Minnesota Vikings

Dead money of $41.2M drags on the books now, but committed costs fall sharply each season and the team projects to the seventh-most cap room in the league next year.

22 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Seven starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Eight picks this year including two first-rounders and two second-rounders, plus 22 picks over three years, give this rebuild genuine ammunition to attack multiple needs at once.

• Acquired: Round 3 from Eagles, this draft
• Acquired: Round 7 from Eagles, this draft
• Acquired: Round 6 from Jets, this draft
• Acquired: Round 5 from Panthers, this draft
• Traded away: Round 6 to Patriots, this draft
• Traded away: Round 7 to Falcons, this draft
• Traded away: Round 4 to Panthers, this draft

The roster's top strength is the wide receiver corps, headlined by a 96 overall X Factor in Jefferson, while the center and halfback starter spots are the clearest weaknesses holding the team back.

• Chigh

  Blake Brandel starts at center but ranks 26th among starters and the depth behind him is the 24th-rated group in the league, making this the most pressing upgrade on the roster.

• HBhigh

  Aaron Jones Sr. starts but ranks 30th at the position among starters, and while the depth group is strong at fourth overall, the starter-level production gap is a real liability.

• DTmedium

  Jalen Redmond leads the interior with a 79 overall, but the position ranks 24th in starter quality, and true run-stopping depth is needed to shore up the middle.

• LEDGEmedium

  Dallas Turner is the starter at 78 overall, but the depth group ranks 31st in the league, meaning any injury here leaves the team dangerously thin on the edge.

• QBmedium

  Kyler Murray starts at 75 overall and ranks 25th among starting quarterbacks, which caps the offense's ceiling and is the single most important long-term roster decision ahead.

• 68Carson WentzQBCarson Wentz is the third-string quarterback at 68 overall behind Murray and McCarthy, and cutting him frees $1.5M against only $1.3M in dead money, making it an easy cap cleanup.Frees $1.5M · $1.3M dead
• 64Ryan Van DemarkLTRyan Van Demark sits third on the left tackle depth chart at 64 overall, and releasing him frees $1.6M while carrying $2.6M in dead money, a trade-off worth evaluating against the thin LT depth.Frees $1.6M · $2.6M dead
• 63Tyler BattyLEDGETyler Batty grades out at 63 overall in a left edge depth group already ranked 31st in the league, and cutting him is a clean release with no dead money and $1.0M freed.Frees $1.0M · $0 dead
• 62Michael JurgensCMichael Jurgens is the third-string center at 62 overall in the team's highest-priority position of need, and releasing him frees $1.1M against a negligible $40K in dead money.Frees $1.1M · $40.0K dead

The Vikings hand you an offense built around one of the best receivers in the game in Justin Jefferson, a formidable offensive line bookended by Darrisaw and O'Neill, and a capable receiving corps with Jordan Addison still in his developmental prime. The problem is the quarterback position, where Kyler Murray starts at 75 overall, leaving real upside on the table. Running back is a glaring need at the starter level despite capable depth, and the center position is a weakness that could undermine the otherwise solid offensive line. Defensively, Harrison Smith remains a high-impact free safety but is deep into the late stage of his career, and the team will need to identify his successor in the near term. Andrew Van Ginkel and Eric Wilson carry twilight-stage profiles as well, so the defense needs an infusion of youth and pass-rush talent, particularly on the left edge where depth is nearly nonexistent. The cap picture shows $41.2M in dead money this season, but committed costs drop sharply from $233.6M next season to $173.8M the season after, giving the front office a real flexibility window on the horizon if the books are managed carefully now.

The Vikings were awarded the NFL's 14th franchise on January 28, 1960, after a Minnesota ownership group led by Max Winter and Bill Boyer abandoned a prior commitment to the rival AFL. Named the "Vikings" on September 27, 1960, to honor the region's Scandinavian heritage, they began play in 1961 at Metropolitan Stadium under first head coach Norm Van Brocklin, with rookie Fran Tarkenton coming off the bench to throw four touchdown passes in a 37-13 upset of the Bears on September 17, 1961. The franchise's golden age began with the 1967 hiring of Bud Grant, who built a defense-first identity around the "Purple People Eaters" (Carl Eller, Jim Marshall, Alan Page, and Gary Larsen). Minnesota won the last pre-merger NFL Championship in 1969 (beating Cleveland 27-7) and reached four Super Bowls, IV, VIII, IX, and XI, losing all four, while qualifying for the playoffs in 10 of 11 seasons between 1968 and 1978. Later eras produced more heartbreak: the 1998 team went 15-1 before a stunning NFC Championship loss to Atlanta; the 2009 Brett Favre squad fell in overtime in the NFC title game at New Orleans; and the 2017 team won on the "Minneapolis Miracle" before being routed by Philadelphia. The Vikings have lost their last six NFC Championship Game appearances dating to 1978 and remain one of the most accomplished franchises never to win a Super Bowl. They have played at Metropolitan Stadium (1961-81), the Metrodome (1982-2013), TCF Bank Stadium (2014-15), and U.S. Bank Stadium (2016-present). Under Kevin O'Connell (since 2022), the team has gone 13-4, 7-10, 14-3, and 9-8.