A Look at the Top 10 Cap Hits for the 2023 Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings found themselves in one of the stickier salary cap situations in the entire league when the 2023 offseason began. However, through some slick money maneuvering, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah managed to get the Vikings out of their hole, and now, as July approaches, Minnesota actually has the eighth-most salary cap space in the league at nearly $18 million.
Even still, the team has allocated some big chunks of money to players for this season. Here’s a look at the top 10 cap hits for the Vikings heading into the 2023 season, with the numbers being courtesy of Over the Cap.
1. Dead Money ($36,531,601)
It’s a bit unusual to see a team paying more money to players no longer on their roster than anybody that is on their roster, but that is the situation that Minnesota finds itself in during 2023. The release of Adam Thielen was by far the largest contributor to this massive amount of dead money, coming out to a total of $13.55 million, but other big amounts were Dalvin Tomlinson’s $7.5 million as well as Dalvin Cook’s ~$5.1 million.
2. Kirk Cousins ($20,250,000)
The oft-criticized Kirk Cousins does carry the largest cap hit of any player remaining on Minnesota’s roster, but it is a very reasonable one that ranks ninth among QBs for this season, behind players such as Daniel Jones, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Ryan Tannehill. If the Vikings were to run into any snags this season, it cannot be blamed on Cousins being paid too much, at least this year. With his offseason restructure, though, comes the caveat that if he is on a different roster in 2024, the Vikings will eat $28.5 million in dead money next year. That could cause a few headaches next offseason.
3. Brian O’Neill ($19,659,699)
Brian O’Neill earned himself a contract extension a couple years ago that officially kicked in last season and lasts through 2026. This contract gives the Vikings right tackle hefty cap hits above $19.5 million through the next four years, but it also ensures that one of the best tackles in the game remains in purple. It’s a price well-worth paying, especially if he is ready to go for training camp after his Achilles injury back in Week 17 of the 2022 season.
4. Danielle Hunter ($13,120,000)
There have been plenty of trade rumors flying in regard to Danielle Hunter after he held out of mandatory minicamp, and hopefully, they result in a fat nothingburger for the star Vikings pass rusher. It has been a strange few seasons for Hunter after he missed the majority of both 2020 and 2021 with injury, but he recorded another double-digit sack season in 2022. This number could be set to change in the coming if the Vikings were to give him a new contract extension.
5. Harrison Smith ($11,827,647)
Harrison Smith was another player with a cap hit approaching $20 million for part of the offseason, but after he took a pay cut, that number is much more reasonable for the 34-year-old safety. Now, in an aggressive Brian Flores defense, we should see more of a blitzing role that we typically see from the Hitman.
6. T.J. Hockenson ($9,329,000)
This is the fifth and final year of T.J. Hockenson’s rookie contract after being selected ninth overall by the Detroit Lions in 2019. In just 10 games with the Vikings following their trade to acquire the tight end, Hockenson put together 60 catches and 519 yards for Minnesota. He is another player that should be up for a new contract with the team.
7. Harrison Phillips ($6,833,333)
Harrison Phillips may be one of the more underrated defenders in the NFL, being one of the few interior defensive linemen to provide some semblance of a pass-rushing presence for Minnesota last season. After largely playing a rotational basis over his first four years with the Buffalo Bills, Phillips started all 17 games for the Vikings in 2022, a consistency that was rare in the trenches last year in Minnesota.
8. Marcus Davenport ($5,964,706)
The most expensive free agent signing for the Vikings, at least in terms of a 2023 cap hit, Minnesota is hoping that Marcus Davenport can be the direct replacement for Za’Darius Smith, who was traded to the Cleveland Browns back in May. Davenport has been a bit inconsistent throughout his career, but hopefully with a chance to play alongside Danielle Hunter, the duo can create a strong one-two punch.
9. Jordan Hicks ($5,000,000)
Many were surprised to see Jordan Hicks be the linebacker that stuck around in Minnesota while the Vikings opted to part ways with Eric Kendricks. However, he is another player that can certainly benefit in a more blitz-heavy Flores defense. Hicks blitzed more than 40 times in each of the first four seasons of his career before being sent just 17 times during his first season in Minnesota.
10. Justin Jefferson ($4,175,438)
And finally, we round out the top 10 with the man who may not only be the most talented player on the Vikings roster, but one of the most talented in the entire league. This is the final year that Minnesota will get to reap the benefit of Justin Jefferson carrying a cap hit of less than $5 million before his fifth-year option kicks in during 2024. Hopefully, he’ll have a very big contract extension from the team before that time rolls around.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.