With still over $30 million in cap space this year, why would the Vikings opt for a little more?
When the Minnesota Vikings released Garrett Bradbury, it was reported that he would be designated as a post-June 1st release, which allows the Vikings to shift more of the deadcap hit for releasing Bradbury into next year. That’s typically a move teams make when they don’t have a lot of cap space to work with in the current year- but the Vikings have over $30 million in cap space remaining this year.
That begs the question of why would they feel the need to do that?
More Deals Upcoming?
One of the most plausible reasons for the Vikings to do so is the most common- the need the extra salary cap space this year. But that would imply the Vikings are not yet done with their free agency shopping spree- despite having spent the most in free agency of any team this year by a significant margin if you add up all the total contract values.
But the Vikings still have some weak links in their roster, and there are still some free agents that could make sense. There really isn’t another reason that makes sense, as unused cap space rolls forward into next season- making the post-June 1st designation for Bradbury unnecessary as it wouldn’t make any difference for the Vikings’ 2026 salary cap one way or another. But if the Vikings are planning to use most of their cap space this year- and that’s what they’ve done just about every season for the last several- then pushing some of Bradbury’s deadcap hit into next season makes sense.
Who Could the Vikings be Looking to Acquire?
Of course the one big name that would likely be a substantial cap hit for the Vikings would be Aaron Rodgers. Of course if the Vikings’ wanted a high price veteran to play quarterback for them this season, they could’ve signed Sam Darnold to the same contract the Seahawks did, which apparently gives them an easy out after one year. And apart from some usually reliable insiders at The Athletic indicating the Vikings have interest and speculating they might sign him, there hasn’t been much to suggest the Vikings will take the plunge with Rodgers. Be that as it may, I also have a hard time believing Kevin O’Connell would sit J.J. McCarthy another season and take on Aaron Rodgers and all that means for the franchise. Maybe as a backup and mentor to McCarthy on a backup salary, but that seems an unlikely role for Rodgers to embrace.
The Vikings still have a need for a veteran backup quarterback, however, and while the available options aren’t spectacular, they’re also not guys likely to play for the veteran minimum, so some cap space needs to be devoted to backup quarterback.
LG Teven Jenkins
A more plausible free agent the Vikings might target is Teven Jenkins, who was graded the 15th best guard in the league last season by PFF and is a free agent at 27 after coming off his rookie contract with the Bears. He is a good run blocker and in pass protection and would be an instant upgrade of the weak link on the Vikings offensive line after the Ryan Kelly and Will Fries signings. Like the other linemen the Vikings have signed in free agency, Jenkins has an injury history of note, but other than that would solidify the left guard spot for the Vikings for the next few years.
Jenkins has a $10.3 million AAV according to Spotrac, or at least he did before the Will Fries signing- who is a close comparable that likely raises his market value considerably. Signing Jenkins to a higher-end guard deal would really lift the Vikings’ cap percentage for the OL group to an unprecedented level, but with good offensive linemen becoming increasingly scarce and drafted offensive linemen often needing a few years to develop into good ones, maybe it makes sense for the Vikings to pour their salary cap into the offensive line while McCarthy is on his rookie contract.
CB Jaire Alexander
The Vikings could look to do more to upgrade their cornerback room, and the Packers are reportedly trying to trade Alexander or will release him most likely before the draft. The Packers and Alexander haven’t been on good terms for a while now, so the Packers parting ways with the oft-injured cornerback isn’t a huge surprise. The Packers recently signed CB Nate Hobbs on a 4-year, $48 million deal. When healthy, Alexander (28) has been one of the better cornerbacks in the league. Alexander last signed a $21 million AAV contract with the Packers in 2022 but has missed nearly half the Packers’ games since then due to injury.
Other Likely Signings
Beyond one or both of these potential more expensive free agent signings, along with a backup quarterback, the Vikings will also likely need to add another wide receiver and a few other low-end depth players which altogether could cost them close to $30 million depending on how the contracts were structured. The Vikings typically like to keep $5 million or so in cap space available during the season for injury-related signings.
Bottom line, even though the Vikings have already spent a lot in free agency so far, their decision to make Garrett Bradbury a post-June 1st cut could be a signal that they’ve still got one or two other bigger signings they’d like to get done.