The Cap

The Vikings are in a MUCH better cap position this off-season and moving forward. The one gimme is bonus restructuring Hockenson. His contract was written in a way where it would make less sense not to. Gets you to about $32M in space (this includes all of Kirk, Hunter and Davenport's dead money). We'll see what happens with Harrison Smith. He won't be back at his $19M cap number. Question is whether he takes a pay-cut or ends up released. Puts the cap number between $37 - 43M. Doubt they touch Murphy's deal unless they straight up release him (don't think they will). 

With the $37-43 (we'll call it $40M) they have really 2 paths. 

1. Resign Kirk, Danielle (or comparable defensive player) and 1-2 role players 
2. Go the rookie QB route. If they go this way they honestly have enough money to do whatever they like

Harrison Smith is retiring.

The thing about this is that they don't even mention the biggest potential savings when arriving at that $36M cap space.

Cousins $28M dead is already baked into that $36M number. And so is $15M dead for Hunter. JJ's cap number is $19M due to the 5th year option. As soon as JJ is extended his number will be cut in half. The Vikings, in fact, should have enough cap space in '24 to extend both Cousins and Hunter and stack all their dead onto this year if they so choose, preserving the bulk of that $150M number for '25. 

We are starting to see the fruits of some really good maneuvering by the front office to get the cap in a better place.

A much better place... 

@"purplefaithful" said: We are starting to see the fruits of some really good maneuvering by the front office to get the cap in a better place.

A much better place... 

@"comet52" said: Harrison Smith is retiring.

is Over the Cap even reliable?  Here they have the Vikings cap space at under 25 million for 24.    https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/minnesota-vikings

• Offense: $130,256,654
• Defense: $89,014,508
• Special: $2,328,334

is our cap situation that complex that it cant be nailed down when there arent any moving pieces?  I think some are playing games like assuming 14 of Cousins money comes back due to him coming to terms on an extension, of course they dont factor in that new money against the cap in their fairy tales.

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"comet52" said: Harrison Smith is retiring.

I am not seeing that reported,  where did you get this from?

@"comet52" said:

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"comet52" said: Harrison Smith is retiring.

I am not seeing that reported,  where did you get this from?

FYI Jimmy this thread had the stuck scrolling problem just now. No tweets or pics. It unstuck after I fiddled with it a bit.

My source on Smith is on the q.t. but I'm about 95% confident it will happen. I think he's waiting for the team to confirm they aren't paying him all that cash in '24, which probably is the only way he'd come back.

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"comet52" said:

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"comet52" said: Harrison Smith is retiring.

I am not seeing that reported,  where did you get this from?

FYI Jimmy this thread had the stuck scrolling problem just now. No tweets or pics. It unstuck after I fiddled with it a bit.

My source on Smith is on the q.t. but I'm about 95% confident it will happen. I think he's waiting for the team to confirm they aren't paying him all that cash in '24, which probably is the only way he'd come back.

Thanks,  what browser and type of access ( pc or mobile ) are you having the issue with?

Kwesi deserves to be dinged for that disaster that was the 2022 draft. But he made the hard choices to get the Cap in positive territory for the first time in years & for that he deserves kudos.

@"JimmyinSD" said: is Over the Cap even reliable?  Here they have the Vikings cap space at under 25 million for 24.    https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/minnesota-vikings

total Cap Liabilities: $225,108,037

• Top 51: $220,009,496
• Team Cap Space: $24,658,132

• Offense: $130,256,654
• Defense: $89,014,508
• Special: $2,328,334

others say mid 30s,  I've some claim as high as mid 40s a few weeks ago and saying it can go higher after moving off Hitmans deal.

is our cap situation that complex that it cant be nailed down when there arent any moving pieces?  I think some are playing games like assuming 14 of Cousins money comes back due to him coming to terms on an extension, of course they dont factor in that new money against the cap in their fairy tales.

I think this guy has proven to be fairly accurate. 43M in cap space. 32M in effective cap space. https://vikingscap.com/index.php/2024-salary-cap/

One thing's for certain, the Vikings are in good shape in terms of the cap, and the amount of space they have is going to go up significantly with the release of Harry and a JJ extension. Even more so if they re-sign Hunter. 

What's more, the estimates for 2025 cap space, somewhere between $120M-$150M, should offer a good place to stack dead money if they so choose. 

