Post-June 1 Salary Cap Space

June 2 has arrived and the available salary cap space of the Minnesota Vikings more than doubled. That’s because the March release of tight end Kyle Rudolph finally hit the books. The post-June 1 designation of the months-ago transaction allowed the Vikings to allocate dead money over 2021 and 2022. That works out to a salary cap charge of $1.45 million this year and $2.2 million next year. There’s often a cost to releasing a player. The Vikings just had to wait until June 2 to see the approximately $7.9 million in salary cap space created by the sad release of Rudolph. On Monday, the Vikings had about $6,655,463 in salary cap space. Now, they have $13,914,686 million in salary cap space. Here’s the salary cap space of all 32 teams according to overthecap.

Team	Cap Space
Jacksonville Jaguars	$39,202,476
Denver Broncos	$28,957,725
New York Jets	$27,018,735
Cincinnati Bengals	$22,889,375
Cleveland Browns	$20,927,358
Los Angeles Chargers	$19,850,826
Detroit Lions	$18,806,629
San Francisco 49ers	$17,663,487
Carolina Panthers	$17,595,178
Washington Football Team	$17,198,094
New England Patriots	$16,144,468
Indianapolis Colts	$14,756,554
Minnesota Vikings	$13,914,686
Arizona Cardinals	$13,538,841
Baltimore Ravens	$9,776,673
Dallas Cowboys	$8,948,979
Houston Texans	$8,909,171
Miami Dolphins	$8,715,632
Chicago Bears	$8,369,852
Kansas City Chiefs	$7,872,709
Pittsburgh Steelers	$7,389,993
Seattle Seahawks	$7,255,001
Los Angeles Rams	$7,093,358
Philadelphia Eagles	$6,026,254
Green Bay Packers	$4,930,914
New York Giants	$4,661,399
Buffalo Bills	$4,659,360
Las Vegas Raiders	$4,270,157
Tennessee Titans	$3,286,220
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	$1,826,220
Atlanta Falcons	$337,851
New Orleans Saints	$61,854

The Vikings started this offseason in a serious salary cap situation. They were in the hole. A series of salary and roster juggling got them the salary cap room to do some things but they were always walking carefully above the cap. Throughout the offseason, the Vikings were among the bottom-third of the teams in salary cap space. Now, they are in the middle. 

So, what will the Vikings do with nearly $14 million in salary cap space? 

-They still have to sign their four third-round picks. The to-do list starts there.

-Re-work/Extend the contracts of Danielle Hunter, Harrison Smith, and Brian O’Neill. It’s been reported extensively that Hunter isn’t happy with his current deal. Having missed the entirety of the 2020 season with a neck situation doesn’t put him in the best position to demand a raise. The Vikings need Hunter. If his absence last year showed anything, it’s that they really need him. I imagine that an agreement of some sort will be reached. If nothing else, a promise to address his contract next season after he’s proven that he’s back and stays healthy. Smith’s scheduled to be a free agent next offseason. A modest extension would be nice. It might even provide a little cap room this year allowing the Vikings to better deal with other roster needs. O’Neill’s rookie contract expires after this season. After signing the third round picks, an O’Neill extension is probably the top priority. 

-I’ve seen many fans pushing for the addition of a free agent defensive end and a receiver. Despite the availability of some intriguing veteran pass rush options, I’m not a fan of adding a defensive end. I get that Hunter and Stephen Weatherly are the only experienced defensive ends on the roster. I also get that young, promising defensive ends D.J. Wonnum, Patrick Jones II, and Janarius Robinson are on the roster. Kenny Willekes too. I’d rather see the best 4-5 defensive ends currently on the roster be part of the final 53 than the best 3-4 defensive ends currently on the roster plus Melvin Ingram or Justin Houston. I like the receivers currently on the roster but I wouldn’t be disappointed if a free agent is added. Only Adam Thielen has any real NFL experience. Of the available receivers, Dede Westbrook and Golden Tate probably top the list.

It’s kinda nice to finally see the Vikings in the middle of the pack in available salary cap space.