3 Vikings News Updates: MIN Money Melting, Depth Defender Promoted, and Ham in the North Pole
The Vikings news can arrive fast and furious. Readers will be forgiven if the morsel of an update got missed, especially during the chaos of Christmas.
At Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD, there has been an effort to round up the news. There has been a consideration of moving on from a well-paid defensive tackle and the Joe Burrow rumors. There’s the sliver of hope for a young tight end, defenders being done for the season, and the tricky left tackle situation. Check out some of notable tidbits of Vikings news.
3 Vikings News Updates Ahead of Christmas
Update #1 — Minnesota’s Money is Worse than Most Know (And that’s OK)
Shift things to Over the Cap. The outlook suggests that Minnesota is $36 million in debt for 2026. There is, however, a key caveat: that only considers 41 contracts.
The offseason cap cut-off sits at 51 players. Accordingly, the debt will worsen once another ten contracts get tossed onto the books, even if the deals are at the lowest level. In fact, Jason Fitzgerald — the proprietor at OTC — took on the issue on social media.
He writes, “Here is how the teams eliminated and virtually eliminated from the playoffs stack up in cap space (includes futures signings) and draft capital in 2026. For reference average cap is $19.7M and draft value is 5,520.” The chart a touch lower sees Minnesota sitting at $46.6 million in cap debt.
So, as you consider how GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah may work the money, note that the debt will get worse before it gets better. The carryover money will lessen the sting, creating some relief. But then there will need to be cuts, restructures, and/or extensions to figure things out. Quite possibly, there could be a trade or two, as well.
I expect the Vikings to get to somewhere around $20-$30 million in open room for 2026 (but with the caveat that Adofo-Mensah seldom does all of his cost-cutting moves at once).
Update #2 — A Depth Safety is Soon to Be Promoted
Kevin O’Connell sees more playing time for backup safety Jay Ward. The reasons are twofold. First, there’s the season-ending injury to Josh Metellus. Second, there’s Ward’s own potential and abilities.
The head coach has thoughts: “I think you’ll see Jay Ward in a little bit more in some of those packages […] I think it’ll be a great opportunity for him to continue building upon the positive things he’s been doing.”
The third-year defender has mostly been a special teams helper since going in the 4th of the 2023 NFL Draft. As 2025 gets toward its end, only Jordan Addison and Ward remain from that cluster of drafted talent. Seeing the safety emerge into an impact player for Brian Flores would therefore be a major win in Minnesota.
Keep an eye on Ward on Sunday. He’s long, fast, and aggressive. Seeing him blitz a time or two wouldn’t be surprising.
Update #3 — Fullback C.J. Ham Goes to the North Pole
God bless you, C.J. Ham.
The fullback has been very important lately. His contract will end after the season, but keeping him around on a modest, single-season deal makes some sense. Ham can be a J.J. McCarthy bodyguard who scores the occasional touchdown.
Consider what he did recently to spread some holiday cheer. Lindsey Young of the team website explains: “C.J. Ham, the Vikings Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Club Winner, and his family joined Verizon Tuesday to host children from Annunciation Catholic School and their parents for a night highlighted by the North Pole Express, a holiday-themed train ride from St. Paul Union Depot to … well, you know, Santa Claus’ headquarters.”
Some of the characters: “Families were welcomed by the train’s conductor and engineer, who encouraged the youngsters to watch closely out the windows as they chugged leisurely through the North Pole village. Elves dressed in green-and-red and with pointy ears played tricks on each other in the rising snow; then the Grinch suddenly appeared, sprinting alongside the tracks holding a large, wrapped gift above his head.”
Santa made an appearance: “But what really stole the show was when Santa Claus himself boarded the train, prompting wide eyes and excited whispers. Each family had the opportunity to meet Kris Kringle, many of the children eagerly crawling into his lap and relaying what they wanted for Christmas. His excited visitors included C.J. and Stephanie’s two youngest, 7-year-old Stella and 4-year-old Trip.”
Annunciation is seeking to heal from an unspeakably horrific tragedy at the school recently.
Back to Young: “[Ham] took time to connect with families, signing autographs for the kids and shaking hands with parents, looking them in the eyes to encourage them. Less than four months after their lives were violently disrupted by the mass shooting at Annunciation, many of the guests wore navy blue sweatshirts bearing the school’s logo and the words ‘Move Your Feet,’ referencing the ‘When you pray, move your feet’ motto they’ve adopted in response to tragedy. On the sleeves were two white hearts with the initials of 10-year-old Harper Moyski and 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, who were killed in the shooting.”
Again, God bless you, Mr. Ham. The Vikings fullback is great on the field. He’s even better off the field.
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