team signing him until they know where his health stands. The Vikings liked rookie tight end MyCole Pruitt, who could turn into a valuable option in their offense, and Kyle Rudolph is back at a cap figure of $7.175 million, barring a decision to cut him before the third day of the league year. If Ellison returns, it'd probably be after working out for the team shortly before or during training camp.
What happens: Ellison will go through a long rehab process before trying to get a contract for 2016. The guess here is he's back with the Vikings on a one-year, team-friendly deal, but only after the team has some confidence he will be healthy.