Vikings Expected to Cut $21 Million Pass-Catcher

The Minnesota Vikings have a long list of players to replace ahead of free agency.

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

That's no problem for the Vikings, who have the sixth-most cap space for the 2025 season.

But there could be some cost-cutting moves to help retain and replace those roles -- and one move seems to be a foregone conclusion.

Bleacher Report took inventory of the Vikings' existing contracts and deemed tight end Josh Oliver the "most likely" cap casualty of the offseason.

"This signing was a bit of a head-scratcher when it happened, and it's likely to be re-evaluated in the spring. The Vikings signed Josh Oliver to a three-year, $21 million contract in 2023, and the final year is set 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 when he only played 56 percent of the offensive snaps in 2024," Bleacher Report's scouting report reads.

"The Vikings will already be paying T.J. Hockenson $16.9 million next season. Giving that much money to a second tight end is a difficult pill to swallow, and cutting Oliver would free up $5.1 million."

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

One of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL, Oliver was signed to help the Vikings running game.

However, the benefits have not been clear; the Vikings have ranked in the bottom half in yards per rush the past two seasons.

While that's not entirely on Oliver, he's part of the sum that must be overhauled in the offseason.

The cap savings from cutting him could be used to improve the interior offensive line.