When general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took over as the Minnesota Vikings general manager ahead of hte 2022 season, he was left with a combination of good pieces and disastrous contracts.
His predecessor Rick Spielman left him a poor situation in multiple levels. He butchered four third-round picks which could have been a building block for the next few years and gave expensive contracts to both Adam Thielen and Harrison Smith that hindered the team moving forward.
With those issues persisting at the beginning of his tenure, Adofo-Mensah spent his first three offseasons fixing the salary cap situation, navigating the above contracts along with the albatross of Kirk Cousins to try and both win now and secure their financial future.
It took a minute, but Adofo-Mensah has done a really good job getting the salary cap health in order.
Minnesota Vikings salary cap health
When taking a look at the Vikings salary cap health, it’s important to use the current up-to-date figures at Over The Cap. There isn’t anyone better in providing the correct information with the cap.
What they don’t currently have is updated salary cap projections for the next couple of years. With the 2024 salary cap being at $255.4 million, Over The Cap currently lists the 2025 salary cap at $260 million. That piece of information means I will be providing my own projections. They are based on the following criteria:
- Past increases in the salary cap
- New television deal
- Current salary cap
The Vikings just signed Christian Darrisaw to a massive extension last week and it signaled a huge move for the Vikings future.As things sit right now, the salary cap hasn’t taken that big of a hit, especially after extending Darrisaw and Justin Jefferson. Here is what the Vikings salary cap looks like over the next three seasons.
2024
Current salary cap space: $19,099,821
Functional salary cap space: $12.5 million
Dead salary cap:
The Vikings have a significant amount of cap space at their disposal. However, it only includes the top 51 players currently, along with needing to set aside around $4 million for the practice squad. That $12.5 million could be used for both in season additions as well as possible extensions like defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, safety Camryn Bynum and cornerback Byron Murphy Jr.
2025
Salary cap estimate: $290.4 million
Projected salary cap space: $95.5 million
Dead salary cap: $4,668
Players under contract: 54
It’s worth noting that some of the players under contract are UDFAs as they all sign three-year contracts after the NFL Draft. Among those contracts are players whose contracts have void years in Murphy, Sam Darnold, Harrison Smith and Aaron Jones. Over The Cap also includes Khyree Jackson, whose contract will transition off of the books. Some figures will be altered slightly when that occurs.
The void year contracts can also stay spread out with a contract extension. Sitting at $95.5 million, they can maneuver the current void year acceleration figures a lot with extensions.
2026
Salary cap estimate:$330.4
Current salary cap space:$154.5 million
Dead salary cap: TBD
Players under contract: 39
The Vikings have a tremendous amount of flexibility moving forward, which is something that Adofo-Mensah has prioritized over the entirety of his tenure. The biggest contract and cap hits are as follows:
- WR Justin Jefferson: $38,987,600
- RT Brian O’Neill: $23,203,892
- LT Christian Darrisaw: $23,141,929
- EDGE Jonathan Greenard: $22,300,000
- TE T.J. Hockenson: $19,600,000
It’s a tremendous group of core players, one that doesn’t include the likes of Jordan Addison, J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner, all of whom are on rookie contracts. The Vikings are in a great spot moving forward and fans should be excited, especially with a quarterback on a rookie contract.
