Vikings Provide New Salary Cap Hint
New Minnesota Vikings cornerback Jeff Okudah probably won’t be cut.
Vikings Provide New Salary Cap Hint
His contractual details emerged this week after a few waves of free agency, and the structure of his deal hints at a roster spot for the former third overall pick from the 2020 Draft.
So, as you begin to formulate your 2025 Vikings roster predictions, you’ll probably want to have Okudah around CB4 or CB5.
Jeff Okudah’s Contract Indicates He Won’t Be Cut
Star Tribune‘s Ben Goessling tweeted this week: “Jeff Okudah got a one-year, $2.35 million deal for the Vikings, with a fully guaranteed veteran minimum salary of $1.17M and a signing bonus of $1.18M.”
Often, when mediocre or little-known players strike new deals with teams, the general manager structures them to make a summer roster cut pain-free.
Okudah’s, on the other hand, does not feature that trait. In all likelihood, his contract suggests he’ll be a part of the Vikings’ 2025 defense.
PurplePTSD’s Take
Our sister site, PurplePTSD.com, provided some insight on Okudah’s deal.
Kyle Joudry wrote, “At the most basic level, Okudah is working on a single-season, prove-it contract with a modest cap hit in 2025: $2,350,000. There’s no funny business with void years pushing some of the cap charge into the future. Neither are there any details about incentives being able to boost the pay. What you see is what you get: a one-year contract sitting at $2.35 million.”
“Now, here’s the caveat: every penny is going to hit the cap. Or, at least, every penny is going to hit the cap if the Vikings decide to move on with a cut. So, there’s really no financial incentive to move on once the time comes for roster trimdowns. The thinking with the signing is that Mr. Okudah is going to be on the roster.”
Put plainly: there’s no incentive to cut Okudah in late August. It would be wasted moolah.
“The option to save cap space — if there ends up being a desire to do so — is to pursue a trade. In that scenario, the team that acquires the corner would be taking on the guaranteed salary portion of the deal ($1,170,000) while Minnesota is left with the signing bonus as dead money ($1,180,000),” Joudry added about a trade safety valve.
Jeff Okudah Background
If Okudah sounds familiar, well, he should. The Detroit Lions — back when they were horrible — chose him with the third overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. It was the same day that Minnesota extracted Justin Jefferson out of the event from LSU after the Philadelphia Eagles notoriously passed on Jefferson for Jalen Reagor, who is, too, now a former Viking.
However, Okudah’s career has never taken off. Not one bit.
Here’s his Pro Football Focus resume to date:
- 2024: 31.0
- 2023: 50.5
- 2022: 59.4
- 2021: 53.0
- 2020: 42.5
And Okudah’s NFL resume since 2020:
- Detroit Lions (2020–2022)
- Atlanta Falcons (2023)
- Houston Texans (2024)
- Minnesota Vikings (2025)
For the next five months, Vikings fans will simply hope that a geographical cure will do the trick for Okudah.
The Possible CB Room with Okudah
With the salary cap evidence in tow — Okudah will likely make the active roster in September — Minnesota’s CB room can take shape.
If one assumes that the Vikings don’t draft a high-round rookie corner like Jahdae Barron, Shavon Revel Jr., Maxwell Hairston, Trey Amos, or Benjamin Morrison, the group could look like this by Week 1:
CB1: Byron Murphy Jr.
CB2: Mekhi Blackmon
CB3: Isaiah Rodgers
CB4: Jeff Okudah
CB5: Dwight McGlothern
Or, for example, if general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafts Barron, McGlothern could be the odd man out, fulfilling a 2025 practice squad assignment.
The takeaway? The CB room may not be done with offseason maintenance, but Okudah doesn’t look like a summer roster cut. McGlothern would become the “loser” if Minnesota drafts a corner.
Longtime Viking Says Goodbye
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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