Chad Greenway had to sacrifice a sizable chunk of his salary to remain with the Vikings in 2015, but the veteran outside linebacker is happy he and the organization were able to find middle ground.

"I've always wanted to be a Viking and finish my career here and obviously it's important to the Wilfs as well," Greenway said Monday morning in a radio interview with KFAN FM 100.3.

Greenway was supposed to make $7 million in the final year of the deal he signed in 2011. But after agreeing to take a pay cut, he has a new base salary of $3.4 million with $1 million guaranteed. He can make up to $4 million through bonuses, including $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses.

The Vikings created $3.225 million in cap space by restructuring the final year of Greenway's deal.

"Obviously, I signed my previous deal five years ago and I know personally that things can change [in the NFL]," Greenway said, later adding, "I'm a different player and I understand that and know how the league works, and I wanted to be conscious of that as we went through these discussions."

Greenway admitted that after the 2014 season ended he was not confident that the Vikings wanted him back. But the team let him know they did. Greenway said he "had no leverage at all in this situation" given that he is a 32-year-old linebacker. But a satisfactory compromise was reached.

"There has to be some give and take," Greenway said. "That's how a negotiation works."

Greenway also had words in the KFAN interview for anyone who feels he is washed up, insisting that Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer wouldn't just keep him around for sentimental reasons.

"I know I have enough to help us win football games and be a leader on this team," Greenway said.