Minnesota Vikings first-round pick Lewis Cine signs fully guaranteed, four-year contract

After putting together a standout career at Georgia, safety Lewis Cine was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the final pick in the first round the 2022 NFL Draft. Now, he’s signed his rookie deal, which comes as a four-year, fully-guaranteed deal worth $11.5 million, per his agency via Adam Schefter.

The deal should include a $5.5 million signing bonus and feature a $2 million cap hit for 2022 and a fifth-year option for 2026, according to Spotrac on the night Cine was drafted.

According to Schefter, the NFLPA has been pushing for late first-round selections to receive fully guaranteed deals, a process which is now underway. Judging by Cine’s guaranteed contract, who was the No. 32 overall pick, this could become the norm moving forward.

Cine – a former On3 Consensus four-star recruit out of the Class of 2019 – recorded his best season with Georgia in 2021, as he tallied 73 total tackles and an interception as an anchor of the Bulldogs defense, helping capture the the first national championship for Georgia in over four decades.

Cine finished his Georgia career with 144 total tackles and two interceptions and was named the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Defensive Most Valuable Player award for his stellar performance in their win over Alabama 33-18 in his final game as a Bulldog.

Deion Sanders sends congratulatory message to Cine after being drafted

Deion Sanders may be the head coach at Jackson State, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a fan of players from other schools. 

As the 2022 NFL Draft officially got underway on Thursday night in Las Vegas, Georgia safety Lewis Cine was selected No. 32 overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round – and Coach Prime was happy to see it.

Taking to his Twitter account on Friday morning, Sanders sent a congratulatory message to Cine as he takes his game to the next level.

“God bless @LewisCine he flat out earned EVERYTHING he has and gonna received,” Sanders wrote in his tweet. “Great young man that has a bright bright future ahead of him. Be frugal my brother but take care of you. #CoachPrime.”