Hockenson Extension Kicks a Bit More 2023 Cash in Vikings Direction
The T.J. Hockenson extension will majorly impact the Vikings’ budget for years to come. In the short term, though, Minnesota has a bit more wiggle room.
According to Over the Cap, the team is now sitting on $14,118,754 in cap space. That amount leaves Kwesi Adofo-Mensah at roughly the midway point in the NFL in terms of cap space. More than enough to sign a player or pull off another trade if the desire is present in Minnesota.
The Hockenson Extension & Vikings Budget
By this point, a pile of NFL insiders have shared the information about Hockenson’s contract. Tom Pelissero — ol’ faithful in Minnesota — suggests that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah tacked-on 4 years and $66 million.
Per Pelissero, the contract is similar to one that’s been available for a little while: “This is pretty close to the deal that was on the table before training camp started in July. Roughly a month later, with the clock running out for Hockenson to be ready for Week 1, the sides agreed and the #Vikings have TE1 locked in for the long haul.”
Now, for our purposes what’s most notable is how the current Vikings budget gets adjusted. Previously, the TE1 was carrying a cap charge that was nearing $10 million. At this point, Hockenson is down just a bit below $5 million.
The end result is the more than $14 million in cap space, and that’s even after signing David Quessenberry to beef up the OL depth.
Upcoming seasons have definitely seen a decrease in cap room. The 2024 budget, for instance, has dropped down to roughly $47.5 million in cap space. Obviously, that’s still a pretty hefty total, especially when we remember that NFL GMs always participate in cap shenanigans to carve out extra room leading into free agency. Plus, whatever isn’t used in 2023 — the aforementioned $14+ million — can be carried over into next year’s budget.
So, not a bad spot to be overall. Next year’s cap will likely feature burning off some more dead money, but Adofo-Mensah has been doing a good job on the financial side of things.
The focus for a lot of Vikings fans will rest on how the GM will decide to use his wealth.
Since NaJee Thompson is on the roster exclusively for special teams, Minnesota is only dealing with four playable corners on defense. Andrew Booth Jr. is the CB4; unless something drastic happens in the coming days and weeks, there shouldn’t be too much confidence in his ability to immediately step in as a strong defender. He may get there one day, but the sophomore still has a long way to go.
Minnesota is thus dealing with Byron Murphy, Akayleb Evans, and rookie Mekhi Blackmon as the main trio. Wouldn’t an addition make sense? Yes, the safety depth is fantastic, but CB is a premium position that shouldn’t be overlooked. On Vikings Territory, Dustin Baker has mentioned Bradley Roby as a name to monitor. Reader and analyst alike could certainly find more names who would inspire some confidence as a CB4 or CB5 in Minnesota.
Some fans would be thrilled to see another pass rusher, a guard (Dalton Risner?), and/or another running back. Options aplenty for the Vikings with their regular season a bit more than a week away.
