PurplePTSD: How Can The Minnesota Vikings Get Under The Salary Cap?

Press release from the PurplePTSD:

Noah Moore

2022-03-10

According to Spotrac, the Minnesota Vikings are currently $18 million dollars above the salary cap with Kirk Cousins, Danielle Hunter, and Adam Thielen as the highest-paid players. If they want to participate in the National Football League this upcoming season, they need to make some adjustments.

Fortunately, the Vikings have several variables in their favor in regards to the underwater salary cap situation. The first thing the Vikings have going for them is that they have the right people in the right places to tackle their current fiscal difficulties.

As long-time fans know, the team has a bit of a secret weapon in Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski, who is an absolute salary cap wizard. Brzezinski has been in Minnesota for over two decades in multiple roles. He is known for getting the Vikings out of dismal cap situations by waving his wand, shuffling around numbers, and restructuring contracts to get the Vikings’ finances back into shape each offseason. With several large contracts up for negotiation, the cap wizard will be called on once again this offseason to work his magic.

In addition to a cap specialist in the front office, the organization also brought in Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who has experience as a trader on Wall Street. Having experience evaluating, trading, and managing assets should prove to be a useful education for an NFL general manager. With a bachelor’s degree from Princeton and a master’s degree in economics from Stanford, Kwesi will bring a unique perspective to the Vikings front office as they approach the roster restructuring this offseason.

The next thing the Vikings have going for them is that the roster has plenty of room for trading, cutting, and restructuring. At the moment, the three most overvalued contracts belong to the three highest paid players on the roster.

Kirk Cousins

The first player who has a contract in the spotlight this offseason is quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins currently has a base salary of $35M with a cap hit of $45M, which is an issue. Kirk costs the team too much. If the Vikings are going to pay a quarterback that much money, he needs to be able to carry the team into the postseason and beyond. Kirk has proven that he cannot. Plus, Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi may very well want to choose their own quarterback to build a franchise around. By trading or otherwise moving on from Cousins’ massive contract, the Vikings will instantly turn the cap situation around, and one specific team may already be interested.

Danielle Hunter

The next highest-paid player on the roster is defensive end Danielle Hunter, with a salary cap hit of $26 million. Hunter is a spectacular player, and will demand a high trade value. If he is traded, the Vikings should be able to acquire some high draft picks. Alternatively, the Vikings could ask the cap wiz to restructure the contract, pushing more money towards the backend. In this instance, the Vikings are in a win-win. If they trade Hunter, it will be for value; if they keep him, he’s a great player and should fit in fine in Donatell’s 3-4.

Adam Thielen

Adam Thielen, a long-time fan favorite in Minnesota, will cost the team close to $17 million dollars in 2022. Although Thielen is still playing at a high level, terrorizing defenses in single coverage and in the red zone, his athleticism is due for a drop-off at the age of 31. He also struggled with ankle injuries and missed games last year. It’s hard to see Thielen leaving Minnesota under any circumstances, given his background as a Minnesotan. Thielen may accept a contract restructure, freeing up several million dollars to apply elsewhere.

With two financial experts in the front office and plenty of excess contract money on the table, the Vikings are in a position to get under the salary cap by trimming up the three largest contracts on the roster to start building for the future under Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell.

This press release was produced by the PurplePTSD. The views expressed here are the author’s own.