Vikings Considering Shutting Down Starter After Injury Update
After suffering a non-contact hamstring injury in the season opener, Minnesota Vikings starting linebacker Blake Cashman‘s season could take a serious turn for the worse.
After head coach Kevin O’Connell said that they are weighing roster decisions that could come with their latest injury report, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero revealed that Cashman’s landing on the injured reserve (IR) list is under consideration.
“First of all, Blake Cashman might end up on injured reserve, which would knock him out for four games. It sounds like that’s a real consideration,” Pelissero said Thursday, September 11 on KFAN’s “Power Trip Morning Show.”
A placement on the IR list would require Cashman to miss four games before he can be activated to the 53-man roster. It would be ideal for the Vikings to make the move this week with just four games to go until their Week 6 bye.
Pelissero said the decision will likely come Saturday before a Week 2 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
“We’ll probably get an answer on that around Saturday, which is when teams typically make IR moves,” Pelissero added. “But regardless, he’s going to miss some time here.”
Update (2:09 p.m. ET): The Vikings placed Cashman on the injured reserve list, making his earliest availability to return Week 7 vs. the Eagles.
Blake Cashman’s Concerning Injury History Doesn’t Evade Vikings
GettyBlake Cashman #51 of the Minnesota Vikings reacts after making a play against the New York Jets.
A native of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Cashman signed a three-year, $22.5 million contract with the Vikings in March 2024 — a welcome homecoming for the University of Minnesota alumnus.
It was a modest bet on Cashman, who had injury struggles throughout his rookie contract but pieced together two healthy seasons with the Houston Texans.
A fifth-round pick by the New York Jets in 2019, Cashman played in just 14 games in his first three seasons, landing on the injured reserve list four times in that span. He missed just three games in his two seasons in Houston before arriving in Minnesota.
Last season, Cashman missed three games with a turf toe injury, which proved devastating for the Viking defense, which allowed nearly 400 yards in their first two losses to the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions.
Vikings Reunion With Eric Wilson Already Seeing Dividends
GettyVikings linebacker Eric Wilson (50) reunited with the Vikings for the 2025 season after five seasons away from the team that drafted him in 2017.
Cashman leaving the Bears game for the final quarter could have spelled ruin for the Vikings, which were down by 11 points following a pix-six from J.J. McCarthy.
Instead, the defense remained stout, with veteran linebacker Eric Wilson reemerging for the team.
Undrafted in 2017, Wilson was the understudy to Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks before making stops with the Philadelphia Eagles, Texans and Green Bay Packers following his rookie deal.
Wilson’s return couldn’t have come at a better time.
He stepped into Cashman’s green-dot role of relaying the defensive play calls to the rest of the defense seamlessly. Wilson tallied five combined tackles, a tackle for loss and deflected a punt that was necessary to the comeback win.
“You’re always looking for that veteran presence, and he’s a player that — I don’t know if we win the football game unless you have Eric Wilson to not only, I mean, he had the [partially] blocked punt, but just the way he goes in and he’s green-dottin’ and calling it,” O’Connell said after the game. “You want to see a prototype of a veteran guy that helps your football team win by any means necessary? It’s Eric Wilson.”A
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward Breaks Silence on New Contract Incentives
Four-time first-team All-Pro defensive lineman Cameron Heyward declined to discuss his new contract incentives after the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New York Jets. Heyward then didn’t address the topic on the September 10 episode of his podcast, “Not Just Football.”
But Heyward wasn’t going to be able to publicly avoid his reworked contract the entire season. The defensive lineman addressed the incentives added to his new deal in front of reporters Thursday.
“I’m only realizing how more I’m relieved because I’m sleeping a lot better; I’m glad to put that behind us,” Heyward said, via DK Pittsburgh Sports. “I’m glad I can just focus on football and go out there and earn it.”
The Steelers agreed to add $3.2 million in incentives to Heyward’s 2025 contract. TribLive.com’s Joe Rutter reported Thursday that Heyward will earn half of his incentives if he posts eight sacks, and the Steelers make the postseason.
Heyward will get the other half of his incentive should he register 11.5 sacks, and the Steelers win a playoff game.
If Heyward and the Steelers achieve both, he will make a little under $18 million for 2025. According to Spotrac, the defensive lineman will receive $14.75 million in cash for this season.
Steelers & Cameron Heyward Reached Contract Compromise
The defensive lineman received the opportunity for additional pay in 2025. He will get the chance to make more money despite the Steelers usual team policy of not addressing contracts that have more than two years remaining.
But while those were wins for Heyward, he will potentially give up something too.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported if Heyward doesn’t play more than 30 percent of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps in 2025, his roster bonus will drop to $875,000.
That’s a big risk for Heyward. His 2026 roster bonus before the restructured deal was set to be $12.95 million. But the new term will protect the Steelers if the 36-year-old suffers a serious injury.
While a great risk, Heyward appears to see it as part of NFL negotiations.
“It has to be a compromise on both sides,” Heyward told reporters. “I understand they don’t normally do it (new deals with two years left). All I’m asking is for an opportunity to go out and earn it.”
Heyward Motivated to Win Super Bowl, Not to Reach Incentives
NFL teams often include incentives in contracts to provide players extra motivation. But Heyward portrayed the notion that his drive to play well and win couldn’t be any higher.
“It doesn’t motivate me any more (than before),” Heyward added. “The goal is not to just win a playoff game, it’s to win a Super Bowl. This is more icing on the cake.”
Heyward and his family will undoubtably enjoy the extra $3.2 million if the defensive lineman earns it. But as the saying goes, money comes and goes.
With five All-Pro nominations and seven Pro Bowls, Heyward has cemented himself as one of the best defensive linemen in team history. But he’s missing playoff success on his resume.
A Super Bowl is the last accomplishment Heyward has left to achieve to truly cement his Steelers legacy.
