Former Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes is officially a Viking, according to Darren Wolfson of KSTP. A source tells Wolfson (Twitter link) that Waynes has signed his four-year rookie contract with the club.
The 11th player selected in the 2015 draft, Waynes will earn nearly $13MM over the life of his rookie contract, and will have the opportunity to make several extra million in 2019 if Minnesota exercises his fifth-year option. Because he just missed the cutoff to be a top-10 pick, Waynes’ fifth year won’t be as pricey as it otherwise would’ve — those amounts aren’t known yet, but for 2016 options, the difference in salaries between a top-10 cornerback and a corner picked between 11th and 32nd exceeded $3.5MM.
Of the 10 players the Vikings selected in last week’s draft, Waynes is the first one reported to have signed his rookie deal, though the others figure to follow suit shortly.