Andrew Buller-Russ
There have been some big developments around and inside the Minnesota Vikings since the 2025 NFL season ended. Last year, the Vikings spent more money than any other team on their roster, at $350 million. It was a total failure, as the Vikings, who won 14 games in 2024, won just nine games and didn’t reach the playoffs in 2025.
This year, the Vikings have committed to a much smaller budget. For 2026, the Vikings are slated to have just a $226 million budget, which ranks as the second-lowest amount of spending in the NFL.
Thanks to the Vikings committing to roughly $124 million less than last year, one local insider, Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press, wondered if the owners, Zygi and Mark Wilf, were considering selling the team in the near future.
However, according to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune, there is “zero truth” to the idea that the Wilfs are gauging the market for a potential Vikings sale.
In other words, the Vikings are cutting costs, not because they’re desperate and out of money, but because they feel it’s necessary to tighten the spending limit after going overboard in 2025. Yet, that doesn’t mean the Vikings don’t intend to be competitive in 2026, where they’ll be ushering in another new starting quarterback in Kyler Murray.
The Vikings have trimmed a lot of payroll from last season, most notably moving on from a pair of former Pro Bowl defensive tackles. Yet, they feel like they’ve found capable replacements in the draft, with first-round selection Caleb Banks, and third-round pick Domonique Orange, to go along with former UFL standout Jalen Redmond.
Plus, depending on how Murray performs in 2026, the Vikings may need some extra space on their future cap sheet if they have any hope of re-signing him to an extension that lasts into 2027 and beyond. Thus, the Vikings may have felt like they didn’t have a choice but to trim some fat.
Related: NFL Scout Believes Minnesota Vikings Found Difference-Making ‘Weapon’ on Day 3 of NFL Draft
