Expect the Vikings to Cut a Pricey Addition after the Season
The Minnesota Vikings were big spenders in March when the league allowed teams to acquire players that had previously played elsewhere, better known as free agency. Various holes on the roster were plugged, and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spent the most money in the NFL.
Expect the Vikings to Cut a Pricey Addition after the Season
Among the most prominent signings were interior blockers Will Fries and Ryan Kelly, and defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave.
Unlike last year, the Vikings are already over next year’s budget. They need to save nearly $50 million in 2026. The good news is that they can do that by restructuring a handful of contracts, and the way front offices operate, they have planned for that.
Yet, to create some more wiggle room and even have the chance to hire some new reinforcements, a couple of players will likely be shown the door, too.
And it looks like one of those guys will be Javon Hargrave. The Gravedigger arrived in the Twin Cities following a year that was cut short by an injury, and he’s not getting any younger. Hargrave will be 33 when the next free-agency window opens.
The defender has played in all six games and has logged 22 tackles and a pair of sacks. Both QB takedowns took place in the season opener. Since then, he’s posted a goose egg in that department.
Hargrave ranks second on the team in QB pressures, only trailing top rusher Jonathan Greenard. Dallas Turner and Jonathan Allen tie Hargrave with 14 pressures.
All of that sounds good, but there’s one caveat: the run defense. The veteran just can’t hold up against double teams. That’s reflected in an abysmal PFF run defense grade, but perhaps even more important, he’s slowly getting benched for teammate Jalen Redmond.
Consider this: In the last two games, Hargrave played 33 and 18 defensive snaps. Redmond registered 41 and 37. In the weeks prior, they basically shared the position, but the trend is clearly on Redmond’s side. What else is on Redmond’s side? Well, the former XFL star is evolving into a star. He’s pretty much living in the backfield on running and passing downs.
To make matters worse, even 2024 seventh-rounder Levi Drake Rodriguez got more playing time in each of the last two games than Hargrave. Perhaps the Vikings watched the defense get carved up by Kenneth Gainwell in Dublin and decided to opt for the youth movement.
In March, Hargrave signed a two-year contract worth $30 million. Of that salary, $17 million was fully guaranteed. The Vikings also deferred some of his cap hit into the future, which means they lowered his 2025 cap hit by borrowing future money.
Long story short, there will be a dead cap hit of roughly $10.5 million in 2026, but by moving on from the former Pro Bowler after his first season with the Vikings, the club can save $11 million.
At this point, Allen and Redmond are the top two defensive tackles in Brian Flores’ unit. Allen is under contract through the 2027 season. He’s about two years younger than Hargrave and seems to have more gas left in the tank. Redmond will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, but re-signing him to a long-term deal should be a priority. Saving Hargrave’s salary will help.
Furthermore, Rodriguez and rookie draft pick Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins have shown enough flashes to make it unjustifiable to pay an aging player $15 million a year when he’s getting benched in favor of his teammates.
It was a calculated bet to hire a couple of older defensive tackles coming off an injury. The guarantees beyond year one are limited, and the Vikings will take advantage of that after the season.
Unless Hargrave can explode in the remaining ten games of the season, he’ll be a one-and-done in the Twin Cities.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.