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?!
Salary Cap Issues and Impact
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 snaps walked out the door between Gilmore and Griffin. Why not some insurance, regardless of how much confidence you have in Blackmon and Rodgers?
Which leads me to the larger point. Given the hit-and-miss, feast-or-famine nature of our drafting over the past decade, we’re now overly reliant on veteran free agents to stay healthy and perform at or near their peak levels. Inconsistent (if not outright disastrous) drafting has far-reaching impacts. Missing in the early-to-mid rounds cannibalizes future draft capital. Due to the high-profile importance of the QB position, the discussion rightly centers on the need to maximize a rookie deal. However, this dynamic holds for every other position as well. It gives you 4-5 years of luxury and alleviates the stress of needing to find effective answers in free agency. Fortunately, KAM has been a maestro at doing just that. Last year’s class gets the most attention, but guys like Byron Murphy, Jr., Harrison Phillips, and Jordan Hicks (among others) need to be mentioned too. However, future success is never guaranteed.
Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, and Ryan Kelly are all over 30 and missed a combined 30 games last year. If that was an aberration, we’ll be fine. We may not replicate the magic of the 2024 free agent class, but we’ll be in good shape and vastly improved in key areas of weakness. If things don’t go well, then we’re left with little recourse. There is essentially nothing for free agency, and depth players are unlikely to be ready to fill sizable voids. We do have 8 picks in next year’s draft, but we haven’t managed a great class since 2015. Granted, J.J. McCarthy is the next Patrick Mahomes and Dallas Turner the next Lawrence Taylor, but you get the point. Plus, Harrison Smith is likely retiring to await the call from Canton. That will need to be addressed.
Let’s hope for the best. It’s gotta work sometime, right?
In Other News…
Vikings OTAs in Full Swing: Listen, the bar was low for me to be excited. Barring J.J. McCarthy coming out and looking like Jared Allen taking 7-step drops, grabbing the football with two hands, and promptly drilling it into the ground, all is gold. By all accounts, things are exactly as expected – i.e., McCarthy looking tremendous. It was also great to see nearly 100% team participation; it speaks to the culture and positive vibes KAM and KOC have brought to the entire franchise. Speaking of…
KAM Gets Extended…Finally: I touched on this briefly in an earlier article, and a deeper dive is definitely in the works, but it’s about time. KAM has remade the Vikings franchise on and off the field. His 34-17 record and playoff appearances in 2 out of 3 seasons speak for themselves. And, as noted above, if Cousins doesn’t go down in 2023, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were 3 for 3. After being in the position just long enough to grab a cup of coffee, he skillfully navigated the Jim Harbaugh drama to hire KOC. Not enough is said about this IMO. I’d say a good 8 of 10 (if not 9?) new GMs in KAM’s position take the safe route and ink Harbaugh. By all accounts, he wanted the job. Proven winner. As close to a “sure thing” as possible in the NFL. See: 2024 San Diego Chargers. Path of least resistance. All of that. Now, KAM did overlap with him in San Francisco, and there was a well-publicized rift between Harbaugh and GM Trent Baalke. Did that play a part? I dunno. But common sense would dictate that if it were that bad, and the situation that untenable, the entire process with Harbaugh wouldn’t have happened in the first place. A “thanks, but we’re going in a different direction” type of conversation. KOC was no sure thing – at all. There were some questions. How many hot-shot offensive coordinators have flamed out once they got into the big chair? Yeah, I’ve lost count. Let’s hope Ben Johnson is added to the list in short order. This doesn’t even touch upon the exceptional culture both have brought to this franchise. KAM had a vision, never wavered, and we’re now well-positioned for long-term success because of it.
The Tush Push Survives: I hate this. Oh, it has to do with my dislike of the Eagles, the fact that we play them this year, and that we’re responsible for some of the most laughable tush push attempts of all time. In all seriousness, Mark Schlereth said it best. The NFL banned the equivalent of the tush push on special teams for safety reasons. It’s either dangerous or not. If player safety is of paramount importance to the NFL, as they claim, they can’t have it both ways. Simple as that. Oh, and it’s not rugby. That too.
Lions Withdraw Proposal to Change Playoff Seeding: I see the Lions choked again. I understand the pushback here – i.e., that only the division winner with the best record in each conference gets a home playoff game; the rest would be seeded by record. That’s a bridge too far for me. Divisions do have to mean something. But what about some conditions to the existing rules? Oh, say, that if a division winner has a losing record, they make the playoffs but forfeit the home game? It shouldn’t be a big deal; I believe it’s only happened 6 times since the 2002 realignment (.500 or worse before the 17-game season and since). The last being the 8-9 Bucs in 2022. Should have listened to Gisele, Tommy Boy. Or what if a Wild Card team has at least 4 more damn wins than their division-winning opponent, the home field swaps? I’m having a hard time remembering when that happened last. It’s hilarious that the Vikings always seem to be the ones that get screwed before rule changes are discussed and/or accepted. I hate Sean Payton.
