The Minnesota Vikings were strapped on the cap with Over the Cap having the Vikings at $283,495. This number ranked last in the National Football League and didn’t allow a lot of flexibility as the season goes on.
Per ESPN’s Field Yates, the Vikings restructured O’Neill’s contract to create cap space for the rest of the season.
The Vikings converted $1,869,444 of OT Brian O’Neill’s base salary into a signing bonus, creating $1,495,555 in cap space, per source.
Minnesota was tight on the cap. O’Neill has been outstanding once again this season.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 5, 2022
The move gives the Vikings approximately $1,779,050 in cap space this year. Making the move with O’Neill over someone like Dalvin Cook or Eric Kendricks is the right move since O’Neill is 26 and will be on the roster for a long time.
The interesting thing about the created cap space is what they will do with it. It is always a good idea to have flexibility in case of injury.
The other elephant in the room is the lingering return of Odell Beckham Jr. Projected to be ready at the beginning of December, the Vikings remain a potential target for the star receiver.
Why the Vikings? There are a few reasons.
- Head coach Kevin O’Connell
- Familiar offense
- Contending team
- Relationships with other LSU alums
- Contending team
Now, nothing is set in stone for Beckham Jr., but there are rumors that the Buffalo Bills will be his likely home. Time will tell where he will end up, but the Vikings continue to make sense, especially since they have more cap space.
