Navigating a tight salary cap, the Vikings face crucial roster decisions and defensive needs to build a 2026 contender.
The Minnesota Vikings have a long road ahead of them if they want to contend in 2026. The path forward will involve several tough decisions regarding which players will be back for the team next season.
What the team is able to do is dependent on any number of factors, but perhaps there is none more important than the salary cap.
Dan Pizzuta of "Yahoo Sports" discussed the Vikings' cap flexibility and what it could mean for the team's 2026 roster. Pizzuta shared the team's cap situation looking into the offseason.
"Minnesota has -$50.5 million in effective salary cap space, according to Over The Cap, the second-lowest figure in the league. That number looks way worse than it is, though. Most of the Vikings’ highest cap hits for 2026 come from high base salaries with low signing bonuses. Restructuring the contracts of Justin Jefferson and Brian O’Neill could open up to $31 million in cap space alone. Cutting Javon Hargrave would free up $11 million and could be the most likely cap casualty. Releasing Aaron Jones would also save $8 million and T.J. Hockenson would save $9 million. One other name to watch could be center Ryan Kelly, who played only eight games while dealing with concussion issues. Moving on from Kelly would save nearly $9 million on the cap."
With the cap situation where it is, and the key players the Vikings are set to lose to free agency, and retirement should veteran safety Harrison Smith's time in the NFL be up, the Vikings will have to build through the draft. Even so, it appears that most of the team's areas of need stand on the defensive side, with an elite defensive coordinator potentially on his way out in Brian Flores.
Pizzuta discussed where the Vikings will need to address roster deficiencies. He starts with defensive backs.
"The secondary was thin and made what Brian Flores accomplished with this defense as its coordinator even more impressive. If Flores doesn’t return, that could make improving the secondary an even more glaring requirement. Linebacker also becomes an issue if one or both of Ivan Pace and Eric Wilson leave in free agency. Wilson played 91% of Minnesota’s defensive snaps in 2025. In 2024, Flores used a league-high 28.8% rate of dime defense with six defensive backs on the field. That dropped to just 8% in 2025 when the Vikings didn’t have the bodies to go light. With Jalen Redmond a free agent and Javon Hargrave a potential cut, the Vikings could need help along the interior of the defensive line."
With so many ways to improve the Vikings will need to play their cards right to have a competitive roster in 2026. They'll look to make the right moves now through August.