Vikings' projected salary cap space continues to grow as NFL delivers good news
The Vikings' chances of keeping pending free agent Byron Murphy Jr. and signing others got a boost on Wednesday.
The Vikings expected to be flush with cash entering free agency, but it turns out they will have even more salary cap room than originally anticipated.
The assumed figure for the Vikings’ effective cap space — the amount a team will have after signing at least 51 players and its projected rookie class - had been $56.3 million, according to the Over The Cap web site.
But ESPN reported Wednesday the NFL informed clubs that the per-team salary cap for 2025 would be between $277.5 million and $281.5 million. The final figure will be set after negotiations with the NFL Players Association are complete, but Over The Cap used the new information to increase the Vikings’ effective cap space to $61 million working with a figure of $279.5 million.
Obviously, the Vikings aren’t the sole beneficiary of the increase from $255.4 million last season, but this does give general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah more wiggle room to retain players or pursue free agents when the NFL’s legal tampering period begins on March 10.
This came a day after ESPN reported that the Vikings and cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. had agreed to push back the void date on his expiring contract to March 11. Murphy, who tied for third in the NFL with six interceptions this season after an up-and-down first year in Minnesota, has added value because he can play both outside and in the nickel.
His contract had been scheduled to void on Tuesday, or 23 days before the start of the new league year (March 12), according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano. But the deal now is set to void on March 11, enabling the Vikings more time to try to reach an extension with Murphy before his $4.2 million in dead money hits the books. Murphy, 27, benefits because the Vikings can’t place the franchise tag on him. Teams could start using the tag on Tuesday, but can’t do so after March 4.
There had been speculation the Vikings could put the franchise designation on Murphy, meaning they would retain his rights but would have to either come to an agreement on an extension or pay him a projected $20.9 million on a one-year contract for 2025. It’s debatable the Vikings would have wanted to use the tag on Murphy and, thus, acknowledge they thought he was worth $20-plus million.
There’s a better chance they will look to reach an agreement on a multi-year contract that will provide Murphy a significant raise on the two-year, $17.5 million deal he signed with the Vikings in 2023 after leaving the Cardinals.
Murphy, who is the sixth-ranked cornerback and the 33rd-ranked free agent by Pro Football Focus, is projected to receive a three-year, $52 million deal. The average of $17.3 million per season would be $3.6 million below the franchise number and give the Vikings control of how they structure the contract.
If Murphy goes elsewhere — PFF lists Las Vegas and Washington as potential landing spots — the Vikings could turn their attention to free agents D.J. Reed (Jets), Charvarius Ward (49ers) or Asante Samuel Jr. (Chargers).