To say the Minnesota Vikings will look a little different in 2025 would be a massive understatement, as the team went through a whirlwind of an offseason.
As expected, the Vikes lost several key contributors who helped them to a 14-3 regular-season record in 2024, most notably quarterback Sam Darnold, who stepped up when first-round pick J.J. McCarthy went down and made the most of his one-year contract by having the best campaign of his career, which helped him earn a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks.
Also not returning in 2025 is a list that includes center Garrett Bradbury, safety Camryn Bynum, linebacker Patrick Jones, short-term left tackle Cam Robinson, cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Shaquill Griffin, and backup running back Cam Akers, among others.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wasted no time in reloading, though, adding several new starters in center Ryan Kelly, right guard Will Fries, defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, and cornerback Isaiah Rodgers. Running back Jordan Mason and wideout Rondale Moore were also among some strong backups brought to the Twin Cities.
Minnesota also took care of some in-house business by re-signing cornerback Byron Murphy and running back Aaron Jones to new contracts. And, of course, there was the small group of additions made during the draft, a list headlined by first-rounder and new starting left guard Donovan Jackson.
So, what has all this movement done to the Vikings' salary cap situation?
Well, as it stands at the time of this writing, Minnesota will head into training camp with $23,540,752 in available cap space, which, according to Over The Cap, is good for 15th in the NFL.
Minnesota Vikings salary cap situation takes a nasty turn for the worse in 2026
While some may want the Vikings to use some of this available cash to fill the remaining holes on the roster, Minnesota would undoubtedly be better off by letting this money roll over into next year. Because things are going to take a nasty turn come 2026.
One of the biggest changes moving forward revolves around superstar wideout Justin Jefferson, who, of course, signed a four-year, $140 million extension in June 2024, at the time making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
Now, with the way the deal was constructed, Jefferson's cap hit for the upcoming 2025 campaign, which is the first of the contract, is just $15,167,600, which ranks fourth among Vikings players behind right tackle Brian O'Neill ($26,019,114), defensive end Jonathan Greenard ($22,300,000), and tight end T.J. Hockenson ($16,649,118).
In 2026, however, Jefferson's figure rises to $38,987,600. And then to $43,487,600 in 2027. And then to $47,487,600 in 2028.
And Jefferson's figure won't be the only one going up. As you just saw, the Vikings have only two players with cap hits exceeding $20 million this season.
Next year, that number jumps to seven, with Justin Jefferson ($38,987,600), Brian O'Neill ($23,203,892), Christian Darrisaw ($23,141,929), Jonathan Greenard ($22,300,000), Jonathan Allen ($21,616,666), Javon Hargrave ($21,497,500), and T.J. Hockenson ($21,355,000).
And Byron Murphy ($19,570,000) and Andrew Van Ginkel ($19,400,000) aren't far behind.
From an overall standpoint, the Vikings are currently set to have -$60,822,694 in available cap space in 2026. Yes, that's a negative sign in front of the amount.
Now, there are obviously ways around this problem, as contracts will be restructured and money moved around. Additionally, the cap figure will undoubtedly rise, which will help some. But there's certainly work to be done moving forward.