The Vikings Have Newfound Cap Space. Here’s What They Need.

After June 1st, a date well-known in the NFL as a salary cap milestone and reset each year, the Minnesota Vikings have over $13 million in cap space. SI.com‘s Will Ragatz wrote Monday, “For much of May, after signing Jauan Jennings, the Vikings were pretty tightly up against the salary cap, with maybe 1 or 2 million dollars to spare.”

“That changed on Monday, as the NFL’s June 1 processing date provided Minnesota with a solid chunk of cap space. The Vikings released defensive tackle Jonathan Allen in March with a post-June 1 designation, allowing them to spread out the dead cap hits over 2026 and 2027. The Vikings also get another $1.3 million from Harrison Smith’s contract coming off the books, bringing the total to $12.5M.”

So, the question becomes: how will they spend the new dough? We have theories.

Minnesota Has Four Salary Cap Paths This Summer

1. An Extra Outsider Linebacker

Here’s a simple way to look at it: if the Vikings sign another prominent free agent soon, an outside linebacker is the most likely target.

The position is currently the weakest link on Minnesota’s roster. The trade of Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles in April transformed what was once a major strength into a noticeable question mark.

While Bo Richter and Tyler Batty might be ready for expanded roles, Jake Golday could contribute as an inside/outside linebacker hybrid, and Brian Flores might even experiment with Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins as a stand-up outside linebacker. But these are largely speculative scenarios for a team with playoff aspirations.

Golday could certainly impress at training camp and quickly prove to be the solution. However, the Vikings’ recent approach with rookies suggests they prefer a more gradual integration rather than immediate reliance. Therefore, OLB (OLB3 specifically) remains the clearest area of focus for Minnesota before the season begins. Here are the highest-profile free agent options:

• Cameron Jordan
• Derek Barnett
• Haason Reddick
• Jadeveon Clowney
• Joey Bosa
• Kyle Van Noy
• Leonard Floyd
• Marcus Davenport
• Von Miller
• Yannick Ngakoue

2. A Center Trade or Ethan Pocic from Free Agency

Pocic remains the one free-agent center the Vikings could sign today and reasonably insert into a training-camp battle against Blake Brandel. He’s 30 years old and fired up a 63.8 Pro Football Focus grade in 2025. PFF also ranked him as the league’s 12th-best center entering 2025. At this stage in the offseason, he’d likely cost between $5 million and $9 million.

Otherwise, Minnesota could shoot for the stars and trade for Miami Dolphins center Aaron Brewer, an established center who paired with offensive coordinator Frank Smith in the Dolphins’ offense for the last two seasons. Smith is now the Vikings’ assistant head coach. The problem? The trade would cost a mid-round pick, and Minnesota may not want to part ways with precious draft capital after Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s poor drafting habits dating back to 2022. Minnesota must connect on draft picks henceforth, and subtracting them seems silly.

The Vikings could also peek at Matt Hennessy down in Dallas. The former 3rd-Rounder is still only 28 years old. What’s unusual is that he hasn’t had a real opportunity to consistently play center in five years, despite performing well in his last extended run at the position.

While he’s unlikely to start for Dallas this season, as the Cowboys appear set with Cooper Beebe at center, leaving Hennessy as a backup, this situation could pique the Vikings’ interest.

His PFF body of work:

3. Contract Extensions

Perhaps the most realistic option, Minnesota has more players seeking new contracts than usual, at least at this time on the offseason calendar. Heading into an ordinary training camp, the Vikings generally have 1-3 key players looking for extensions. This is the list in 2026:

• Jordan Addison (WR)
• Blake Brandel (C)
• Blake Cashman (ILB)
• Jordan Mason (RB)
• Brian O’Neill (RT)
• Isaiah Rodgers (CB)
• Andrew Van Ginkel (OLB)
• Jay Ward (S)

All of those men are slated to hit free agency next March. New general manager Nolan Teasley could simply lock in his existing players.

4. Save for a Rainy Day

Last year, fans studied Minnesota’s available cap space, wondering what the previous boss, Adofo-Mensah, might do with it — and then he just sat on it. That could happen again.

The Vikings may not be in a rush to spend their savings, setting the stage for a nest egg during the regular season that could be used to sign emergency free agents or to carve out space ahead of the NFL trade deadline in November.

Then, if that isn’t used, Teasley can roll the funds over to the 2027 cap, leaving more cash on hand for the future. The San Francisco 49ers, for example, are sitting on a pile of $72 million. They could be waiting to ease some future pressure. The Vikings could do that, too.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker