After the trade of Za’Darius Smith and signing Jordan Addison to his rookie contract, the Minnesota Vikings are currently sitting at around $10 million in salary cap space.
With that space, what should they do with it? They need to save some of it for the practice squad and DeWayne McBride, but there is still extra to play with if they so choose.
If the Vikings decide to utilize it and the potential money they will get after moving on from Dalvin Cook, here are six different moves they can make to maximize it.
Danielle Hunter extension
With the trade of Smith, the Vikings signaled that they prioritized Hunter. He likely is not going to play on his current salary of $4.9 million. His cap hit is a little bit higher at $13.12 million due to multiple pro-rated bonuses. The cap space that the Vikings currently have would allow them to add money to this season while also spreading out cap dollars in the future.
Justin Jefferson extension
The Vikings are primed to give Jefferson a likely record-setting extension over the next 24 months. Doing so earlier could be a financial benefit. Jefferson’s cap hit currently sits at $4,175,438 and signing him before or during the 2023 season would allow the Vikings to put some of his signing bonus onto this year’s salary cap. With the Vikings wanting flexibility with contracts, this would provide them a little bit more.
Sign Marcus Peters
The Vikings’ cornerback room is filled with potential, but lacks any sort of certainty. Adding a cornerback with a lot of experience in man coverage can make Brian Flores feel a lot better about his defense. Peters is coming off of an injury, but still has enough in the tank at the age of 30 to make a difference for the Vikings.
Sign Jadeveon Clowney
Losing Smith created a potential opening in the edge room, especially for a power rusher. Clowney is an excellent power player that creates havoc by using his length and strength to his advantage. His real value for the Vikings would come as a run defender, an area which he excels and the Vikings are not very good at.
Sign Justin Houston
After Hunter and Marcus Davenport, the Vikings have a lot of question marks at the edge position. Bringing in a rotational pass rusher with experience could be a major benefit. While Houston is 34 years old, he is still producing at a high level. On 306 pass rush snaps, Houston accumulated 42 pressures and 12 sacks. The Vikings wouldn’t ask anything more of Houston than the Indianapolis Colts did last season and they could get a good season from him at a discount.
Extend T.J. Hockenson
Hockenson gets mentioned last on here due to his $9.329 million salary likely shrinking his 2023 cap hit on an extension. The Vikings could choose to keep his salary the same and just add a signing bonus to that $9.329 million to continue giving them more flexibility moving forward. Considering the trade was made with an extension in mind, the Vikings have a lot of options at their disposal.
