Vikings tight on salary cap space, but they have options to clear room

This week, when the Vikings' brain trust arrives in Indianapolis for the league's annual scouting combine, it will do so with a different set of financial constraints than it has experienced in most recent seasons.

The combine - which doubles as the league's first substantive look at the upcoming draft class and the unofficial kickoff of free agency - has more often than not seen the Vikings pursuing an ambitious agenda in recent years. In 2013, general manager Rick Spielman publicly deflected questions about trading Percy Harvin; the Vikings dealt him to Seattle weeks later, before missing out on Mike Wallace and eventually signing Greg Jennings. In 2014, the Vikings laid the groundwork for a defensive overhaul that began with signing nose tackle Linval Joseph and cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, while giving pass rusher Everson Griffen a lucrative new deal. Offensive line overhauls dominated the team's agenda in 2016 and 2017, and last year, the Vikings' quarterback quandary was the talk of the week in Indianapolis, as the team eventually bid farewell to three QBs - Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford - before signing Kirk Cousins to a three-year, $84 million contract.

http://www.startribune.com/how-the-vikings-could-fit-a-new-adam-thielen-deal-in-their-2019-salary-cap-picture/506322732/