MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 18: Justin Jefferson #18 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter of the game against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 18, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings have very little cap space to work with in the NFL Draft, which means Rick Spielman might have to cut a veteran to make room.
As if things couldn’t get any more stressful in Minnesota, the Vikings are charting April’s NFL Draft waters with only around $1.9 million in available cap space.
Not great, Bob.
Despite plenty of moves made by general manager Rick Spielman, it may not be enough heading into the 2021 NFL Draft. So if another Vikings player is bound to be cut in the coming weeks, who is now the likeliest cap casualty?
Thus far, the Vikings have already released players like tight end Kyle Rudolph, offensive tackle Riley Reiff, defensive tackle Shamar Stephen and kicker Dan Bailey. They have also restructured the contracts of outside linebacker Anthony Barr and punter Britton Colquitt. While they could look to restructure safety Harrison Smith and wide receiver Adam Thielen’s deals, the easiest cut for the Vikings to make is painfully obvious.
Vikings draft rumors: How can Minnesota make cap space?
Minnesota cutting the often-injured cornerback Mike Hughes could be the move Spielman makes to free up some desperately needed cap space.
Though Hughes was initially a first-round pick by the Vikings in 2018 NFL Draft out of UCF, he has not been the same player since sustaining a neck injury at the end of the 2019 NFL season. He has only played in 24 of a possible 48 regular-season games in three years, making just seven starts. It does not feel like Minnesota will be using its fifth-year option on him at any point this summer.
So with the Vikings’ having the sixth-worst cap situation in the league heading into April, they may end up cutting Hughes before the draft to take another cornerback who does not have these type injury concerns. The Vikings have three top-100 selections to be made at the end of the month, including No. 17 overall in the first round. They can get another cornerback with any of these picks.
Cutting Mike Hughes could save the Vikings a few million dollars heading into the 2021 NFL Draft.