7 players the Vikings need to cut to escape salary cap hell
Imagine a Minnesota Vikings defense next season without Harrison Smith, Patrick Peterson, Eric Kendricks, Za'Darius Smith and Jordan Hicks – and an offense without Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook and CJ Ham.
Playing in 2023 with aging, high-priced veterans isn't an option for a Vikings team that is $24.5 million over the salary cap. Cuts need to be made and the seven popular players mentioned above (excluding Peterson, who is an unrestricted free agent) are the most obvious potential cap casualties.
Harrison Smith is 33 years old and carries a $19.4 million cap hit next season. Cutting him before June 1 will save the Vikings $7.3 million and they can replace him with 25-year-old Josh Metellus, whose Pro Football Focus grade was one of the best among NFL safeties this season. Smith will surely be in the Vikings' Ring of Honor someday, but it's time to move on.
Cutting Za'Darius Smith by June 1 saves the Vikings $13.6 million. His 78 pressures in the regular season ranked among the best in the NFL, but he averaged 5.5 pressures per game in Weeks 1-10, just 3.8 over the final six games, and generated only two pressures in the Wild Card loss to the Giants. He's 30 years old and a knee injury slowed him down in the second half of the season.
Eric Kendricks, 30, is fresh off his worst season (per PFF) as a pro and he carries an $11.4 million cap hit in 2023. Cutting the veteran linebacker saves the Vikings $9.5 million. Who replaces him? The only player on the roster who could fill the void is Troy Dye, though Minnesota might be best suited drafting his replacement or finding someone in free agency.
Cutting linebacker Jordan Hicks saves Minnesota $5 million. That's an easy decision with 22-year-old Brian Asamoah easily filling that role at outside linebacker.
Cutting the Smiths, Kendricks and Hicks would take the Vikings from $24.5 million over the cap to $10.9 million under the cap.
Thielen, Cook and Ham stick out as possible cap casualties. Cutting the trio would free up a further $17.3 million and bring the Vikings $28.2 million under the cap.
- Adam Thielen: $6.4 million if cut by June 1
- Dalvin Cook: $7.9 million if cut by June 1
- CJ Ham: $3 million if cut by June 1
KJ Osborn can be slotted in as the No. 2 receiver behind Justin Jefferson – or, again, the draft or free agency are possibilities. Cook could be replaced by Ty Chandler and/or Kene Nwangwu (Alexander Mattison is a free agent). Ham is a fan favorite but that extra $3 million may be more valuable than the role he plays on the field.
Here's what Minnesota's 3-4 base defense would look like with those moves:
- LDE: Dalvin Tomlinson
- NT: Khyiris Tonga
- RDE: Harrison Phillips
- WLB: Danielle Hunter
- LILB: Troy Dye
- RILB: Brian Asamoah
- SLB: DJ Wonnum or Patrick Jones II
- LCB: Cam Dantzler
- RCB: Duke Shelley
- SS: Josh Mettellus
- FS: Cam Bynum
That doesn't spark a ton of confidence but after the 2022 debacle, it couldn't be much worse. And that's just an outline based on the current roster. It would surely be quite a bit different with $28.2 million to spend in free agency plus draft picks.
It remains to be seen how safety Lewis Cine will bounce back from his season-ending ankle/leg injuries and if cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. can stay healthy and play at a high level in the NFL.
Minnesota could free up even more cap space by reworking Kirk Cousins' contract. If the Vikings gave Cousins a short-term extension similar to the deal Derek Carr got with the Raiders in 2021 – three years for $120 million with $65 million guaranteed – it would create immediate cap relief. Kirk's $36.2 million cap hit next season accounts for more than 16% of the Vikings' salary cap.
There are a lot of ways the Vikings can dig out of salary cap hell, but it's going to require saying goodbye to popular players who have done a lot for the franchise.
