Minnesota Vikings salary cap stiuation is much healthier going into free agency and 2026 season
Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski has the Vikings in a much better spot.
Free agency is upon us, and the Minnesota Vikings are in a much better spot with the salary cap than they were previously. They have made, or are reportedly planning on making, multiple moves to get under the salary cap.
- Restructured WR Justin Jefferson: $17 million in approximate savings
- Restructured LT Christian Darrisaw: $9.9 in approximate savings
- Restructured CB Byron Murphy Jr.: $11.2 in approximate savings
- Cutting DT Javon Hargrave: $10,497,500, an extra $4 million if traded
- Cutting DT Jonathan Allen: $6.5 million, an extra $8 million if traded
- Cutting RB Aaron Jones: $7.75 million, extra $2 million if traded
- C Ryan Kelly retired: $8,347,647 in savings
- TE T.J. Hockenson pay cut: $5 million in savings
Minnesota Vikings salary cap update at start of free agency
The Vikings don’t have to officially be salary cap compliant until the start of the new league year at 3:00 P.M. CT on Wednesday, March 11th, but they are going to be once they finish their moves. As of 10:00 P.M. on Sunday night, March 8th, Over The Cap has the Vikings at -$1,447,959 in salary cap space. That number is only reflective of the three restructures and Kelly’s retirement.
Once they release those three players and add in the details of Hockenson’s restructure, the Vikings will have approximately $28,299,541 in salary cap space. Within that, they will need to set aside around $15 million for their NFL Draft class, practice squad, and in-season signings. That leaves $13,299,541 in money to sign free agents.
One thing to remember when signing free agents is that only the top 51 contracts are counted on the salary cap until the end of training camp. That means with 55 players currently on the roster, each contract signed with a higher salary cap hit than their smallest cap hit, they get to subtract the latter. For example, if the new contract is $1.5 million and the smallest cap hit is $1 million, the cap only goes up by $500,000.
The Vikings could also make a couple more moves. There is the consistently rumored Jonathan Greenard trade that could happen, along with a Brian O’Neill extension, as he’s on the final year of his contract. They could also restructure Will Fries, but that wouldn’t be advantageous for the Vikings with his inconsistent performance in 2025. If they were to do all of those moves, they could clear up in the neighborhood of $30 million on the salary cap.
Remember that these moves aren’t factoring in just the 2026 season, as these restructures will impact the salary cap in future years.
Minnesota Vikings News
Minnesota Vikings make unexpected move to create salary cap space
Rob Brzezinski isn’t afraid to make serious moves when it comes to getting under the salary cap.
Minnesota Vikings News
Minnesota Vikings quest to improve their salary cap situation has an unexpected consequence
T.J. Hockenson gets something unique in return for accepting a pay cut.
