The Vikings’ Slow-Moving Conundrum
The Vikings’ slow-moving conundrum is that next year’s budget is already in the red.
Flip things to Over the Cap and Minnesota’s 2026 budget isn’t in good shape. More specifically, Minnesota is looking at a projected deficit of more than $15 million. In other words, Minnesota would need to clear out a touch beyond $15 million just to break even (at least according to the current estimate). Adding new players? Well, that’s going to take even more work.
The Vikings’ Slow-Moving Cap Conundrum
The good news is that everyone can see the crisis as plain as day. The future budget isn’t just snug, it’s actively taking on water due to the present-day spending. So, something’s gotta give.
Again, though, come back to that basic reality: everyone can see this coming. Unlike a player injury that arrives in an instant, the Vikings’ cap situation is one that’s unfolding over the course of several months and, indeed, several years. Solutions are already being dreamed up and discussed. When and how they get implemented is what remains to be seen.
Thankfully, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has proven to be pretty shrewd when it comes to working around an NFL budget. Even better, Rob Brzezinski — Minnesota’s Executive Vice President, Football Operations — is widely recognized as one of the best in the business at working the salary cap. The pair are going to get things figured out, rest assured.
The caveat is simply that we don’t yet know how much pain will be involved in arriving at a solution.
Consider, for instance, one particularly undesirable solution: cutting right tackle Brian O’Neill. Doing so would not only wipe out the debt but actually give the Vikings a bit of cap flexibility. A simple cut means gaining $19,500,000, more than enough to erase that negative $15M while also putting a bit of spending power back into the Vikings’ pocket.
One could envision a scenario where Justin Jefferson sees money get shuffled around. The WR1 is going to have a beefy cap hit in 2026: $38,987,600. A restructure has the potential of liberating $18,018,750. So, too, could someone like Jonathan Greenard be an option for a restructure since his deal could give back $12,956,250 in open room.
A complicating factor is that Minnesota is working with some extension candidates. All of Josh Oliver, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Josh Metellus are moving into the final year of their contracts. What does it cost to bring them back? What’s the impact on the 2026 budget?
Something else to keep in mind: whatever doesn’t get used in 2025 gets rolled over into 2026. So, there’s good reason to be a bit stingy the rest of the way unless there’s a compelling need to drain the present-day cap abundance.
In all likelihood, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah isn’t going to be nearly as frisky in next year’s free agency. Instead, look for the emphasis to be on the 2026 NFL Draft, especially since compensatory picks are going to get tossed onto the pile. Welcoming in a lot of young, cost-controlled players is a great way to gain talent without needing to spend major money. The key, of course, rests in nailing those picks.
The Vikings’ slow-moving cap problem isn’t one that should cause any sleepless nights, but it’s nevertheless a fascinating issue to monitor in the coming months as Minnesota seeks to be a team that competes in the final tournament on a yearly basis.
Minnesota is currently working with roughly $26.6 million in open room.
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 social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
