Chris Waller plans to field more than a quarter of the competitors in the Sydney Cup, and assistant Charlie Duckworth highlights a common strength in their team.

“With all of our runners in this, there isn’t much of a query over the distance,” Duckworth said.

Out of 15 Sydney Cup entries, seven are untested beyond shorter trips to 3200m, yet Waller’s all possess relevant staying credentials.

River Of Stars was fourth in the previous Melbourne Cup (3200m), Valiant King has twice entered the iconic Australian staying test, Soul Of Spain won at 3319m in Ireland, and Hutchence succeeded in his lone two-mile run overseas.

River Of Stars ($7.50) rates as the outfit’s best shot, confronting a significant weight of 56.5kg.

Mares have won just five times since 1989, with Makybe Diva among them at 55.5kg in 2004 – bridging her debut and next Melbourne Cup conquests.

Duckworth admits the weight hurdle for River Of Stars but is certain her talent and grit will shine through.

“She’s the class horse in the race, which is why she’s got top weight,” he said.

“She’s got a lovely draw (barrier six) to try to offset that weight, and two miles isn’t an issue with her, she is a proper staying mare.”

Valiant King achieved third in the Caulfield Cup and, winless in three this prep, his camp is thrilled for Saturday’s chance after missing 12 months prior.

“He was awesome in the spring,” Duckworth said.

“He’s yet to hit that height this prep, but we’re hoping Saturday will be when he does.

“He was scratched from the race last year, so we’ve got some unfinished business with him.”

The Championships’ second day brings high stakes for Waller, with 14 across four Group 1s including star mares Autumn Glow and Aeliana targeting the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).

Aeliana follows victories in the Ranvet Stakes and Tancred Stakes, earning Duckworth’s acclaim despite Autumn Glow’s headline chase for 12 straight.

“She has been faultless,” he said.

“She’s such a terrific horse, and she stays very well.”

With Aeliana confirmed to 2400m, Autumn Glow’s Randwick middle-distance debut draws scrutiny.

James McDonald and Waller recently defended her stamina prospects, bracing for pace pressures from competitors seeking flaws.

“The query is how quick they do end up going in this 2000 metre race,” Duckworth said.

“Everyone in the race will, I imagine, want to make it a stamina test as that’s likely to be the only chink in the favourite’s armour.”

Lindermann from the Waller yard is the likely pacemaker, with Dubai Honour, Caviar Heights for Haggas, and Sir Delius able to take up the running.

Visit leading racing betting markets to wager on the Sydney Cup action.

Oleksandr Usyk has proven himself to be a level above his heavyweight rivals in recent years, but there is one man, whom he may soon face, that is being labelled as his ‘kryptonite’ ahead of a possible world title challenge.

Many have tried to discover a chink in the armour of the Ukrainian mastermind, but his undefeated record has remained in tact, with both the cruiserweight and heavyweight elite unable to overcome the style of the loveable champion.

Although, whilst he is unbeaten in the pro game, many believe that the way to defeat Usyk is by targeting his body. This is largely because he was dropped by a Artur Beterbiev body shot during the London 2012 Olympic quarter-final, but also because of Daniel Dubois’ fabled and controversial ‘low blow’ in their first fight.

As a result, some fans suspect that WBC Interim champion and mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel, known for his destructive body work, could be the heavyweight division’s best chance of legitimately dethroning 39-year-old Usyk before his retirement.

Speaking to iFL TV, Kabayel’s manager Spencer Brown declared his belief that the German possesses the style to hand Usyk a first career defeat and threatened that there will be ‘problems’ if the Ukrainian refuses to fight Kabayel after his May clash with Rico Verhoeven.

“It is frustrating, we still feel that Agit is going to be world champion by the end of this year.

“Me personally, I think that, if he fights Usyk, that is Usyk’s kryptonite. I keep saying it to people, he works the body beautifully, he is game as a pebble, he stays on top of you, he is a pressure fighter and I don’t think that Usyk will like that. That is my personal opinion.

