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Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings are facing an uphill battle to improve this offseason, and their prospects just got even worse.
On Friday, February 27, the NFL updated its salary cap for the 2026 league year at $301.2 million. Per Over the Cap, the Vikings face the second-highest cap deficit with less than two weeks to go until the start of free agency at -$45.5 million.
Kevin Seifert of ESPN offered a brief explanation of the circumstances on social media following the news.
Jason has the Vikings ~ $45m over the 2026 salary cap, which was set today. Second-most in the NFL. Not debilitating by any stretch, but will require some work, planning and probably a few tough decisions to reconcile. https://t.co/9yM0Upx28Z
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) February 27, 2026
“Jason has the Vikings ~ $45m over the 2026 salary cap, which was set today. Second-most in NFL,” Seifert wrote on X. “Not debilitating by any stretch, but will require some work, planning and probably a few tough decisions to reconcile.”
Vikings Will Have Problems Filling Biggest Roster Gaps With Top Players
Falcons QB Kirk Cousins
GettyAtlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Getting under the cap is one thing. Clearing enough money to sign the draft picks Minnesota is going to make in late April is another, but also not an enormous hurdle given the relative inexpensiveness of rookie-scale deals — particularly those outside of the first round.
The real issue is going to be opening up enough space to make the significant additions the Vikings need to position themselves as contenders in the rabidly competitive NFC North Division, which boasted three playoff teams in 2024 (including the Vikings) and two playoff teams last season, when all four members finished above .500.
Minnesota is going to spend at least some amount on a quarterback, though the number may not be onerous if the Vikings take the safest route, which is to pursue a veteran signal-caller like Kirk Cousins or Geno Smith on a one-year deal that could come in at $10 million or less. However, that path is also the least likely to lead to real Super Bowl contention.
Beyond that, Minnesota is probably going to need to replace safety Harrison Smith, who looks as though he is bound for retirement. The Vikings could get that done with the No. 18 pick in the first round. Maybe not so far, so good; but perhaps so far, so okay for the franchise.
But this is where the team could find itself getting into the weeds.
Vikings Have Several Cuts Coming That Will Create More Positions of Need This Offseason
GettyDefensive tackle Javon Hargrave of the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota invested big in beefing up the trenches on both sides of the football last offseason, but that didn’t work out as former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had planned.
Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave underwhelmed. The team is trying to trade him, but that appears like wishful thinking. Most likely the Vikings will cut Hargrave, save $11 million in the process and then need to replace him.
Center Ryan Kelly, who the Vikings brought over from the Indianapolis Colts via free agency last offseason, is a candidate to retire after several concussions in 2025 rendered him essentially a non-factor. Thus, Minnesota probably needs to find a starting center to replace him.
The Vikings have desperately sought upgrades to the cornerback position for years but have mostly swung and missed, and the group remains an area of real need if the defense wants to be taken seriously at the highest levels of competition.
Minnesota also has to consider an upgrade at running back, who might serve as WR3 behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, and what to do about tight end TJ Hockenson. The two-time Pro Bowler must at least restructure his contract to provide some cap relief, lest the team cut him outright. If the Vikings do that, however, they have no real pass-catcher at the crucial position.