How Do the Recent Salary Cap Reports Affect the Vikings?
Josh Frey
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The biggest question surrounding this NFL offseason has been how much money teams will have to spend on their rosters. The 2020 salary cap sat at $198.2 million, and it has been long expected that it will drop. Early reports set the floor for the 2021 cap at $175 million.
However, it looks like there is some optimism that it will not fall as far as originally anticipated. Last night, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that after recent conversations, team officials are hopeful that the cap will ultimately land around $185 million.
So, how does this affect the Minnesota Vikings’ plans? Well, it’s certainly a little better than it could have been. If the cap does in fact reach $185 million, the Vikings currently sit about $12 million above that, per Spotrac, with a payroll just over $197 million. They still need to make some adjustments moving forward.
Potential Cuts and Restructures
Riley Reiff
One player that has been rumored to be cut or at least restructured is Riley Reiff. He carries a cap hit of $15.95 million next season. Should the Vikings drop his contract, they could save $13.75 million. That brings them about $2 million below the cap for now, but still doesn’t take draft picks into account.
Whoever the Vikings take at 14, for example, will certainly eat all of that space up. Not only that, but the offensive line issues extend from both guards to include left tackle, the most important position that needs to protect Kirk Cousins’ blindside.
Another restructuring of Reiff’s contract makes the most sense for the team as well as Reiff. While he performed at an acceptable level in 2020, he was not one of the top-10 LTs that his contract would suggest.
Not only that, but he will be 34 going into the 2022 season. There is no guarantee he would command much money next offseason if he tested free agency. If the contract got reworked to 2-yr/$21 mil, that saves the Vikings nearly $5.5 million, gives Reiff more overall money, and protects Cousins’ blindside through the remainder of his contract. It is also very similar to the restructure that Reiff agreed to in 2020.
Cap Space: ~ -$6.5 mil
Kyle Rudolph
This seems inevitable, but maybe I’m reading the wrong tea leaves. Since the emergence of Irv Smith and Tyler Conklin, it looked like Rudolph’s time in Minnesota was coming to an end. That feels even more obvious after his recent comments against a restructured contract.
Rudolph’s cap hit for 2021 sits at $9.45 million, with a dead cap number of $4.35 million. The Vikings save $5.11 million by cutting Rudolph, and it allows him to go elsewhere to prove whether or not he can still be TE1 on a team.
Cap Space: ~ -$1.44 mil
Anthony Barr
After missing the majority of the 2020 season, the Vikings have a difficult decision to make with linebacker Anthony Barr. They have a potential out on his contract this offseason. He currently has a cap hit of just over $15 million, with a dead cap of $7.8 million. Bleacher Report recently listed this contract as the worst on the team. It’s hard to argue otherwise.
He carries the sixth-highest cap hit for an OLB in 2021, but his production has not lived up to that. In 2019 he recorded just 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one interception, and six tackles for loss. He is a good OLB, but he doesn’t change the game to the point where he is worth $15 million like Robert Quinn or Preston Smith. He is currently sandwiched between those two in terms of cap hit rankings.
The Vikings best bet may be reworking his deal down to $10 million for this year, spreading the money over 2022 and 2023, and coming back to this conversation next offseason. It may even be worth discussing adding a year to his deal.
Cap Space: ~ $3.62 million
Harrison Smith
One of the few bright spots for the Vikings’ defense was Harrison Smith. That said, the Vikings may need to discuss a restructuring of his contract. Smith’s cap hit is currently $10.25 million. He doesn’t have any guaranteed money left, so a cut would save Minnesota every penny. It would be ridiculous for Minnesota to get rid of the anchor of their secondary, though.
With the veteran entering the final year of his deal, an extension makes the most sense. For this exercise, let’s say an extension turns the contract into 3-yr/$21 million. That doubles Smith’s total money while making his cap hit much more team friendly. It also keeps him a top-ten paid strong safety, which is where he should be.
Cap Space: ~$6.87 million
Closing Thoughts
With four moves, the Vikings can save upwards of $20-25 million for 2021. None of these are guaranteed as of now, and some may be difficult for the franchise to maneuver. It also isn’t guaranteed that the cap will be $185 million. It could go down, but it also could go up.
However, this exercise shows that creating cap space is certainly possible for Minnesota this offseason. This doesn’t even include inevitable cuts that will take place to free up roster space for new draftees as well as others that could surprise the team in training camp. It will take some penny-pinching and tough choices, but the Vikings will be able to bring in new faces for 2021.