If this past week turns out to be the only NFL Draft that Minnesota Vikings executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski runs with the search for a permanent general manager now officially underway, he certainly had his fun with it, engaging in several trades.
The biggest of which sent Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles, which ultimately helped the Vikings make nine draft selections, the most of any team in the NFC.
Minnesota's first selection of the week at No. 18 overall was undoubtedly divisive among fans and pundits alike, as the team selected Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks, who appeared in only three games this past year due to an injury to his left foot, which he reinjured recently and will keep him from participating in full football activities until June at the absolute earliest.
From there, the Vikings stuck with defensive picks to open Day 2, first selecting Cincinnati linebacker Jake Golday (Round 2, No. 51 overall) and then a second defensive tackle in Iowa State's Domonique Orange (Round 3, No. 82 overall).
They finally went the offensive route with Northwestern tackle Caleb Tiernan late Friday (Round 3, No. 97 overall), but went back to the defense just one selection later with Miami safety Jakobe Thomas (Round 3, No. 98 overall).
Minnesota used three of its final four selections on offensive players, choosing Michigan tight end/fullback Max Bredeson (Round 5, No. 159 overall), Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne (Round 6, No. 198 overall), and Cincinnati offensive lineman Gavin Gerhardt (Round 7, No. 235 overall).
The lone defensive selection on Day 3 was Stephen F. Austin cornerback Charles Demmings (Round 5, No. 163 overall).
So, now that all of these players have been selected, how much is all of this going to cost? Well, if every one of these nine players earns every dollar they possibly can, the Vikings are looking at about $69.625 million over the next four years.
Minnesota Vikings will spend roughly $13.2 million on their drafted rookies in 2026
Here's a quick look at the money the nine players the Vikings selected could earn over the next few seasons, and we'll explain how those numbers came to be afterward.
Player | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Caleb Banks ($21,282,642) | $3,869,571 | $4,836,964 | $5,804,357 | $6,771,750 |
Jake Golday ($9,601,012) | $1,745,638 | $2,182,048 | $2,618,458 | $3,054,868 |
Domonique Orange ($6,982,884) | $1,269,615 | $1,587,019 | $1,904,423 | $2,221,827 |
Caleb Tiernan ($6,693,940) | $1,217,080 | $1,521,350 | $1,825,620 | $2,129,890 |
Jakobe Thomas ($6,693,940) | $1,217,080 | $1,521,350 | $1,825,620 | $2,129,890 |
Max Bredeson ($4,736,547) | $1,007,887 | $1,127,887 | $1,242,887 | $1,357,887 |
Charles Demmings ($4,723,873) | $1,004,718 | $1,124,718 | $1,239,718 | $1,354,718 |
Demond Claiborne ($4,518,583) | $953,396 | $1,073,396 | $1,188,396 | $1,303,396 |
Gavin Gerhardt ($4,391,877) | $921,719 | $1,041,719 | $1,156,719 | $1,271,719 |
Totals ($69,625,298) | $13,206,704 | $16,016,451 | $18,806,198 | $21,595,945 |
For those unfamiliar, all drafted rookies receive four-year contracts under the current collective bargaining agreement (first-round picks have a fifth-year team option) that can't be renegotiated or reworked until after the third season of the deal.
The rookie wage scale was established 15 years ago and sets salary parameters for players based on their draft position. Naturally, the top pick in the draft receives the largest rookie contract, and the value decreases with each subsequent pick.
For clarification, the numbers used above were obtained from our friends at Spotrac.
Most of the money for those earlier selections comes from a prorated signing bonus, which is spread over the duration of the deal, and rookies typically receive a base salary in line with the league minimum for the first season, with the figure rising a touch each year.
Now, it's worth noting that the numbers seen above are not all guaranteed money. Banks will have a lot of his contract guaranteed, and Golday may get some guarantees as a second-rounder, but the rest will undoubtedly be partials, so a lot of what you saw above was "up to" figures.
As for those undrafted free agents signed by Minnesota, they typically receive non-guaranteed, three-year deals.
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