The Minnesota Vikings went one and done in the NFL playoffs. How much cap space will they have in the 2025 NFL Offseason? One of the more interesting teams in the NFL this season was the Vikings, who won 14 games with Sam Darnold at the helm.
However, 14 wins was not enough to win the NFC North, so the Vikings ended up being the fifth seed in the NFL playoffs, losing in blowout fashion in the Wild Card Round against the Los Angeles Rams. If nothing else, the loss should have made their coming Sam Darnold decision a lot easier.
For a while there, it was looking like a foregone conclusion that Darnold would be brought back by the Vikings, but a shaky finish to the season should have this team already making up their minds. It's time to turn the page to JJ McCarthy, which would then force Darnold to sign with a new team in free agency.
This does help the Minnesota Vikings save a bit of money and also would allow them to spend in free agency, as they would have de-facto rookie JJ McCarthy coming in as the QB1. How much cap space will they have?
Money to spend in free agency?
According to Over The Cap, the Vikings will have about $58 million to spend in free agency. Wowza.
The Vikes are in a great spot, and this is more reason to shore up some needs in free agency and continue building through the NFL Draft. Heck, I am not sure this team really needs to do any contract restructures at all. Sure, they could save about $7 million if they did this with the contract of TJ Hockenson.
They could save almost $8 million if they decided to extend the contract of stud pass rusher Andrew Van Ginkel, as well. When you look at their needs, I would say their most urgent needs would be along the interior of the offensive line and in the secondary. Stud safety Cam Bynum is a free agent, and even if they brought him back, they still have a need in my opinion for another safety and a cornerback.
The iOL isn't great, so someone like Trey Smith could be a huge move for the Vikings. Starting RB Aaron Jones is also a free agent in 2025, so they'll have to figure out a long-term solution at that spot as well. Overall, though, Minnesota is in a very good spot with their current set up and should still be a good team in 2025 even with JJ McCarthy likely being the starter.