“Agit Kabayel is one of the most dangerous men in the division. They can’t hold up much longer on us, they just can’t. Once he fights this first fight against Rico, win, lose or draw, he has either got to fight us or he has got to relinquish that title. Otherwise, there is going to be problems.”

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Usyk-Verhoeven takes place on Saturday, May 23, but Kabayel was recently left out of Usyk’s three-man hit list, despite the pair being mandated for a world title bout, so it will be intriguing to see how the situation develops post-Verhoeven.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Friday evening at the Masters is different from any other day on the property. The setting sun casts long shadows, stale beer reverberates through the corridors and cigar smoke hints at which direction the wind may be blowing. The crusty and crispy descriptions of the golf course seem to intensify as finality hits for half the field. A week that started with hopes and dreams of possibly slipping on a green jacket is met with dejected looks, slumped shoulders and thoughts of what went wrong.

As patrons make their way through the exits, roars offer the possibility of movement unseen. When one bellowed from down below that reached the main leaderboard near the entrance, those heading the opposite direction knew Rory McIlroy was moving in one of his own.

The defending champion, the career grand slam winner, the five-time major holder has opened up a historic gap between himself and the rest of the field. Six strokes up with 36 holes under his belt and with 36 holes to go. The finality that some of his contemporaries were met with on Friday may have been felt by more than those who are just heading home early.

McIlroy’s six-shot advantage entering the weekend marks the largest in tournament history. His second nine as the sun was dipping below the Georgia pines on Friday was flat-out ridiculous. Even without the super power of his driver not cooperating — McIlroy ranks second-to-last in the field in terms of driving accuracy this week — he strutted as if there was a cape around his neck.

But it was not the power and flying abilities that made him appear to be a superhero. Rather, it was his craftiness, his finesse, his knowledge of Augusta National. McIlroy is experienced enough to know that, once you accelerate, you should keep your foot on the gas and not ease up.

“Don’t protect it,” McIlroy said. “Go out and play freely, keep swinging. That was a big part of the lesson from the 2011 Masters to the 2011 U.S. Open was don’t get protective. Go out there and keep playing, keep trying to make birdies, stay as trusting and as committed as possible.”

McIlroy mentioned, when looking back at his 2025 Masters victory, that there was one moment where he felt like he did not play aggressively on Sunday — the par-5 13th. He dumped his third in Rae’s Creek, carded a double bogey, followed it with a bogey on the 14th and let numerous players back in the mix. 

That’s what can happen around Augusta National when one eases up, no matter their position. It could be the man in first or the one who is just happy to get 36 more holes on the golf course after sneaking through the cutline. No one knows that better than McIlroy, who will surely apply the lessons of his last Masters and hope a more stress-free coronation is in his future on Sunday, even if the path to get there won’t be without some rocks in the road.

“I just want to go out and play two good rounds again,” McIlroy said. “Obviously, this golf course has certain characteristics that guys can get on runs, guys can make eagles, you hear roars all over the golf course. 

“I think the next two days for me is really about focusing on myself. It’s hard to avoid those big leaderboards out there, but like I know that I’ve got a lead. So I don’t need to keep checking it all the time. So for me, just really focusing on myself and staying in my own little world out there is the best thing.”

History in sight and in the rearview

With a historic margin in hand, McIlroy now has monumental implications in sight. He could become the fourth player to successfully defend his Masters title while tying one of those previous three (Nick Faldo) for most major championships won by a European. There is a bevy of items that he could check off, but those will need to wait until Sunday evening should the opportunity arise.

That history looks forward, but it is the history McIlroy has already made that informs what may have occurred Friday. The way in which McIlroy summited to the top of the leaderboard in 2025 feels awfully similar outside of the big mistakes (i.e. the double bogeys Jack Nicklaus told him to stop making). It is hard to forget that McIlroy carded a record four double bogeys en route to his victory last year, a win he credited to a 14-hole stretch between Friday and Saturday.

