Jonathan Allen, Minnesota Vikings
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Jonathan Allen #93 of the Minnesota Vikings participates in warmups before a game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Minnesota Vikings are continuing their offseason of change, having already parted ways with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and ongoing plans to follow suit with relatively recent roster additions Aaron Jones and Javon Hargrave if no trades emerge.
However, they are far from finished in what figures to be significant bloodletting this offseason to get in compliance with the salary cap.
Two more prominent players are squarely on the watchlist.
Pro Bowler Could Be Among Next Wave of Vikings Cuts
Javon Hargrave, Jonathan Allen, Minnesota Vikings
GettyJavon Hargrave #97 and Jonathan Allen #93 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrate a sack against the Chicago Bears.
Rob Brzezinski has been running the show for the Vikings as they sort out their long-term plan at GM, making the roster decisions that have and will take place. Hargrave and Jones fall under the former header.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis named another pair of veterans who could be part of the next wave of Vikings cuts this offseason. One of them is two-time Pro Bowler Jonathan Allen.
His $16 million salary was set to become fully guaranteed on March 13.
“Javon Hargrave and Aaron Jones definitely release candidates, as @AdamSchefter said,” Lewis posted on X on March 1. “Jones a difficult one considering what he’s meant to the locker room, would leave leadership void. Others to watch as part of the Vikings’ cap situation: Jonathan Allen and Ryan Kelly.”
Allen signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Vikings in free agency during the 2025 offseason. The deal included $23.5 million fully guaranteed. He was one of four players who started all 17 games for the Vikings this past season. There could be an alternative path forward.
“A simple salary conversion (plus 3 void years), can open up $12.6M of room,” Sportrac’s Michael Ginnitti wrote in December.
Vikings Veteran a Retirement Risk After Multiple Head Injuries
Ryan Kelly, Minnesota Vikings
GettyRyan Kelly #78 of the Minnesota Vikings prepares to snap the ball against the Atlanta Falcons.
Kelly’s situation is vastly different from Allen’s as the Vikings reshape their roster. Kelly inked a two-year, $18 million contract with the Vikings during the 2025 offseason, joining Allen in a celebrated roster overhaul that targeted the trenches along with Hargrave.
The four-time Pro Bowler’s potential departure looms large as the Vikings’ starting center.
However, the reality is that he was unreliable due to his history of concussions, which have made retirement a talking point around him for several offseasons. That continued in 2025.
Kelly suffered multiple concussions during the season, playing in eight games. There has been speculation that Kelly could retire this offseason and that the Vikings would move on anyway. No official word has come on either front just yet.
Vikings Heading For Rebuild
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
GettyJustin Jefferson #18 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on against the Seattle Seahawks.
It is getting much more difficult to deny that the Vikings are trending towards a retool, if not a full-on rebuild, as their overpriced roster gets remade. That brings several more pressing questions to the forefront.
At the top of the list is Justin Jefferson, who has voiced his support for J.J. McCarthy but has also shown frustration and made it clear that he wants to compete.
How far away do the Vikings view themselves from contention?
That question has to be the driving factor in any decision regarding Jefferson, who is signed through 2028, or any other pricey veterans on their roster. Those players will want to compete for something other than draft position, too.
The Vikings could still believe they are a legitimate starting quarterback away from competing with the best in the NFC North, if not the conference, again as soon as next season.
At any rate, the 2026 Vikings figure to look very different from their 2025 iteration.