@"Geoff Nichols" said: The Vikings are in a MUCH better cap position this off-season and moving forward. The one gimme is bonus restructuring Hockenson. His contract was written in a way where it would make less sense not to. Gets you to about $32M in space (this includes all of Kirk, Hunter and Davenport's dead money). We'll see what happens with Harrison Smith. He won't be back at his $19M cap number. Question is whether he takes a pay-cut or ends up released. Puts the cap number between $37 - 43M. Doubt they touch Murphy's deal unless they straight up release him (don't think they will). 

With the $37-43 (we'll call it $40M) they have really 2 paths. 

1. Resign Kirk, Danielle (or comparable defensive player) and 1-2 role players 
2. Go the rookie QB route. If they go this way they honestly have enough money to do whatever they like

• Christian Wilkins DT, leading run DL with strong pass rushing capabilities and a history with Flores (Backup options: DJ Reader, Javon Kinlaw)
• Conner Williams C, major upgrade over Bradberry (Backup options: Cushenberry)
• Josh Uche DE, pass rusher (Backup: Campbell, Van Ginkle)

A rookie QB with allegedly the right staff and a strong roster (best WR and TE grouping in the league?) and a borderline top 10 defense can get you to the wild card round, potentially beyond.

@"Skodin" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said: The Vikings are in a MUCH better cap position this off-season and moving forward. The one gimme is bonus restructuring Hockenson. His contract was written in a way where it would make less sense not to. Gets you to about $32M in space (this includes all of Kirk, Hunter and Davenport's dead money). We'll see what happens with Harrison Smith. He won't be back at his $19M cap number. Question is whether he takes a pay-cut or ends up released. Puts the cap number between $37 - 43M. Doubt they touch Murphy's deal unless they straight up release him (don't think they will). 

With the $37-43 (we'll call it $40M) they have really 2 paths. 

1. Resign Kirk, Danielle (or comparable defensive player) and 1-2 role players 
2. Go the rookie QB route. If they go this way they honestly have enough money to do whatever they like

Door #2 please.  Rookie QB, extend Danielle and add 3 trench pieces (2 by raiding the Dolphins):

• Christian Wilkins DT, leading run DL with strong pass rushing capabilities and a history with Flores (Backup options: DJ Reader, Javon Kinlaw)
• Conner Williams C, major upgrade over Bradberry (Backup options: Cushenberry)
• Josh Uche DE, pass rusher (Backup: Campbell, Van Ginkle)

I would also give Davenport (reduced one year deal), Powell, and Risner (3yr/$18million). Upgraded IOL, significantly upgraded front 7 (Uche+Wilkins+Phillips with Hunter-Pace-???-Davenport) that can get pressure without constant blitzing.  

A rookie QB with allegedly the right staff and a strong roster (best WR and TE grouping in the league?) and a borderline top 10 defense can get you to the wild card round, potentially beyond.

@"Knucklehead" said:

@"Skodin" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said: The Vikings are in a MUCH better cap position this off-season and moving forward. The one gimme is bonus restructuring Hockenson. His contract was written in a way where it would make less sense not to. Gets you to about $32M in space (this includes all of Kirk, Hunter and Davenport's dead money). We'll see what happens with Harrison Smith. He won't be back at his $19M cap number. Question is whether he takes a pay-cut or ends up released. Puts the cap number between $37 - 43M. Doubt they touch Murphy's deal unless they straight up release him (don't think they will). 

With the $37-43 (we'll call it $40M) they have really 2 paths. 

1. Resign Kirk, Danielle (or comparable defensive player) and 1-2 role players 
2. Go the rookie QB route. If they go this way they honestly have enough money to do whatever they like

Door #2 please.  Rookie QB, extend Danielle and add 3 trench pieces (2 by raiding the Dolphins):

• Christian Wilkins DT, leading run DL with strong pass rushing capabilities and a history with Flores (Backup options: DJ Reader, Javon Kinlaw)
• Conner Williams C, major upgrade over Bradberry (Backup options: Cushenberry)
• Josh Uche DE, pass rusher (Backup: Campbell, Van Ginkle)

I would also give Davenport (reduced one year deal), Powell, and Risner (3yr/$18million). Upgraded IOL, significantly upgraded front 7 (Uche+Wilkins+Phillips with Hunter-Pace-???-Davenport) that can get pressure without constant blitzing.  

A rookie QB with allegedly the right staff and a strong roster (best WR and TE grouping in the league?) and a borderline top 10 defense can get you to the wild card round, potentially beyond.

Davenport isn't coming back. The team wanted him to ramp up his rehabilitation in order to get back on the field toward the end of the season. He declined & said that he wanted to focus on free agency.

@"Skodin" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said: The Vikings are in a MUCH better cap position this off-season and moving forward. The one gimme is bonus restructuring Hockenson. His contract was written in a way where it would make less sense not to. Gets you to about $32M in space (this includes all of Kirk, Hunter and Davenport's dead money). We'll see what happens with Harrison Smith. He won't be back at his $19M cap number. Question is whether he takes a pay-cut or ends up released. Puts the cap number between $37 - 43M. Doubt they touch Murphy's deal unless they straight up release him (don't think they will). 

With the $37-43 (we'll call it $40M) they have really 2 paths. 

1. Resign Kirk, Danielle (or comparable defensive player) and 1-2 role players 
2. Go the rookie QB route. If they go this way they honestly have enough money to do whatever they like

Door #2 please.  Rookie QB, extend Danielle and add 3 trench pieces (2 by raiding the Dolphins):

• Christian Wilkins DT, leading run DL with strong pass rushing capabilities and a history with Flores (Backup options: DJ Reader, Javon Kinlaw)
• Conner Williams C, major upgrade over Bradberry (Backup options: Cushenberry)
• Josh Uche DE, pass rusher (Backup: Campbell, Van Ginkle)

I would also give Davenport (reduced one year deal), Powell, and Risner (3yr/$18million). Upgraded IOL, significantly upgraded front 7 (Uche+Wilkins+Phillips with Hunter-Pace-???-Davenport) that can get pressure without constant blitzing.  

A rookie QB with allegedly the right staff and a strong roster (best WR and TE grouping in the league?) and a borderline top 10 defense can get you to the wild card round, potentially beyond.

Davenport showed up soft and outta shape, then predictably got hurt, then shut it down and took 13 mil in cap space.

Kwesi got scammed  and it looked bad. 

@"CFIAvike" said:

@"Skodin" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said: The Vikings are in a MUCH better cap position this off-season and moving forward. The one gimme is bonus restructuring Hockenson. His contract was written in a way where it would make less sense not to. Gets you to about $32M in space (this includes all of Kirk, Hunter and Davenport's dead money). We'll see what happens with Harrison Smith. He won't be back at his $19M cap number. Question is whether he takes a pay-cut or ends up released. Puts the cap number between $37 - 43M. Doubt they touch Murphy's deal unless they straight up release him (don't think they will). 

With the $37-43 (we'll call it $40M) they have really 2 paths. 

1. Resign Kirk, Danielle (or comparable defensive player) and 1-2 role players 
2. Go the rookie QB route. If they go this way they honestly have enough money to do whatever they like

Door #2 please.  Rookie QB, extend Danielle and add 3 trench pieces (2 by raiding the Dolphins):

• Christian Wilkins DT, leading run DL with strong pass rushing capabilities and a history with Flores (Backup options: DJ Reader, Javon Kinlaw)
• Conner Williams C, major upgrade over Bradberry (Backup options: Cushenberry)
• Josh Uche DE, pass rusher (Backup: Campbell, Van Ginkle)

I would also give Davenport (reduced one year deal), Powell, and Risner (3yr/$18million). Upgraded IOL, significantly upgraded front 7 (Uche+Wilkins+Phillips with Hunter-Pace-???-Davenport) that can get pressure without constant blitzing.  

A rookie QB with allegedly the right staff and a strong roster (best WR and TE grouping in the league?) and a borderline top 10 defense can get you to the wild card round, potentially beyond.

Unless you draft the next CJ Stroud, you're not making the playoffs with a rookie QB.  Williams, Daniels, Maye should all be able to start week 1 and might have the goods to get it done, but there's absolutely no way any of the second tier guys should start unless in case of emergency.  Let alone counting on any of them to get us to the "wild card or beyond".

@"Knucklehead" said:

@"Skodin" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said: The Vikings are in a MUCH better cap position this off-season and moving forward. The one gimme is bonus restructuring Hockenson. His contract was written in a way where it would make less sense not to. Gets you to about $32M in space (this includes all of Kirk, Hunter and Davenport's dead money). We'll see what happens with Harrison Smith. He won't be back at his $19M cap number. Question is whether he takes a pay-cut or ends up released. Puts the cap number between $37 - 43M. Doubt they touch Murphy's deal unless they straight up release him (don't think they will). 