Those seven holes on this Friday consisted of six birdies. Those seven holes on Saturday? Well, we will have to wait and see.

“I talked last year about how I really won the tournament in a 14-hole stretch, the second nine on Friday and the first five holes on Saturday,” McIlroy said. “Yeah, I knew I had some chances coming in when I was standing on the 12th tee, but I didn’t think I’d birdie 6 of the last 7. 

“It just shows what you can do around here. … Even though I haven’t played tournament golf, I feel like being up here a lot and playing, I’ve prepared as well for this Masters as any other that I’ve played. I think all that work around the greens over the last three weeks has certainly paid off over the last two days.”

Captain America

Sam Burns played a spectacular round to keep his Masters chances alive after it appeared to be getting away from him, and he will be the one to play alongside McIlroy on Moving Day, but you can’t look at this first page of this leaderboard and not think about Patrick Reed.

Captain America, the 2018 Masters champion, the man who has been globetrotting on the DP World Tour, would have been in that final pairing alongside McIlroy if not for a bogey on his final hole. Duelling 69s have the right-hander at 6 under and within earshot of a man with whom he has plenty of history.

The past includes not just that Sunday singles match in the 2016 Ryder Cup, but so much more. There was the date in the final round at the 2018 Masters where Reed got the better of McIlroy. More recently, there was a subpoena served to the Northern Irishman around the holidays in 2023 and a flick of a tee towards him on the driving range in Dubai.

Last year, McIlroy’s adversary was Bryson DeChambeau. If Reed plays his cards right on Saturday and can bite a chunk out of Rory’s lead heading into Sunday, he will relish the opportunity to deny the man the chance at going back-to-back, and his game is sharp enough and witty enough to do so if the stars align.

“After winning in ’18, at that point, I definitely felt like I had always wanted to put it on a second time,” Reed said. “I think the biggest thing really is you always dream as a golfer to go out and try to win the green jacket. As players and as professional golfers, you always have to believe in yourself that you can. 

“Until you do, you always have that just little voice of doubt in the back of your mind. Now I was able to close out in ’18 and give myself some good opportunities since then. Hopefully, we can go ahead and get my second one.”

A Masters rarity

Only three times in the last 30 years has someone hit all 18 greens in regulation at Augusta National, the most recent coming on Friday. Tyrrell Hatton, a man who has had a mixed relationship with this golf course, was perfect with his irons and set up 18 different looks for birdie.

The Englishman converted seven of them, and although a three-putt bogey on the last may have soured his dinner plans, his performance was a masterclass in angles — and oddly enough in the context of Hatton — temperament. 

“I feel like the course this morning, the greens … were softer than where they were at the end of yesterday’s round,” Hatton said. “I imagine the guys this afternoon or playing all afternoon, it’s only going to get firmer and faster to a point of, I guess, what we experienced yesterday. 

“So I guess I made the most of the greens being a little bit softer this morning. Yes, I gave myself lots of opportunities. I would have liked to have seen more putts go in. I don’t feel like I actually holed that many putts, certainly outside sort of 7-8 feet.”

A Scheffler rarity

For only the third time in his 26 rounds at Augusta National, Scottie Scheffler signed for a score higher than 72. Posting an over-par performance is a rarity any week for Scheffler and even more so on these grounds, where he has been just about flawless in his seven trips. The result was a 2-over 74, which positions Scheffler at the same place where he began the week: even par. 

So, where did it go wrong for Scheffler on Friday? The easy answer is his inability to take care of scoring chances. Scheffler played the par 5s in 1 over, but the score only tells so much of the story. He was greenside in a perfect position on No. 2 and hit one of his worst pitches of the week. A similar story unfolded on the short par-4 3rd. 

On the second nine, Scheffler split the fairways on both Nos. 13 and 15. On both holes, he found the water with his second shots, leading to a pair of bogeys. The fix will be easy for Scheffler over the weekend, but it appears to be too little too late.

