With the Minnesota Vikings season over, it’s time to face realities about where this team is going.
The Vikings decided to go somewhat all-in on making the 2022 team competitive for a playoff spot and they won the NFC North division title. Unfortunately, they now sit in a less-than-ideal spot with the salary cap. They are projected to be $24,431,507 over the salary cap for next season.
In order to get under the salary cap and make some moves in free agency, the Vikings will have to get creative. Here are 10 players they can cut to make their salary cap situation better.
WR Adam Thielen
Cap hit: $19,967,647
Cap savings: $6,417,647
Dead Cap: $13,550,000
Thielen is going to be an interesting one. With the restructure that he did last season, the dead cap number is really high, but his performance isn’t worth the near $20 million that he will be charged to the salary cap. His wife also went to Instagram after the game insinuating that his time in Minnesota might be over. A trade might be likely for Thielen, as he currently has a decent salary cap number of $11.817 million next season for a new team.
OLB Za'Darius Smith
Cap hit: $16,990,195
Cap savings: $13,656,861
Dead Cap: $3,333,334
This one will depend on quite a few things, including if the Vikings stay with a 3-4. Smith dinged his knee in the game against the Buffalo Bills and had very minimal production after that, including averaging less than two pressures per game and only getting 0.5 sacks. Will that be worth $16,990,195 on the cap? That is something they may have to explore.
S Harrison Smith
Cap hit: $19,127,647
Cap savings: $7,379,999
Dead Cap: $11,747,648
When the Vikings signed this contract, it felt more like a legacy deal than anything. Smith is still a good player but nowhere near worth having a cap hit of over $19 million. The dead cap hit does not include any guaranteed salary so a trade would do the same as a cut.
RB Dalvin Cook
Cap hit: $14,101,272
Cap savings: $7,898,727
Dead Cap: $6.202.545
One of the more beloved Vikings on the team has a contract that gets uglier by the season. A paycut is always possible, especially with Alexander Mattison a free agent, but I would expect Cook to be playing somewhere else in 2023.
ILB Eric Kendricks
Cap hit: $11,430,000
Cap savings: $9,500,000
Dead Cap: $1,930,000
Kendricks is not going to be on this team next season. He did not play well for the Vikings nor does he fit the scheme that Kevin O’Connell wants to run. With a minimal dead cap hit, this is likely the biggest home run of any player on this list.
FB C.J. Ham
Cap hit: $3,800,000
Cap savings: $3,050,000
Dead Cap: $750,000
Along with Kendricks, this feels like another player that definitely won’t be here next year. In O’Connell’s 11 personnel offense, Ham only played 169 snaps or 15%. $3.8 million is a lot for a special teams player.
IDL Ross Blacklock
Cap hit: $1,693,744
Cap savings: $1,693,744
Dead Cap: $0
This one also feels easy. The Vikings traded for Blacklock who has some real upside as a pass rusher, but they were never able to extract anything out of him. With no guaranteed money remaining, this feels like a slam dunk.
IOL Chris Reed
Cap hit: $2,750,000
Cap savings: $2,500,000
Dead Cap: $250,000
Reed was signed with the idea that he would win the starting right guard job but didn’t get any playing time until center Austin Schlottmann broke his fibula against the Green Bay Packers. Unless the Vikings plan on having him start at center, Reed could save them $2.5 million on the cap.
OLB D.J. Wonnum
Cap hit: $2,932,695
Cap savings: $2,745,000
Dead Cap: $187,695
Going into his fourth season, Wonnum has been an okay player but only in a rotational role. Giving him almost $3 million is a lot and he could end up being a cut just like Armon Watts was last year.
CB Cameron Dantzler
Cap hit: $2,968,750
Cap savings: $2,745,000
Dead Cap: $223,750
Dantzler is an interesting one. He has played well, but he is always hurt. With Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans coming back from injured reserve and the emergence of Duke Shelley, do they consider moving on from Dantzler? He might be a valuable trade piece to a team that needs a cornerback.
