The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of work to do this offseason. Not only does the team have some important needs to fill, but their salary cap situation is among one of the worst in the NFL entering the 2026 NFL season.
Although the Vikings brought in some big contracts in recent seasons, there are plenty of moves the team can make to get them out of the hole they are currently in. Plus, it doesn't hurt that the cap increases with each passing year.
Despite initially looking overwhelming, the salary cap situation for the Minnesota Vikings in 2026 isn't as bad as many fans thought.
According to Spotrac, the Minnesota Vikings have the second-worst offseason salary cap situation entering the 2026 NFL season. While that isn't good, the team did get some positive information on Friday that could help them in a major way.
ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter shared in a post on X that the salary cap number teams must be under for the 2026 NFL season is $301.2. That is an increase of $22 million from last season's set cap number.
That means Minnesota will still need to find a way to shed approximately $42 million this offseason while still adding talent at positions like quarterback, safety, cornerback, offensive line, and other key areas of the roster.
Without the adjustment for the 2026 NFL season, the Vikings would be nearly $64 million over the cap, so the new number set takes away some of the concern about the purple and gold being able to make things work without sacrificing too many assets.
To put things in perspective, 37-year-old safety Harrison Smith is set to carry a base salary of $25 million if he is still on the roster after March 13. Minnesota will need the veteran defensive back to decide his future before that date. If no decision is made by then, they will be on the hook for a salary cap hit of $26.6 million for this season.
Smith isn't the only one who could help out the Vikings' salary cap situation. Restructures, cuts, trades, and solid drafting can help to make the situation much more comfortable for 2026 and the following seasons.
Although things are looking a little better for the Minnesota Vikings after the salary cap increase, fans will still want to pay attention to the team's moves this offseason. They might have to make some unpopular moves to get within operating range, but at least now it won't be as daunting.