Vikings Rumors: 13th in NFL Cap Caveat, Surprise Franchise Tag, and Goodbye Left Tackle
As we enter the portion of the year when Vikings rumors start heating up, we’ll be highlighting some of the purple rumblings.
The “Vikings Rumor Wrangle” is a series that keeps readers informed on what’s being whispered about in Vikings Land. In this iteration, we discuss the Vikings coming in at 13th in the NFL for a salary cap trick, using the franchise tag on a surprise player, and saying goodbye to a starting-level left tackle.
Vikings Rumors: 02.19.2025
Rumor #1 — The Vikings are Coming in at 14th in the NFL for a Salary Cap Caveat
Credit to Nick Korte, someone who is well known as the compensatory picks expert but who also offers insight about the salary cap.
Korte offers a list of the teams that have pushed the most money into void years. Essentially, teams lean on void years to help spread out signing bonuses, lessening cap hits in the immediate but greatly-increasing the chance of some dead money hits in the future. The Vikings find themselves at 13th in the NFL with $47.08 million sitting in void years. For context, the Eagles are 1st with a whopping $390.4 million in void years.
The tactic is a common feature of the Kwesi contract. Consider, for instance, just some of the dead money that is scheduled to hit the books in 2025 due to void years that were added onto contracts from last season. Sam Darnold, Byron Murphy Jr., Aaron Jones, Harrison Smith, and Stephon Gilmore will all leave behind dead money if there aren’t new deals in time for the voids to not hit the books (Darnold, Murphy, and Gilmore are already showing up in the dead money pile).
When new deals get signed in March, Vikings fans should keep the cap tactic in mind. Good chance that the GM decides to manage how expensive the present moment is by kicking money into the future via void years.
Rumor #2 — There’s an Unexpected Contender to be Franchise Tagged
Forget Sam Darnold. What about Byron Murphy Jr.?*
Kevin Seifert of ESPN names the corner as someone to consider when it comes to the franchise tag: “In the end, the Vikings seem more likely to let Darnold sign elsewhere and preserve their tag for a player such as cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., who had a career-high six interceptions in 2024 and is hitting his prime at age 27. If nothing else, it would give the Vikings time to sign Murphy to a longer-term deal while keeping him off the market.”
Murphy isn’t the world’s fastest corner, but he’s a great athlete who does a nice job of plucking passes out of the sky. He has soft hands and good timing for high-pointing the ball. Even better, he’s very versatile, moving into the slot for 307 snaps while playing out wide for 643 snaps (among other spots on the field).
Slapping the tag onto the 27-year-old corner would make a lot of sense if there isn’t a long-term extension in place.
* Editor’s Note: A report from ESPN’s Dan Graziano has clarified that Murphy can no longer get the franchise tag.
Rumor #3 — Minnesota Will Soon Say Goodbye to a Starting Left Tackle
Quite likely, but we’re not talking about Christian Darrisaw. Instead, it’s Cam Robinson, someone who was acquired at the most recent trade deadline.
Standing at 6’6″ and weighing 335 pounds, Cam Robinson possesses a great build to be an NFL left tackle. He was snagged at No. 34 back in the 2017 NFL Draft, performing well for Jacksonville across the years.
Last season, Robinson was guilty of allowing 7 sacks, 7 QB hits, and 52 pressures. Far from dominant, but the 64.7 PFF grade — alongside a 70.4 pass-blocking grade — means someone is going to sink some money into the veteran.
Meanwhile, the Vikings will be looking to recoup a compensatory selection for his departure, offsetting the cost of acquisition at the trade deadline. If the GM can thread the needle, then we’ll look back at the trade as being a pretty sharp move from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Recently, Janik Eckardt discussed the topic, responding to Ben Goessling of The Star Tribune in the process. “The 29-year-old allowed 21 QB pressures in the final two games of the year,” Eckardt writes. “Paired with underwhelming play in the running game throughout his entire career, the Vikings hope to get Darrisaw back at the left tackle spot sooner rather than later.”
The veteran tackle may only have one more shot at a large NFL contract, so he’ll very likely be looking for a beefy deal.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
At Some Point Soon, The Vikings May Start Getting a Bit Nervous
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.