The Minnesota Vikings are headed for a reckoning with sixth-year safety Josh Metellus. He is in the final year of a two-year, $8 million contract. Metellus is due for a raise, and that is where things get interesting for the Vikings. Waiting could prove costly.

The Athletic’s Alec Lewis underscored that, despite his positional listing, Metellus’ situation is “more interesting” than that of former teammate Camryn Bynum, because of his versatility.

“Last year, Metellus played about 40 percent of his snaps at linebacker, 30 percent at slot cornerback and 16 percent at safety. The rest of the time, he lined up on the defensive line or out wide against elite receivers,” Lewis wrote on June 26. “From a compensation standpoint, what’s fair? Paying Metellus like a linebacker? Like a slot cornerback? Or like a chess piece who can reliably play all of these positions?

“There is a drastic gap in pay between those various worlds.”

“The beginning of training camp presents one potential deadline, even if it’s fairly arbitrary,” Lewis wrote. “Metellus does not need many practice reps to perform in [Vikings defensive coordinator Brian] Flores’ defense. Nor do the Vikings need to see Metellus on the field in practice to know what he can do. The conviction from both sides almost underscores their shared fit. Why would either side be willing to move on if it has as much faith as it does in one another?”

Bynum, a full-time safety, signed a four-year, $60 million deal with the Indianapolis Colts in free agency this offseason, perhaps offering a baseline for Metellus and the Vikings.