Vikings See $700,000 Put on the Line on Sunday
If all of the individual players hit the (plausible) statistical milestones built into their contracts, the Vikings will see the budget shrink by $700,000. In the world of NFL finances, less than $1 million is a mere pittance. But for the snug Minnesota budget? Every little bit counts.
Nick Korte is the one to deliver the word, doing so in a piece for Over the Cap. Korte, quite evidently, has a knack for compiling difficult-to-parse information, distilling it down into a digestible format. He’s better known for his work on compensatory picks, but the incentives piece does a nice job of highlighting the players around the NFL who are playing for some nice financial bonuses.
Vikings May Need to Go to the ATM for $700K
For Minnesota, the critical part of discussion rests on the stat totals for DT Jonathan Allen, RB Jordan Mason, and TE Josh Oliver. These are the three who can earn meatier money in Week 18, as Korte details.
Mr. Allen sits at 3.5 sacks. He has to climb up to 5 sacks to unlock $250,000 in cash. Mr. Mason, meanwhile, sees his ground yards coming in at 664 yards. Earning enough yardage to hit or surpass 800 would see the runner earn $200,000. Finally, there’s Mr. Oliver needing to climb up to 6 touchdowns, a bump up from the 4 he has currently. Getting to a half dozen scores would mean becoming $250,000 richer.
Combined, that’s a potential loss of $700,000 for the team as those three would earn nice pay boosts moving into 2026.
Of the players listed above, it’s Allen who appears most likely to unlock the added compensation.
He is a starter, someone earning a hearty workload. Green Bay will be starting Clayton Tune, who is the backup to the backup. Leaning on the QB3 means leaning on a QB who isn’t as likely to get the ball out on time and in rhythm. Nor is he as likely to avoid hits. Pretty reasonably, Allen could find his way to 1.5 sacks, especially if the Packers sit some o-linemen.
Next up would appear to be Mason, in no small part due to Jones being hurt rolling into the game.
Leaning on the 26-year-old runner to carry a hearty workload appears to be a good approach. He’s powerful, commonly falling forward for an extra yard or two even as he’s getting corralled. But then there’s some wiggle within him, as well, made evident when he’s allowed to move horizontally before putting his cleat in the dirt and then climbing vertically as he explodes into an open crease.
Finally, there’s Oliver.
Not known for his prolific pass catching, Oliver is nevertheless tied with Jalen Nailor (likely to leave in free agency) as the team leader for touchdown catches. Both of Oliver and Nailor have offered 4 touchdowns to the Vikings. Somehow tossing on a pair for Oliver would mean that the muscular tight end steps into the offseason just a touch richer.
Kickoff for the Vikings and Packers is scheduled for today at 12 p.m. CT.
