Vikings Plan to Cut $21 Million Pass-Catcher

The Minnesota Vikings have a long list of guys to replace before free agency.

Of the Vikings’ 2024 roster, 19 pending free agents who played at least 100 snaps are poised to test the market.

That is no problem for the Vikings, who have the sixth-largest cap room for the 2025 season.

However, there may be some cost-cutting measures in place to assist in the retention and replacement of those positions — one of which appears to be a given.

Bleacher Report examined the Vikings’ existing contracts and identified tight end Josh Oliver as the “most likely” cap casualty of the offseason.

“This signing was unexpected, and it will most certainly be re-evaluated in the spring. The Vikings signed Josh Oliver to a three-year, $21 million contract in 2023, with the last year expected to be the most expensive. Oliver is a good blocking tight end, but paying him just under $10 million [in 2025] is a questionable value given that he only played 56% of offensive snaps in 2024, according to Bleacher Report’s scouting report.

“The Vikings will already pay T.J. Hockenson $16.9 million for next season. Giving that much money to a second tight end is a difficult pill to swallow, and releasing Oliver would save $5.1 million.”

Oliver has 44 catches for 471 yards in his two seasons in Minnesota.

Oliver, one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL, was signed to bolster the Vikings’ running game.

However, the benefits have not been obvious; the Vikings have ranked in the bottom half of yards per rush the last two seasons.

While Oliver is not solely to blame, he is one of several players that must be replaced in the offseason.

The cap savings from releasing him might be used to strengthen the interior offensive line.

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