Why the Vikings’ Key FA Addition May Be in MIN for a Good Time, Not a Long Time
Trooper has taught us that the sun can’t shine everyday. Well, some storm clouds are appearing over Minnesota.
One of the Vikings’ key FA additions from the most current offseason — center Ryan Kelly — is being leaned on to help J.J. McCarthy thrive. Part of the task involves acting as a bodyguard, keeping pass rushers off the young passer. Part of the task involves functioning as expert intelligence, decoding a defense in real-time to get the protection in the right spot. One wonders, though, if Mr. Kelly will be playing in Minnesota beyond just 2025.
The Vikings’ Key FA Add & The 2026 Cap Crunch
In a perfect world, Ryan Kelly does wonderfully in his career’s second chapter.
The center stands at 6’4″ and weighs 307 pounds. He was chosen at No. 18 back in the 2016 NFL Draft, a decision that ended up aging well for the Colts across the years. The lineman played nine seasons in Indianapolis — a total of 121 games, each one being a start — and did very well on the field. His four Pro Bowls and second-team All Pro honor in 2020 prove as much.
Furthermore, the PFF grades are consistently strong, most often living in the high 60s or in the 70s.
So, what’s the issue? Do the Vikings move on from Mr. Kelly simply due to him being a bit older?
The issue rests in the 2026 budget, an area that PurplePTSD has been keeping an eye on for a while. Already, the team is working with a deficit that’s sitting at $32.4 million (roughly). The estimate is precisely that: an estimate. The number will change before March of 2026 arrives, but the overarching takeaway remains that next season’s finances are looking pretty snug.
How does Mr. Kelly factor into the mix? Pretty simple. Cutting the lineman means saving all of his cap charge. No dead money. The entire $12,117,500 cap charge for 2026 can get wiped off the books without there being any financial penalty.
In other words, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah can go to his center with quite a bit of leverage. Adofo-Mensah likely desires a future where Ryan Kelly plays so well that he demands ongoing employment in Minnesota. Can the GM avoid the cut, instead extending the center to get the dual benefit of high-level play at C1 alongside the needed cap savings?
An extension for Ryan Kelly opens the possibility of putting more than $8 million back into the cap space. Pretty appealing, especially if the former Colt does as well as everyone is hoping for in TCO Performance Center.
Kelly, of course, isn’t the only potential cap casualty or extension option. Brian O’Neill, for instance, could put $19.5 million back into the budget with a simple cut. Alternatively, an extension for O’Neill — a stud at right tackle who is one of the team’s key leaders — could free up more than $14 million in cap space.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah isn’t a GM who often feels backed into a corner. Rather, he’s someone who constantly preaches about how he covets options, the ability to do different things to get at his ultimate goal: building a roster capable of contending for a Super Bowl on a yearly basis.
The point is simply that what looks like a tough cap situation in 2026 has many solutions (Dustin Baker discusses the cap issue on VT). The simplest path may appear to be through cuts to guys like Ryan Kelly and Brian O’Neill, but pursuing that strategy comes with a distinct downside: needing to replace a strong C1 (maybe with Michael Jurgens?) and/or a strong RT1 (maybe with Walter Rouse?).
Teams replace players all the time, so we’re not talking about the Vikings moving into uncharted waters. Nevertheless, the points remains that Minnesota shouldn’t be in a rush to say goodbye to excellent talent.
Ryan Kelly seems likely to be considered for a cut next year due to the upcoming issue with the 2026 salary cap. If, however, things break a certain way, then the Vikings’ key FA addition could be around for both a good time and a long time by agreeing to an adjusted deal.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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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 and Bluesky (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.