WEDNESDAY, 1:41pm: The Vikings have officially released Carlson, the team announced today (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 3:21pm: Although the Vikings and John Carlson had been in talks about a potential restructure of the tight end’s contract, the two sides failed to reach an agreement, and the team will instead release Carlson, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports 1 (Twitter link). Carlson had three years remaining on his contract, but rather than hitting the open market after the 2016 season, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent immediately.
Carlson, 29, recorded a total of 40 receptions for 387 yards in his two seasons with the Vikings as the team’s second tight end behind Kyle Rudolph. Carlson was said to be considering retirement this offseason after suffering his third concussion during the 2013 season, but it appears he’ll continue his playing career, assuming he catches on with another club.
With the move, the Vikings will eliminate Carlson’s $5MM cap number for 2014 from their books, but will be left with $3MM in dead money, for a total of $2MM in cap savings.