Currently, veteran Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Jonathan Allen is scheduled to have the second-highest 2026 cap hit on the team at $23.9 million.
After an underwhelming performance in 2025 (84th in PFF defensive grade out of 127 qualifying defensive linemen), moving on from Allen this year would be ideal for the Vikings. However, a departure has always felt unlikely since Minnesota would be left with $17.3 million in dead cap if they chose to release him this offseason.
This was at least the general feeling until this week's NFL Scouting Combine.
SKOR North's Thor Nystrom is among those who are at the Scouting Combine this week, and during a recent episode of his "Thor Talks Purple" podcast, he shared a bit of a surprising update on what he's heard about Allen at the event.