After visiting the Twin Cities and departing without signing a contract, offensive tackle Andre Smith confirmed on his Twitter account that he will join the Vikings after agreeing to a one-year deal.
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A source said the deal is worth $3.5 million, and could be worth as much as $4.5 million with incentives.
Whatever happened in that whole situation, Smith is now a member of the Vikings, and will presumably compete with Phil Loadholt and T.J. Clemmings for the starting right tackle job.
Smith was the sixth overall pick out of Alabama in the 2009 draft by Cincinnati.
The Minnesota Vikings’ continued efforts to improve their offensive line have lured another former Cincinnati Bengals player west.
“Strong at guard and left tackle, the team was only let down by the inconsistencies of [Russell] Bodine and the poor performance of Andre Smith, who may have played his way out of town, given the Bengals’ top two picks in the 2015 draft”, Khaled Elsayed of Pro Football Focus wrote shortly after the regular season ended. If Smith signs, the Vikings should line up with LT Matt Kalil, LG Boone, C John Sullivan, RG Fusco and RT Smith in 2016. He has made 73 starts in seven seasons.
Smith is 29 years old and did look a bit slowed down last season, though he was banged up with injuries. Watt ended his 2014 season after just nine games.
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The big question is where does he fit on the Vikings offensive line?
