4 Potential Cap Casualties for the Vikings
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings have an important offseason in front of them.
According to Over the Cap, Minnesota holds the 16th-most cap space in the NFL at right around $26.3 million. However, they could look to add more prior to free agency. Here are four potential cap casualties who could be released to free up salary cap heading into the free agency period.
S Harrison Smith
Harrison Smith was selected in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Vikings, and he quickly blossomed into one of the best safeties that the league has ever seen.
He earned the nickname “Hitman” for being a vicious tackler and has recorded 1013 tackles, 45 tackles for loss, 19.5 sacks, 85 passes defended, 34 interceptions, and 12 forced fumbles. That interception total ranks second-highest among all active players behind only Smith’s former Vikings teammate, Patrick Peterson (36).
The defender may be heading towards his final days with the Vikings, though. Smith is set to carry a whopping $19.2 million cap hit for his age-35 season, and the Vikings would be able to save right around $11.384 million of that 2024 cap hit if they were to cut him in the spring.
DL Harrison Phillips
The decision to let Harrison Phillips go depends on Minnesota’s plan on the defensive line. They could already be losing Jonathan Bullard to free agency, and the Vikings need to add more beef to their defensive trenches this offseason.
2023 was a strong year for Phillips as he put together 92 tackles, two tackles for loss, three sacks, and two passes defended. Cutting Phillips before June 1st would save Minnesota $6.5 million of his $8.83 million cap hit in 2024.
DL Dean Lowry
Dean Lowry would be the more likely cut casualty for the Vikings on the defensive line. He saw his season end because of a torn pectoral muscle, and prior to that, he had recorded 14 tackles and a fumble recovery over nine games with Minnesota.
Lowry is entering his age-30 season, and he simply wasn’t able to replicate the same amount of production with the Vikings as he had enjoyed during his previous stint with the Green Bay Packers. If Minnesota were to cut Lowry before June 1st, they would save a touch over $2 million while cutting him after June 1st would save them $3.8 million.
QB Nick Mullens
Nick Mullens has proven to be a very capable backup quarterback, but especially if the Vikings are set to re-sign Kirk Cousins and draft another QB this spring, they simply don’t have the space on their roster to retain him along with Jaren Hall.
Mullens started three games for the Vikings after Cousins’ Achilles injury and threw for 1304 yards, seven touchdowns, and eight interceptions. If the Vikings were to cut him prior to June 1st, they’d save around $1.8 million. A modest amount, but any space helps.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Over the Cap and Pro Football Reference.
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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.