Former San Francisco 49ers tight end Cole Hikutini signed with the Minnesota Vikings after roster cuts, but it was not because of lack of effort by John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan. Vikings reporter Chris Tomasson is reporting the 49ers offered him $15,000 per week, but the Vikings landed him for $20,000 per week. The practice squad minimum is $7,600 per week.
There was a practice squad bidding war for TE Cole Hikutini 49ers offered $15,000 and Vikings got him for $20,000, same they paid Kyle Sloter last year
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) September 6, 2018
It was not surprising to see the Vikings land Hikutini, but it would seem that it was more than just getting a Week 1 gameplan. They benefit from landing a guy who knows the 49ers playbook, but even that does not offer enough to justify much more than the practice squad minimum. On Wednesday, Kyle Shanahan was asked if that concerned him, or if the team had not yet begun game-planning for the Vikings.
“No. I mean, it’s not like Cole knew our game plan or would have been able to memorize it. But, hopefully the stuff he tells them we’ve got double moves off all of that stuff. So, hopefully they listen to him.”
Hikutini was a guy many viewed with optimism as more of a pass catching tight end. His drops resulted in his release, but the 49ers seemed to still have interest in keeping him — just not enough not $80,000 or so worth of interest.