Spielman anticipating ‘tough’ decisions for Vikings to get under salary cap

Cutting tight end Kyle Rudolph on Tuesday was the beginning of what general manager Rick Spielman anticipates as roughly two weeks of "tough business decisions" to get under the salary cap before the 2021 league year begins March 17.

The Vikings, and a handful of other NFL front offices, currently have salary cap commitments projected to be over the $180 million salary cap floor. While the official 2021 salary cap has not yet been set by the NFL and its players union, Spielman has a handful of road maps to get under whatever is the final number. Last year's cap was $198.2 million.

"We're going to have to be very creative this year," Spielman said. "We're going to have to make a lot of tough business decisions. That process is getting started this week and next week."

More cuts, pay reductions and extensions have been discussed internally. Spielman dodged questions Wednesday about specific players, but it's clear the Vikings will likely not be able to afford to retain safety Anthony Harris and linebacker Eric Wilson, who will be free agents, and may have to shed veterans for cap space from defensive tackle Shamar Stephen to kicker Dan Bailey.

Spielman said the Vikings have already began talks with player reps, which have to be held via videoconference or phone calls as opposed to the typical steak dinners at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, which was canceled this year amid the pandemic.

"We're going through that process right now," Spielman said. "We've kind of laid out a preliminary plan, just like if we were going to the combine and we have preliminary talks with agents like whether they're extensions, whether they're a reduction in pay or just an outright waive. There are a lot of decisions that have not been made yet."