Minnesota Vikings 1st Round Bust Finds a New Team

The start of Lewis Cine’s NFL career did not go as planned. He did not plan on being drafted in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. That’s just where the Minnesota Vikings took him. He certainly didn’t plan on ending his rookie season in week four with a gruesome leg injury. That’s just what happened.

After two years in the Vikings system, battling injuries and unrealistic expectations, Cine was cut from the Minnesota Vikings 53-man roster on Tuesday. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah decided to keep FIVE safeties on roster. None of them were Lewis Cine.

Lewis Cine signing with the New York Jets

What’s a draft bust to do, when his original team kicks him to the curb? He tries to find another coach or executive in the league who was also high on him, back when he was drafted. For Cine, he found that coach in the Big Apple, with New York Jets head coach, Robert Salah.

Cine won’t be on the Jets’ active roster. He cleared waivers, before they signed him, so they are able to move him directly to the practice squad. Had they claimed him off waivers, he would have had to be signed to the active roster.

Minnesota Vikings on the hook for nearly $7 million owed to Cine

And it’s the Minnesota Vikings, not New York Jets, on the hook for Cine’s remaining $6.8 million in guarantees, from his rookie contract . In other words, Kwesi had to pay a significant price just to get rid of his 2022 1st round pick. Meanwhile, the Jets get to try him out for cheap.

Related: “Watch Out” – NFL Sleeping on Vikings New Running Back?

For Lewis Cine’s sake, I hope he catches on in New York and finds some of the talent that had many NFL scouts excited for his NFL future, just two years ago. He didn’t ask to get overdrafted by the Vikings, and he certainly didn’t ask to get his leg snapped in half a few months later. The kid deserves a fresh start.

If he were to be elevated to the active roster before week 5, he could have a chance to play against the team that drafted him. The New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings play each other in London that week .

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