Daily Norseman
Some Takes on the Latest Vikings (and NFL) News
Let’s look at some Minnesota Vikings (and NFL) news and notes making headlines over the past week or so. Ready to have some fun?!
The Vikings have $21.6 million in effective cap space (post June 1st), but are $52.6 million over the projected 2026 cap. Yikes. Yeah, not ideal. You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs, right?
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did a fantastic job of turning this roster over in just a few offseasons. When he took over in January 2022, the team was over the cap by approximately $15 million. Not great, but not awful either. However, that didn’t tell the whole story. Kirk Cousins’ hit alone was set to be $45 million, nearly 22% of the overall salary cap. In addition, Danielle Hunter’s $18 million roster bonus was due shortly after the start of the league year. Key starters in 2021, such as Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, and Adam Thielen, were at or over 30 years old. In two years, KAM adeptly maintained competitiveness* while freeing up approximately $38 million ahead of the 2024 free agency period.
*Yeah, yeah, I know, we went 7-10 in 2023. Please. We at least go 9-8 if Cousins doesn’t go down on that decrepit Lambeau Field surface, and if Justin Jefferson plays in Weeks 11 and 12. A stellar 27-7 otherwise.
This led to the Vikings having the 5th-highest roster turnover heading into the 2024 season (56.5% retention). How great was the work KAM did in free agency heading into last season? Well, consider this astonishing statistic: He brought in Jonathan Greenard, Blake Cashman, Andrew Van Ginkel, Aaron Jones, Sam Darnold, Shaquill Griffin, Stephon Gilmore, and Jihad Ward for a combined total of $148.6 million, including $90.6 million guaranteed. That’s $31.4 million and $9.4 million less than the Kirk Cousins deal with the Atlanta Falcons. Damn. Still, that’s a good chunk of change. Now you add Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Isaiah Rodgers, and Jordan Mason at a cumulative $208 million and nearly $119 million guaranteed, and…abracadabra…$52.6 million over the 2026 cap.
I’m not too concerned; KAM and Rob Brzezinski have options. A Brian O’Neill extension here, a Justin Jefferson restructure there, a veteran cut with little to no dead cap hit, and suddenly things look more manageable. Ryan Kelly and Harrison Phillips could be candidates for the latter, but I hate that. Yet, to quote Michael Corleone, “It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s strictly business.”
Of course, this year’s cap space could be rolled into next year to alleviate some of the financial pressure. I’d like to see us bring back Shaquill Griffin with some of that money, though. Not sure why this hasn’t happened. Griffin led our secondary in passer rating against (75.8) last year, even better than Byron Murphy, Jr. (76.7). Strong veteran presence. Familiarity with the system. Made $4.5 million in 2024. Not quite 30 years old. Over 1,000 coverage...
