Minnesota Vikings still have work to do with the salary cap after restructuring Justin Jefferson and Christian Darrisaw

Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski hasn’t stopped working on getting under the salary cap.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Jan 4, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) looks on after the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings entered the offseason with one of the worst salary cap situations in the NFL. They were projected to be around $46 million over the salary cap, but the moves that have already been reported will save the Vikings a significant amount.

Even with all of those moves, the Vikings will be approximately $25 million under the salary cap, and they will still need to do work if they want to make any kind of impact in free agency. They don’t have an unlimited amount of moves they can make to increase their salary cap space, but there are still moves they can make.

Minnesota Vikings moves they can make to get under the salary cap

One of the big things to remember is that moving on from players isn’t just about saving money. You also create a large hole that the Vikings will then have to spend money to fill. Sometimes, you can get a large improvement for the same or less money, but it doesn’t often work that way with free agency, especially where the Vikings are at from a salary cap perspective.

The moves they can make in terms of cutting players would create major holes, which is also what they did by moving on from Allen.

Cut or restructure T.J. Hockenson

Cut
Salary cap hit: $21,296,176
Dead cap hit: $12.425 million
Savings: $8,871,176

Cutting Hockenson is something that many want to happen due to his lack of production. It’s not all his fault. While he has lost a little bit of his juice, Hockenson didn’t get to run his full plethora of routes consistently. With the offensive line issues, Hockenson was always chipping, which prevented him from being as impactful. Cutting him also only saves about 40% of his cap hit.

Restructure
Salary cap hit: $21,296,176
New cap hit: $12 million
Savings: $9.33 million

A restructure makes the most sense for the Vikings. Hockenson has no guaranteed money left, which is why many believe he could be cut. However, moving on from Hockenson means that a major hole opens up at tight end, which would require an immediate fix for the Vikings.

Extend Brian O’Neill

Salary cap hit: $23,115,657
New cap hit: $8 million
Savings: $15,115,657

The Vikings would be wise to extend O’Neill, and with his age, that will likely be something like a three-year deal. Put it at about $60 million with $45 million guaranteed and a $15 million signing bonus. Not only did O’Neill end up getting a raise, he gets a short-term deal here that would allow him to hit the market again before he turns 35.

Restructure or trade Jonathan Greenard

Restructure
Salary cap hit: $22,150,000
New cap hit: $8.94 million
Savings: $13.21 million

With a base salary of $18.39 million, $17 million of that will end up getting split with the final four years of his deal, two of which are void years. Greenard is going to be a massive part of this team for years to come, and keeping him should be a priority for the Vikings. Because he’s going to be part of the Vikings for a long time, moving money around isn’t a big deal.

Trade
Salary cap hit: $22,150,000
New cap hit: $9.9 million
Savings: $12.25 million

We know that Greenard has been linked in trade discussions multiple times over the last few days, and it’s quite a surprise to see with how he’s the engine of the Vikings’ defense. If they do move him, it creates a major hole for the Vikings at edge rusher, which they would have to find a way to maneuver around.

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