Cap Salary moves by the Vikings

Minnesota Vikings take advantage of little known NFL rule to help out with their salary cap situation
Story by Tyler Forness • 17h •
2 min read

The salary cap situation for the Minnesota Vikings has been a struggle the entire offseason. They were more than $46 million over the salary cap, and needed to make multiple moves to get underneath it.

Even with all of those moves, the Vikings have just 63 players on the roster and a whopping $4.8 million in salary cap space. Now, they are projected to receive around $13.3 million in salary cap space post-June 1st with the releases of Jonathan Allen and Harrison Smith.

Vikings use veteran salary benefit for punter Johnny Hekker
In order to handle the salary cap in a better fashion, the Vikings needed to get creative to sign veteran players. They did that with punter Johnny Hekker, who was signed to a slightly above veteran minimum contract, but it won't cost them more than that on the salary cap.

The Vikings are using the veteran salary benefit for Hekker's contract, according to The Star Tribune's Ben Goessling. He will have the following:

$1,487,500 cash value
$1.3 million base salary
$187,500 signing bonus
$1.3 million salary cap hit
The Vikings are already getting a deal with Hekker at the veteran minimum, but using it is really smart. Here is what the NFL has written about the benefit.

"Formerly known as the minimum salary benefit, the veteran salary benefit allows teams to offer a "Qualifying Contract" to any player with at least four credited seasons at a reduced salary cap hit. Under this provision, a qualifying contract is a one-year deal worth the minimum base salary applicable to a player with his number of credited seasons, plus $187,500 in additional compensation (i.e., signing bonus, roster bonus, incentive, etc.). These contracts are charged against the salary cap at the rate of a player with two credited seasons that league year."

Smart move by the Vikings.