NFL Trade Rumors
Today marks the halfway point of our six-part series looking at the teams that have racked up the biggest spending debt ahead of the 2026 offseason and how they’ll get back under the salary cap. Per Over The Cap, these six teams are currently tens of millions in the red in expected cap space (accounting for draft pick signings and filling out a full roster) for the 2026 season. “Cap hell” might be too strong a term, but these six teams are in a tough spot financially.
Salary cap space is fungible, but teams do have to be in the black by the time the league year starts in March. That means each of the six squads highlighted will have some decisions to make, and we’ll be diving into what those might be.
Next up, the Minnesota Vikings — one of 2025’s most perplexing teams.
Teams prize the rookie quarterback window and the ability to load up the rest of the roster around that cheap contract. Minnesota has maxed out that flexibility with a veteran-laden team, which is what made QB J.J. McCarthy’s inconsistencies so painful this year. The rest of the team was built to contend for the division, they just didn’t get what they needed from the quarterback room.
Going forward, the short-term goals probably don’t change. The Vikings will push to be as competitive as possible, maintaining the strengths of the roster, shoring up the weaknesses and hoping for a big step forward from McCarthy (or veteran insurance) to make it all come together. The good news for them is that the roster doesn’t need overhauling, just maintenance, and even with a $50 million hole that’s a reasonable undertaking.
Right now the biggest cap hit on the roster next year is WR Justin Jefferson at $38 million. Minnesota can restructure that and bring it down to $20 million, which is a virtual certainty considering his $25 million salary is already guaranteed. Vikings LT Christian Darrisaw also has a guaranteed salary in 2026, with a restructure saving $9.2 million on his 2026 number. While he’s missed a few games and had to do maintenance on his knee all year after tearing his ACL in 2024, Darrisaw is still just 26 years old and a building block piece for Minnesota on offense.
Several other players stand out as restructure candidates. Not only do CB Byron Murphy, OL Will Fries and TE Josh Oliver have 2026 base salaries that are already guaranteed, but their deals also have empty void years tacked onto the end to maximize savings from any restructure. It’s not a guarantee that the team will use that flexibility but it does show they were thinking about it when they put together the contract. It’s also noteworthy that restructuring Murphy ($11.4 million in savings), Fries ($9.2 million) and Oliver ($4.2 million), along with Jefferson and Darrisaw,...
