Vikings make sneaky cap move right before season opener
The Minnesota Vikings open Week 1 against NFC North rival Green Bay at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday. It’ll be fans’ first chance to see whether Kyler Murray still has it and can make things click alongside Justin Jefferson and offensive mastermind Kevin O’Connell. The former Heisman winner has been handed a golden opportunity, and Sunday marks his first real chance to show he can right the ship.
But just 48 hours before kickoff, the Vikings front office made a sneaky move to free up cap space. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Minnesota revised starting cornerback Isaiah Rodgers’ contract, converting up to $1.5 million in incentives into a signing bonus.
Rodgers was the Colts’ sixth-round pick in 2020 out of UMass, spending three seasons in Indianapolis before signing with the Eagles in 2023 and then the Vikings last season.
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Rodgers signed a two-year, $11.045 million deal with Minnesota in March 2025 and will now be owed around $5.94 million in 2026. If he makes the Pro Bowl, he could earn another $250,000, with more available for All-Pro honors.
He hasn’t reached either milestone yet, but he’s also coming off a career year in Minnesota. Across 17 games (15 starts), Rodgers posted a career-high 66 total tackles, four tackles for loss, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and an interception returned for a touchdown.
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What this move really does, though, is raise questions about what else Minnesota might have planned. Freeing up cap space this close to the regular season suggests something else could be in the works, even if minor.
J.J. McCarthy, for instance, has been floated in trade rumors for months and was recently bumped to QB3 on the depth chart, behind Murray and Carson Wentz. Still on his rookie contract, McCarthy’s situation raises the possibility that the Vikings could be eyeing a trade for a more experienced backup — one that would come with a bigger price tag.
