The Minnesota Vikings are now in their offseason, and decisions regarding the roster need to be made. While the focus will be on the quarterback, there are four names that the Vikings could look to part ways with to save money on the salary cap.
On the Jan. 5 edition of “The Alec Lewis Show,” The Athletic’s Alec Lewis noted that two obvious cut candidates are defensive lineman Javon Hargrave and offensive lineman Ryan Kelly, who are expected to be among the players affected by cap moves this offseason.
Moreover, if Minnesota decides to part ways with both players, it would save the team roughly $19.7 million in cap space.
“Four names immediately surface in my mind; two are pretty obvious, two are less obvious, but still very relevant to talk about,” Lewis said. “The two pretty obvious ones, Javon Hargrave and Ryan Kelly. Both were obviously kind of short-term bets for the 2025 season that didn’t pay dividends.
“If the Vikings were to cut Javon Hargrave, they’d save $11 million on the cap for 26. And if they were to cut Ryan Kelly, they would save around $8.7 million to $8.75 million in cap space for 2026.”
Vikings Have Two Other Potential Cap Casualties
Meanwhile, as for the two not-so-obvious names, Lewis notes that the Vikings might have to ponder if veterans T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones Sr. are on the team next season at their current salary.
“The less obvious ones that still are sensible in some capacity, Aaron Jones at running back and T.J. Hockenson at tight end,” Lewis added. “Those guys combined, if they were to be cut, would save around $17 million. Both guys are well respected in the locker room.
“Aaron Jones has been the beacon and pillar, really, one of the pillars of just reliability for Kevin O’Connell in terms of his connections within the locker room and trust within the offense. [When] you look at all the advanced metrics of Aaron Jones’ season, it was not a spectacular year. He didn’t play the full season. He’s a year older. It would make sense, probably, for the Vikings to get younger at that position.
“At tight end, it’s really a difficult evaluation with T.J. Hockenson because of how much he had to help the pass protection unit earlier in the season. His inability at times to make contested catches. Obviously, he’s a couple of years removed now, a year and a half removed from that really brutal ACL tear after the hit from Kerby Joseph. Would T.J. be willing to take a pay cut? Are the Vikings seeking another option there? We’ll see.”
J.J. McCarthy Talks Vikings Starting QB Role
What the Vikings do at QB will be a significant part of their offseason, aside from moving on from players who are making too much for what they produce.
McCarthy spoke with reporters after the win over the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 4 about whether he did enough to warrant being the starting QB for Minnesota next season amid rumors that the Vikings could pursue another signal-caller in the offseason.
“After today, maybe,” McCarthy told reporters postgame. “Tomorrow, there’s nothing promise. The next day, there’s nothing promise. That’s something I take very seriously. It’s not something that you buy, and you get for the rest of your life. You rent it, you lease it every single day. I’m just trying to make daily deposits to make sure I’m in this house for a long time.”
Insider Shares Four Potential Vikings Who Could Be Cut