Most Likely Vikings Cap Casualty Comes Into Focus
The Minnesota Vikings are nearly $50 million over next season’s salary cap, which means the club needs to shave some money in the next few weeks. That number sounds worse than it is, however, as several contracts are structured in a way that makes it easy to get out of them. One of those is Javon Hargrave’s. The defensive tackle is the franchise’s top candidate for a release, according to Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine.
He wrote, “The Vikings took a gamble on Javon Hargrave being able to have a bounce-back season after playing just three games in 2024. The 32-year-old was able to play in 16 of the 17 games in the regular season, but didn’t truly return to form. He only had 3.5 sacks with two of those coming in the final week of the season.”
Hargrave was part of a dual investment by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah along the defensive interior. The GM handed massive contracts to defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Hargrave. Though they didn’t play up to expectations or salary, the interior of the defensive line certainly had more oomph than it did in previous campaigns.
“Heading into his age-33 season, the Vikings could save a huge chunk of his scheduled $21.5 million cap hit. It seems clear he’s not going to perform at that level anymore,” Ballentine noted.
According to Over the Cap, the Vikings can save exactly $10,955,882 in cap space with a release, leaving a dead cap hit of $10,497,500.
But there’s a potential sweetener. Because Hargrave has $4 million of his 2026 salary guaranteed, the Vikings could save that money by trading him. Sure, his contract is huge, but perhaps someone is willing to swap a meaningless late-round pick for the veteran lineman. The Vikings should obviously try to find a buyer in that way to maximize the savings.
If there’s no buyer, however, cutting him remains a decent option. Hargrave appeared in 16 games, but was fairly ineffective with 3.5 sacks and 52 tackles (four tackles for loss). His 31 QB pressures ranked sixth in Brian Flores‘ defense, behind linebackers Dallas Turner, Jonathan Greenard and Eric Wilson, as well as fellow interior defenders Allen and Jalen Redmond.
Just for context, Hargrave logged more than 60 pressures in each year from 2021 to 2023. Last season, an injury limited him to only three games. Given his age (he’ll turn 33 next week), it’s unlikely that he can return to the production of his Pro Bowl days. Still, someone with a lack of interior pass rush might be willing to spend a late-rounder to acquire the two-time Pro Bowler.
The Vikings, meanwhile, will rely on 2025 breakout player Redmond, veteran Allen (who could be a cap casualty in his own right, but he’s a couple of years younger than Hargrave and has two more years on his contract, capping potential savings).
If Hargrave ends up on the chopping block, backups Levi Drake Rodriguez and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins could assume bigger roles, and the arrival of another free agent or draft pick is possible.
Ballentine also listed expensive tight end T.J. Hockenson and aging running back Aaron Jones as potential cap casualties. Ultimately, the Vikings have multiple paths to cap compliance, but Hargrave’s contract stands out as one of the few that offers immediate relief with limited long-term consequences.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.