“I would like to hole a few more putts,” Scheffler said. “I felt like it was rolling nice today, but … balls just weren’t dropping. Maybe my reads were a little bit off. I felt like I was starting online, could have been sped on a couple of putts, but overall today, I felt like I definitely played better than my score. It was frustrating to get it back to even, have a couple of par 5s in front of me, and then not do many things I felt wrong and wasn’t able to convert, really basically, anything coming down the stretch.”

Ryder Cup Europe

As Justin Rose and McIlroy were duking it out down the stretch and ultimately in a playoff in 2025, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood sat in the clubhouse eating and drinking with their families and took in the action on television. They watched as two of their closest friends in golf pitted themselves against one another.

Now, they join the fight. 

Lowry, Fleetwood and Rose all sit at 5 under and a touchdown and extra point behind their fellow European. Fleetwood put two eagles on his card, while Lowry went around Augusta National without a dropped shot on Friday. Rose, meanwhile, continued his professional, steady play around these parts and reached 5 under after birdies on Nos. 9-11. With a couple of par 3s playing easy and two reachable par 5s, Rose settled on that number in a stretch we may look back on as the one that defined this tournament.

A quick switch

Brooks Koepka has experienced a topsy-turvy type of tournament, which is hard to do when playing alongside Rose and Jordan Spieth. The five-time major champion stands at 3 under after carding 11 birdies and eight bogeys across his first 36 holes. He drove the ball poorly on Thursday, but he noted that a quick switch in his driver setting was to blame.

“I just drove it better,” Koepka said. “Some of my settings on the driver switched if A1 to B1. No one noticed it. Switching back to A1, which is what we usually had it and just driving it better.”

How can that happen, let alone in a major championship? Well, it did. Koepka looked better after turning the driver back to the original settings, but it proved even a five-time major champion like him, who employs a simple point and shoot attitude towards golf (that’s a compliment, by the way), can overlook something.

Tyson Fury has come out of retirement to face Russian boxer Arslanbek Makhmudov in a heavyweight clash in London on April 11. The fight will stream live on Netflix, which fans can get for free with Sky’s £15 Essential TV bundle or £24 Ultimate TV bundle, the latter of which also includes HBO Max and Disney+.

Hundreds of millions of pounds are expected to be staked on the Grand National 2026, which takes place at Aintree today.

The world-famous steeplechase will see a field of 34 horses complete two laps of the racecourse near Liverpool on Saturday afternoon.

Starting at 4pm, the runners will gallop four miles, 2½ furlongs and jump 30 fences before crossing the finish line. The Grand National offers a £1m prize fund with the owners of the winner scooping £500,000.

However, millions watching at home will also be hoping to win some money by placing bets in the hope of backing the winning horse.

As well as betting on a winner, people can also place each-way bets – which can win punters cash even if their horse doesn’t finish first. Instead, the bet is on the horse to finish among the top handful of places, the specific number of which is determined by the bookmakers

If you bet to win outright – or “on the nose” – you either win or you lose. But if you bet each-way, you are making two bets with the bookie.

So, for example, if you bet £1 each-way, you’ve made two bets, which overall will cost you £2.

It means that if your horse wins at 12/1, and you put £1 on it to win outright, then you get your £12 returns plus your original £1 stake.

However, if you backed it each way, then you’ll get £12 returns plus your £1 stake. In addition, if the bookies offer 1/4 the odds for a place, then you’ll get another £3 plus your £1 stake. That means in the each-way bet you will win a total of £15 plus get the £2 you staked back.

If your horse finishes placed but doesn’t win, you’ll also just get your £3 returns and your £1 stake back.

Typically, bookies tend to pay out on at least the first five places for the Grand National. However, given the larger field and the nature of the event, the odds for a placed finish, and how many places pay out, vary depending on the bookmaker – so it is always worth checking your betting slip.

