The Vikings Save Some Money as 2026 Begins
Going into Week 18, the Minnesota Vikings had $700,000 on the line, as Nick Korte detailed for Over the Cap. That money is going to remain.
The Vikings saved the money since all of DT Jonathan Allen, RB Jordan Mason, and TE Josh Oliver didn’t arrive at the required statistical thresholds to earn bonuses. Accordingly, the team budget sees a minor boost ahead of what is going to be a tough cap crunch in the coming weeks.
Vikings Save Money Rolling into 2026
According to Over the Cap, the Vikings find themselves at 31st in open cap space.
Worse than not having any cap space is having negative cap space. Minnesota is sitting in that position with a projected deficit coming in at close to $38.3 million. The number is going to get tossed back and forth like a ping pong ball in the coming days, but the point of possessing cap debt will remain. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is well aware of the issue and surely has several tricks up his sleeve — he’s a math wizard — but there is still a problem that needs solving.
Of the trio of players who didn’t unlock the added contract incentive, Mr. Allen had the most disappointing year.
The defensive tackle has been an excellent player for a long time. Chosen at No. 17 in the 2017 NFL Draft, Jonathan Allen has long been recognized for tremendous leadership alongside his abilities as a pass rusher. At times, Allen was ultra disruptive, but he was too often a non-factor for a Minnesota team that has long craved interior disruption.
Allen’s season finished with 68 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 11 quarterback hits. Getting to 5 sacks would have unlocked another $250,000 in pay.
Meanwhile, Josh Oliver had a mostly strong season. Like most purple pass catchers, the brawny tight end saw his receiving numbers decline except for his touchdown catches. Climbing up to 4 is a new career high but still short of where he needed to go for his incentives: a half dozen touchdowns. Oliver getting to 6 scores would have involved stuffing $250,000 into his wallet.
Finally, there is Jordan Mason, the powerful runner who was acquired via trade with the 49ers.
The well-built 26-year-old playmaker is a hammer who treats defenders like nails. He uses his 5’11”, 230-pound frame to grind out tough yards while occasionally showing off some wiggle. The 2025 season finished with him as the team’s top rusher, earning 758 yards across his 159 carries for a healthy 4.8 yards-per-carry average.
Earning more money would have involved Mason getting up to 800 rushing yards. Doing so would have meant prying away another $200,000 from the wealthy Wilfs.
An odd reality surrounding these threes players is that each one could see their running mate cut in cost saving moves. The status of Jonathan Allen makes moving on from Javon Hargrave more likely; the status of Josh Oliver makes moving on from T.J. Hockenson more likely; the status of Jordan Mason makes moving on from Aaron Jones more likely.
Seeing all three of Hargrave, Hockenson, and Jones cut before June 1st would mean saving close to $28 million on the cap.
In the coming days and weeks, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is going to work toward getting his house in order. Doing so means turning over the couch cushions for any spare change that may have fallen out of his pocket (translation: slashing contracts off the books while squeezing players to accept pay cuts, restructures, and/or extensions).
Adofo-Mensah is moving into his fifth season as the top executive. Meaningful team success needs to arrive or Minnesota will start looking for a new top executive before too long.
