Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah can go big game hunting trade and make it work within the salary cap

The Vikings can make a big trade work if they really want to

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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With so much uncertainty at the wide receiver position, the Minnesota Vikings have started to explore a trade. The idea is that the wide receiver depth is nowhere near good enough for the Vikings with the suspension Jordan Addison to keep him out the next three games.

Other than Justin Jefferson, there isn’t any form of consistency at the position. In pursuing a trade, there are a couple of different routes to go: long-term piece or short-term stop gap.

Looking at how general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will handle it, it’s more likely that they choose the latter and prioritize someone like Adam Thielen, who has played for the Vikings in this offense. However, there is the intrigue of making a huge splash and reforming three deep in the modern game.

Vikings can trade for big name wide receiver

If the Vikings were to trade for a big name wide receiver, they can do that and make it work from a salary cap perspective over the next three years. The Vikings have made it clear that they are trying to prioritize a three-year window with J.J. McCarthy on his rookie deal, and they can make his life as easy as possible.

By going big game hunting at wide receiver to create a modern-day Three Deep, they can choose one of two options: acquiring a player with a big contract or one who will end up needing one. The two players available with big contracts are Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins and Terry McLaurin of the Washington Commanders, but the latter also needs an extension, so he qualifies for both categories.

The biggest name who could potentially be available is Chris Olave of the New Orleans Saints. Having a third route running savant could elevate the Vikings’ offense to another level. The biggest question here is simple: how will it work when it comes to the financial element?

With Hill, he’s set to make a ton of money this season with a $10 million base salary and $1.8 million in per game roster bonuses. He’s also due a nearly $16 million option bonus due on August 31st. They could absorb most, if not all of that this season, and they have flexibility in 2026. Hill’s contract has no guaranteed money left with a $29.9 million base salary, $5 million roster bonus, and $1 million in per game roster bonuses. They can cut bait after a year or restructure with three void years already on the contract.

Let’s be real, they could do that, but it would be a massive shift in how Adofo-Mensah has prioritized trades. He likes to acquire upside pieces. That’s where Olave comes into play. His roster bonus has already been paid out, and would carry a base salary of just $1.5 million this year. In 2026, he has a fully guaranteed $15.5 million base salary. Now, that would cause a problem for the Vikings, as they are just under $60 million over the cap next season. A few quick restructures and extentions paired with the roll over money and the Vikings are just fine. Just Justin Jefferson, Jonathan Greenard, T.J. Hockenson, and Brian O’Neill could clear over $40 million in salary cap space.

There are a couple of ways they can handle it. Adofo-Mensah could give Olave a short-term extension to maneuver some of the money around and keep him for the short term. Then, when Jordan Addison is up for an extension, they could pay him on a big extension and continue to spread the money around to make it work for a short window, especially with Addison under team control through the 2027 season.

Theoretically, extending Addison after the season and exercising his fifth-year option gives you the ability to fully dictate how the money flows over five-plus years. They did the same thing with Christian Darrisaw.

Now, they couldn’t realistically keep all three for a long period of time, but they can make it work in the short term by structuring things in the right way. This doesn’t just have to do with wide receiver either; they could end up doing that with another position and being smart with how they move their money around. It feels like they can’t do it with their salary cap space, but they certainly can if they want to. It’s just going to take some adjusting on the salary cap.

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