With the $37-43 (we'll call it $40M) they have really 2 paths. 

1. Resign Kirk, Danielle (or comparable defensive player) and 1-2 role players 
2. Go the rookie QB route. If they go this way they honestly have enough money to do whatever they like

Door #2 please.  Rookie QB, extend Danielle and add 3 trench pieces (2 by raiding the Dolphins):

• Christian Wilkins DT, leading run DL with strong pass rushing capabilities and a history with Flores (Backup options: DJ Reader, Javon Kinlaw)
• Conner Williams C, major upgrade over Bradberry (Backup options: Cushenberry)
• Josh Uche DE, pass rusher (Backup: Campbell, Van Ginkle)

I would also give Davenport (reduced one year deal), Powell, and Risner (3yr/$18million). Upgraded IOL, significantly upgraded front 7 (Uche+Wilkins+Phillips with Hunter-Pace-???-Davenport) that can get pressure without constant blitzing.  

A rookie QB with allegedly the right staff and a strong roster (best WR and TE grouping in the league?) and a borderline top 10 defense can get you to the wild card round, potentially beyond.

Davenport isn't coming back. The team wanted him to ramp up his rehabilitation in order to get back on the field toward the end of the season. He declined & said that he wanted to focus on free agency.

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"CFIAvike" said:

@"Skodin" said:

@"Geoff Nichols" said: The Vikings are in a MUCH better cap position this off-season and moving forward. The one gimme is bonus restructuring Hockenson. His contract was written in a way where it would make less sense not to. Gets you to about $32M in space (this includes all of Kirk, Hunter and Davenport's dead money). We'll see what happens with Harrison Smith. He won't be back at his $19M cap number. Question is whether he takes a pay-cut or ends up released. Puts the cap number between $37 - 43M. Doubt they touch Murphy's deal unless they straight up release him (don't think they will). 

With the $37-43 (we'll call it $40M) they have really 2 paths. 

1. Resign Kirk, Danielle (or comparable defensive player) and 1-2 role players 
2. Go the rookie QB route. If they go this way they honestly have enough money to do whatever they like

Door #2 please.  Rookie QB, extend Danielle and add 3 trench pieces (2 by raiding the Dolphins):

• Christian Wilkins DT, leading run DL with strong pass rushing capabilities and a history with Flores (Backup options: DJ Reader, Javon Kinlaw)
• Conner Williams C, major upgrade over Bradberry (Backup options: Cushenberry)
• Josh Uche DE, pass rusher (Backup: Campbell, Van Ginkle)

I would also give Davenport (reduced one year deal), Powell, and Risner (3yr/$18million). Upgraded IOL, significantly upgraded front 7 (Uche+Wilkins+Phillips with Hunter-Pace-???-Davenport) that can get pressure without constant blitzing.  

A rookie QB with allegedly the right staff and a strong roster (best WR and TE grouping in the league?) and a borderline top 10 defense can get you to the wild card round, potentially beyond.

Unless you draft the next CJ Stroud, you're not making the playoffs with a rookie QB.  Williams, Daniels, Maye should all be able to start week 1 and might have the goods to get it done, but there's absolutely no way any of the second tier guys should start unless in case of emergency.  Let alone counting on any of them to get us to the "wild card or beyond".

15 times,  so not unheard of. Stroud this year, but last year was Brock Purdy,  if you build a quality team,  you don't need a veteran pro bowler to get to the playoffs.  Here's a few more examples.

Team	Year	Record	Rating
Russell Wilson	Seahawks	2012	1-1	102.4
Robert Griffin III	Redskins	2012	0-1	77.5
Andrew Luck	Colts	2012	0-1	59.8
Andy Dalton	Bengals	2011	0-1	51.4
Mark Sanchez	Jets	2009	2-1	92.7
Joe Flacco	Ravens	2008	2-1	50.8
Matt Ryan	Falcons	2008	0-1	72.8
Ben Roethlisberger	Steelers	2004	1-1	61.3
Jim Everett	Rams	1986	0-1	54.2
Dieter Brock	Rams	1985	1-1	24.0
Bernie Kosar	Browns	1985	0-1	56.0
Dan Marino	Dolphins	1983	0-1	77.6