The Vikings’ Striking Change with Managing the Team Budget
The QB budget still sits among the league’s lowest, even with the recent additions.
The Vikings’ striking change to their quarterback position is largely responsible for financing the major free-agent additions from the offseason (though there’s a limit to that open room). There’s nothing new in the mere insistence that having J.J. McCarthy — and the savings that emanate from his rookie contract — helps to keep the finances ample, robust, and healthy. What may not be as obvious is just how dramatic the Vikings have skimped at quarterback, at least when it comes to cap space.
The Vikings’ Striking Change with QB Spending
Very sensibly, many will think of Kirk Cousins as the contrast.
The rock-solid on-field player is an elite quarterback at the negotiation table. The man knows how to make money, a basic reality that has long been evident. After all, he played his best football of his career with the Vikings from 2022-23 but then opted for a southward adventure by agreeing to a four-year contract that promised a huge $180 million. The Falcons are now looking a bit silly for the behemoth contract.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is unafraid to say “no” when entering a negotiation. The GM wisely said “no” to Cousins’ price tag, instead pivoting toward Sam Darnold.
Mr. Darnold put together a career-best season as a Viking, piling up 35 passing touchdowns while clearing 4,000 passing yards (quite comfortably). More importantly, perhaps, is that his completion percentage sat at 66.2% — a career high. Oh, and the 14-3 record doesn’t hurt either.
Sam Darnold, very sensibly, leveraged his excellent season to land a beefy deal to become a Seahawk. He’s now in Seattle on a three-year pact that’s promising to pay $100.5 million. Again, Adofo-Mensah said “no,” instead preferring to go cheaper at the game’s most important position.
The top options are now J.J. McCarthy, Sam Howell, Brett Rypien, and Max Brosmer. So, a full house at the QB spot (leading to a logjam that makes new adds hard to fit). The sophomore who got picked up at No. 10 — Mr. McCarthy — is carrying the largest cap hit by a decent clip, but he’s still quite cheap. In fact, he’s not even surpassing the $5 million mark in 2025.
Combine all of the QB spending and the Vikings are sitting in the 3rd-lowest spot with just a touch beyond $6 million going toward the position. There are some important caveats, however.
Right now, the OTC number only includes the McCarthy and Rypien deals. Consider how things will look once Howell and Brosmer get tossed into the mix:
- QB1: J.J. McCarthy, $4,966,999
- QB2: Sam Howell, $1,100,000
- QB3: Brett Rypien, $1,055,000
- QB4: Max Brosmer, $843,333 (Spotrac)
Even when we include the two new passers — Howell and Brosmer — we’re still talking about adding less than $2 million. In the end, Minnesota’s total quarterback cap hit in the 2025 offseason sits at a very modest $8(ish) million. Over in Dallas, Dak Prescott alone has a cap hit that exceeds $50 million in just 2025.
A pair of other factors to consider. The two teams coming in lower than the Vikings for quarterback spending on OTC — the Titans and Steelers — aren’t yet seeing the deal for Cam Ward added (Tennessee) and whatever veteran gets added (Pittsburgh). One wonders, then, if the Vikings march through the 2025 season with the lowest cap commitment to the quarterback spot in the entire NFL.
The Vikings’ striking change to how they’re spending at this position makes them a fascinating test case for Super Bowl contendership. Seeing J.J. McCarthy thrive early will mean that Minnesota will push for a playoff spot. Can they not just get into the final tournament but do damage once there?
Winning it all — as unlikely as that seems — would represent a wild outcome given how cheap Adofo-Mensah has gone at QB.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and 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 and Bluesky (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
