INDIANAPOLIS — After spending more money than any team in the NFL last offseason, the Vikings find themselves in a pinch heading into this offseason, more than $40 million over the salary cap with free agency starting March 11.
Only the Dallas Cowboys currently have less cap space than the Vikings.
That will be the first order of business for Rob Brzezinski as the acting general manager of the Vikings. Not that he seems too concerned; there aren’t many people better when it comes to manipulating the cap.
“Our goal is going to be to keep our core in place,” Brzezinski told reporters this week at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. “That’s going to involve making some difficult decisions.”
Although the Vikings must confront the reality cutting some players, they also have some other levers they can pull to free up cap space, such as restructuring contracts or negotiating extensions with specific players to lower their cap hits.
Some candidates for restructuring include receiver Justin Jefferson, tackle Christian Darrisaw, edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel and safety Byron Murphy Jr. Candidates for extensions include tackle Brian O’Neill, rush end Jonathan Greenard and linebacker Blake Cashman.
It’s likely the Vikings use both of those options. That alone won’t be enough to get them out of the red and into the black, however, so they will also be forced to say a number of hard goodbyes. Free agency officially begins at 3 p.m. CST on March 11. The draft is set for April 23-25.
Here are some players that could be in danger of being released.
Aaron Jones
Age: 31
Position: Running Back
Analysis: There’s virtually no chance that Jones plays out his current contract given the fact that he carries a $14.5 million cap hit in 2026. The Vikings love everything Jones brings on and off the field; they simply can’t afford to commit that much to him. The decision to release Jones would be create $7.7 million in cap space, enough for the Vikings to stomach the resulting $6.8 million in dead cap space.
Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson celebrates a 31-0 win against the Washington Commanders following an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
T.J. Hockenson
Age: 28
Position: Tight End
Analysis: It’s fair to say Hockenson’s recent production hasn’t been enough to justify his $21.3 million cap hit in 2026. If he wants to stick around in his current role, he could try to restructure his contract and agree to take a pay cut. That’s only an option if the Vikings want to keep Hockenson. Simply releasing him would create roughly $8.9 million, but would come with a $12.4 million dead cap hit.
Ryan Kelly
Age: 32
Position: Center
Analysis: There’s a pretty good chance Kelly decides to retire after navigating a series of concussions. If he for some reason decides he wants to keep playing, the Vikings will almost certainly cut him to create roughly $8.3 million in cap space. There isn’t really a drawback in doing so, as his current contract only carries $3.4 million in dead cap.
Javon Hargrave
Age: 33
Position: Defensive Tackle
Analysis: It would be a shock if Hargrave isn’t playing elsewhere this fall given his $21.4 million cap hit in 2026. If the Vikings release him, they would create nearly $11 million in cap space. But If they can find a trade partner, the Vikings would create nearly $15 million in cap space. Will anybody will be willing to acquire Hargrave and his current contract? That remains to be seen. He could still be effective as a rotational pass rusher if he lands in the right situation.
Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (93) lunges after a scrambling Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) in the fourth quarter of a NFL football game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Jonathan Allen
Age: 31
Position: Defensive Tackle
Analysis: This is much less likely because the cap savings generated by releasing Allen wouldn’t be nearly as substantial. If the Vikings opt for a youth movement in the trenches, however, they could free up roughly $6.5 million in cap space by releasing Allen. But given the current structure of his contract, they would take on roughly a $17.3 million dead cap hit. That’s probably a large enough number to deter the Vikings from going down this path.
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