The Viking Age
FanSided

Estimated salary cap increase would help Vikings retain top talent

By Adam Carlson

EDEN PRAIRIE, MN - SEPTEMBER 17: General Manager Rick Spielman of the Minnesota Vikings speaks to the media during a press conference on September 17, 2014 at Winter Park in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The Vikings addressed their decision to put Adrian Peterson on the commissioner's exempt list until Peterson's child-abuse case has been resolved. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
EDEN PRAIRIE, MN - SEPTEMBER 17: General Manager Rick Spielman of the Minnesota Vikings speaks to the media during a press conference on September 17, 2014 at Winter Park in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The Vikings addressed their decision to put Adrian Peterson on the commissioner's exempt list until Peterson's child-abuse case has been resolved. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of players they will want to retain for the 2019 NFL season and the estimated salary cap increase could help that happen.

It’s no secret that the Minnesota Vikings are not in a good spot financially after their spending before and during the 2018 NFL season. The team spent a lot of its salary cap acquiring quarterback Kirk Cousins, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, and other players while locking down some of their own players to long-term deals.

After this season, some key players will become free agents according to Spotrac. Sheldon Richardson, Latavius Murray, Anthony Barr, and 16 other players currently under contract by Minnesota will need new contracts or be left unsigned to play for other teams.

Thankfully, NFL public relations official Brian McCarthy recently tweeted that the salary cap for the 2019 NFL season will increase by more than some were expecting.

It is being estimated that the new salary cap will land somewhere between $187 million to $191.1 million, up from the $177.2 million from the 2018 NFL season. Meaning that the Vikings will have an additional $9.8 million to $13.1 million to work with.

At the time of this publishing, Spotrac shows the Vikings with a salary cap of $1,546,714 remaining from this season, which would carry over to next year if it goes unspent. In addition, there are some players on the Minnesota roster who may be due for some contract restructuring or possibly even release to give the team more salary cap to work with.

Of course, the focus for the Minnesota Vikings during the offseason should be fixing the interior of the offensive line. Riley Reiff has looked decent this year at left tackle and Brian O’Neill has emerged as a possible long-term answer at right tackle, but two new guards could be on the team’s wish list and might be the priority in free agency or through the NFL Draft.

Next. 15 best Vikings first round draft picks. dark

No matter how the Minnesota Vikings would choose to spend their salary cap, the increase is great news for the team. Being able to retain top talent while possibly bringing in other players to help improve the roster would be key to taking the team to the next level.

Home/Minnesota Vikings News