Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Vikings have recently handed out some massive new contracts. That certainly includes Christian Darrisaw’s four-year extension worth up to $113 million that keeps him under team control until after the 2029 season. Justin Jefferson is scheduled to become a free agent in 2029. T.J. Hockenson signed a huge deal last offseason, and free agent acquisition Jonathan Greenard wasn’t cheap either.
Vikings Are Finally Part of the Cool Kids
Feb 28, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo‐Mensah speaks to the press at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Like all teams, the Vikings have limited cap space, but they still have a bunch of money to spend next offseason, and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has over $19 million left this year (it would roll over into 2025 if he doesn’t spend it).
But how does that work? There are two main reasons. Jefferson and Darrisaw are cheap this year because they are still on their rookie contracts. Greenard’s deal is backloaded, so his salary cap hits will rise in the near future, but not in 2024. None of those three exceeds a cap hit of $9 million this season.
The second reason why the Vikings have been willing to spend the money while others around the league remain hesitant is the fact that the team employs a rookie quarterback, who will be remarkably cheap compared to the humongous rates of starting passers around the NFL.
Jul 27, 2023; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (left) and executive vice president Stephen Jones during training camp at Marriott Residence Inn-River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas Cowboys COO Stephen Jones used Thursday’s press conference to express his jealousy. The son of Jerry Jones, Dallas’ owner, grumbled about his roster structure and said he couldn’t pay everyone top rates. Of course, having Dak Prescott on the books with an enormous $55,132,647 cap hit in 2024 doesn’t help. He’s second in the NFL in that category, behind only Deshaun Watson.
You look at a guy like Jefferson; they’re not paying a quarterback, and they’re not paying anybody on their roster at this point. So it’s a lot easier for them to stretch a little more. We’re just trying to work through, reasonably, with CeeDee, reasonably with Dak, what we can do to make it work from an economic standpoint. When you’re trying to pay three guys like that, it certainly does limit your opportunities to maybe improve the roster down the line.
Stephen Jones
Prescott is in his final season under contract, and similarly to the Vikings carrying a dead cap hit for Kirk Cousins, he will add roughly $40.1 million dead cap in 2025 if he walks in free agency. The passer could surely command north of $50 million in today’s market, which would put the Cowboys in an even deeper hole.
Nov 22, 2020; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) catches a pass for a touchdown against Minnesota Vikings defensive back Jeff Gladney (20) in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Jones and the Cowboys are scheduled to lose star receiver CeeDee Lamb in free agency next offseason and need to come to an agreement with their fifth-year wideout before it turns into an ugly soap opera. One year from now, 2021 draft pick Micah Parsons needs a new contract. The duo was on a timeline similar to that of Jefferson and Darrisaw before their extensions. Parsons, a first-team All-Pro in 2021 and 2022, as well as a second-team All-Pro in 2023, is one of the elite players in all of football. Lamb led the NFL in receptions last season and, too, was named first-team All-Pro.
They have every reason to demand large contracts, but it might depend on Prescott’s future with the organization. It remains to be seen if they can keep the QB and the elite talent around him or if one of those guys must exit.
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy kisses the championship trophy to celebrate the Wolverines’ 34-13 win over Washington in the national championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024.
Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy cost the Vikings less than $9 million in cap hit ‒ combined. McCarthy, who might not start in 2024 but surely is expected to be the QB1 going forward, has a total cap hit of $21,854,796 through four seasons, allowing the Vikings to keep their talent around while spending some more money to acquire new guys. In theory, that’s how Super Bowl contenders are built.
For years, pundits and fans lamented Minnesota’s approach of paying a good but not great quarterback a lot of money. That is not the case anymore, as detected by Stephen Jones. It took some time, but the Vikings have arrived in the post-Cousins era.
If McCarthy turns into one of the better QBs in the league, the team can compete with a strong core until his next contract hits the book, which will likely not happen for another six seasons.
Editor’s Note: Information from Over the Cap and Spotrac helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
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Publish date : 2024-07-26 18:30:57
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