Minnesota Vikings have a good salary cap situation going into 2026 season, and it could propel Nolan Teasley to a big move
Things look pretty good for the Minnesota Vikings going into the 2026 season, and they have room to make a move or two.
Going into training camp, the Minnesota Vikings had a substantial amount of salary cap space, sitting at around $22 million dollars. That was before the Vikings had to account for multiple factors, including the final two players on the active roster and the practice squad.
The NFL allows a little bit of leeway during the offseason, which allows them to maneuver in free agency and with the NFL Draft. Once the regular season begins, you need to add the practice squad salaries (approximately $4-5 million) and the final two players (approximately $1.8 million).
Minnesota Vikings have nice salary cap situation
Over the last few years, the Vikings haven’t been in a great salary cap situation, including this offseason. Even so, they maneuvered really well by adding quarterback Kyler Murray and cornerback James Pierre Jr.
As things currently sit, the Vikings have approximately $8.83 million in salary cap space. That number will fluctuate throughout the season, as general manager Nolan Teasley will be adding players to the active roster and practice squad, along with having players who will ultimately end up on injured reserve.
Where things get interesting is how the salary space is allocated.
| Type | Cash |
| Active roster | $245,835,773 |
| Dead money | $48,909,020 |
| Injured reserve | $5,987,684 |
| Practice squad | $4,289,400 |
| Suspended | $737,500 |
Among the dead salary cap space, the majority of it comes from three players, all of whom are on the defensive front: defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, and edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. They will be getting $12 million in salary cap credits next year for both Allen and Hargrave, which will offset the $11.2 million in dead cap they are set to take on with Allen’s contract.
The approximately $8.8 million will be good for the Vikings in a number of ways. They have flexibility to maneuver at the trade deadline to acquire someone and can absorb veteran contracts when dealing with injuries.
As things sit right now, the Vikings are projected to have approximately $38.6 million in salary cap space with nine roster spots left to fill. That’s a lot to work with, especially before they make potential extensions.
After a season of poor salary cap situation, the Vikings are in a much better spot.
