The Vikings’ Cap Has Been Experiencing Some Whiplash
Lately, the Vikings’ cap has been moving back and forth at breakneck speed.
For a while, things were looking pretty rosy as Kwesi Adofo-Mensah cruised along with a budget residing somewhere in the mid-to-high teens. But then the offseason ended, resulting in the dead money raising and the practice squad taking its chunk out of the total (which is to say nothing of the deal for veteran corner Stephon Gilmore). The end result was a pretty bleak outlook as Minnesota sailed into choppy waters with less than $1 million leftover.
The Vikings’ Cap Space and The 2024 Season
All along, the GM had a plan. Does Adofo-Mensah really strike you as the kind of guy who doesn’t put the hours in? True, he hasn’t been perfect in his decision making, but the man works hard, preparing diligently.
The added cap space came courtesy of some cap shenanigans with T.J. Hockenson’s deal. Put differently, some of his compensation was turned into a signing bonus, allowing Minnesota to stretch the money out over several years, liberating some cap room in the immediate as a result.
The Star Tribune‘s Ben Goessling was all over the news. Per the Vikings beat writer, the tight end’s contract adjustment allowed for roughly $7 million in added room: “The #Vikings’ signing bonus conversion with T.J. Hockenson cleared about $7 million in salary cap space, according to a league source. Should give them some operating room for the season, given they were under $1 million before the move.”
Currently, Over the Cap puts Minnesota’s open room at $11,209,513.
Keep in mind, though, that that’s a number that’s got adjusted yet again. After all, the Horrible Harry deal put a dent into things.
Tom Pelissero of The NFL Network broke the news on that one, providing just basic contract details: “The #Vikings are signing veteran DT Harrison Phillips to a two-year contract extension worth up to $19 million with over $13M guaranteed, per sources. A 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award nominee, Phillips is now locked in with Minnesota through 2026.”
For whatever it’s worth, Kevin O’Connell is pleased to have his DT1 back for a few more seasons:
Prior to the extension, Phillips was taking a pretty good bite out of the cap in the ’24 season. More specifically, he was accounting for $8,833,334 in the accounting. An extension had the potential to clear $4,300,000 off the books in the present.
The fine folks at OTC got the full details of his deal and are indicating that his 2024 cap charge now sits at just $5,480,556. So, a bit more back and forth with the Vikings’ cap.
One also wonders about corner Byron Murphy Jr., someone who is carrying a cap charge nearing $11 million and yet who looks like a strong candidate for a new deal. Extending the versatile defender would come with the benefit of being able to clear up to $6,380,000. Does that deal get done soon?
Regardless, the broader point remains: the Vikings’ cap has been experiencing some whiplash lately due to the work from the creative GM.
Editor’s Note: Information from Over the Cap helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.
