The Minnesota Vikings stumbled in 2025 after a promising 2024. Expectations were high after a 14-win season, but last year ended in disappointment. That finish forced a hard look at the roster and the salary cap.<\/p>\n
Now, Vikings has informed two veterans they\u2019ll be released, barring trades. Running back Aaron Jones and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave are on the move. As ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported, per NFL Trade Rumors<\/a>, the cuts would free roughly $7.75 million for Jones and $10.9 million for Hargrave, about $18.65 million in relief.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The reasoning is for cap space. Minnesota reportedly faced about a $40 million overage and needed quick answers. Jones signed a one-year, $7 million deal in March 2024 and then agreed to a two-year, $20 million extension afterward. Hargrave joined on a two-year deal worth up to $30 million after prior big contracts elsewhere. Both contracts made sense when signed. Now the math has changed.<\/p>\n On the field last year Jones dealt with injuries but still contributed. Hargrave played 16 games and finished with 52 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Those numbers matter. But the Vikings are balancing production with long-term flexibility.<\/p>\n Offseason plans will focus on free agency and the draft. The team must decide whether to re-invest in veteran help or target younger, cheaper pieces. The quarterback outlook will influence the approach. Young QB JJ McCarthy did not fully lock up the job in 2025, so Minnesota may prioritize decisions that protect the roster\u2019s future.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n MORE: NFL legend Von Miller has eyes set on an intriguing post-retirement job<\/a><\/p>\n Fans should expect a busy few weeks. If trades surface, the team might recoup picks. If not, the cap savings buy the Vikings the flexibility to chase needs and reset after a tough season.<\/p>\n \u2014 Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead <\/a>\u2014<\/p>\n NFL: 2026 NFL salary cap space rankings by team<\/a><\/p>\n NHL: Auston Matthews\u2019 Olympic gold, Donald Trump visit, draws surprising reaction in Toronto<\/a><\/p>\n MLB: Dodgers manager bothered by Tanner Scott quote<\/a><\/p>\n ENTERTAINMENT: Team USA hockey stars set for \u2018SNL\u2019 cameo after Winter Olympics<\/a><\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n SPORTS MEDIA: NBC Sunday Night Football set to make major change for 2026 NFL season<\/a><\/p>\n WORLD CUP: Iran could withdraw from 2026 FIFA World Cup amid Middle East tension<\/a><\/p>\n The post Vikings make surprising cap-saving moves amid NFL offseason<\/a> appeared first on The Big Lead<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Minnesota Vikings stumbled in 2025 after a promising 2024. Expectations were high after a 14-win season, but…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":784767,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[6912,4191,14826,7,1824,259,6,7238,110979,234,7958],"class_list":{"0":"post-784766","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-aaron-jones","9":"tag-adam-schefter","10":"tag-auston-matthews","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-javon-hargrave","13":"tag-minnesota-vikings","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-salary-cap","16":"tag-tanner-scott","17":"tag-vikings","18":"tag-von-miller"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116155051358911818","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/784766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=784766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/784766\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/784767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=784766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=784766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=784766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}