Here are what some of the major bookies said they were paying out ahead of the race this year as of Friday afternoon:

• Bet365 – Six places each-way, 1/5 odds
• Betfred – Six places each-way, 1/5 odds
• William Hill – Five places each-way, 1/5 odds
• Coral – Five places each-way, 1/5 odds
• Ladbrokes – Five places each-way, 1/5 odds
• Sky Bet – Seven places each-way, 1/5 odds
• Paddy Power – Six places each-way, 1/5 odds
• 888 Sport – Five places each-way, 1/5 odds
• Unibet – Six places each-way, 1/5 odds
• Betway – Six places each-way, 1/5 odds
• VirginBet – Six places each-way, 1/5 odds

Remember to gamble responsibly. We strongly encourage our readers to only ever bet what they can afford to lose. For more information, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or visit begambleaware.org.

The NFL Draft is 12 days out for the Minnesota Vikings, and the first wave of weekend rumors is here.

Three new Vikings rumors are floating as draft week moves closer.

We roll out two rumor rounds every weekend, keeping tabs on the latest chatter as things move fast around the purple orbit.

Latest Draft Month Chatter Touches Quarterback, EDGE Rusher, and Left Tackle

A look at the Purple Rumor Mill just a week and a half before the draft.

Rumor: The Vikings could trade J.J. McCarthy to the Los Angeles Rams.

According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, McCarthy could step into familiar territory, with Sean McVay in Los Angeles and Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota running closely aligned systems.

He proposed this trade, “Rams get: 1-18, 3-97, QB J.J. McCarthy. Vikings get: 1-13. At the right price, though, taking a flier on McCarthy would make sense. The Vikings are unlikely to move forward with the 2024 ninth overall pick as their quarterback of the future, having signed Kyler Murray to take over as their starter in 2026 before deciding on McCarthy’s fifth-year option after the season.”

“Getting something for the 23-year-old quarterback would make sense if the organization has decided it is going to be heading in a different direction. This move up would get the Vikes ahead of the Bucs and Jets if they want to look toward secondary help in Round 1.”

The target at No. 13 remains up in the air; Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, for example, could enter the conversation if he slips on draft night.

Barnwell continued, “This trade would value McCarthy as being worth the 112th pick in a typical draft by the Johnson chart, a selection in the middle of the fourth round. That feels about right to me. And the Rams would be on the hook for $6.6 million over the next two years, which isn’t much for a developmental backup quarterback.”

“Could McCarthy’s solid final four games of the 2025 season (admittedly against dismal opposing defenses) portend growth and some future success? The Rams wouldn’t be paying much to find out.”

The Vikings probably won’t trade McCarthy, and if they do, he won’t be filler in a deal five spots up the draftboard.

Rumor: The Chiefs may pursue Jonathan Greenard via trade in the draft.

Also from Barnwell, he theorized that Greenard could go to the Chiefs in the same article.

He explained, “Chiefs get: 1-18, 3-97, Edge Jonathan Greenard. Vikings get: 1-9, Edge Felix Anudike-Uzomah. This trade would value the difference between Greenard and Anudike-Uzomah — a former first-round pick who hasn’t impressed with the Chiefs — as being worth the 54th pick, according to the Johnson chart, in a typical draft.”

“The Vikings would move up from No. 18 to No. 9 and put defensive coordinator Brian Flores in line to add one of the premier defensive backs in this year’s class. The idea of Downs in a Flores defense is tantalizing, but the Vikings could also go for LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane here. Trading Greenard would open cap space and create a spot in the starting lineup for Dallas Turner, who filled in for Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel when they were hurt last season.”

The Vikings haven’t picked as high as No. 9 in a draft since 2014 when they netted linebacker Anthony Barr.

This would-be trade is more likely than the McCarthy idea, but it still remains confusing that Minnesota would plan to be a playoff contender in 2026 while shedding pass rushers. Most serious teams do the opposite — stock up on EDGE talent.

Rumor: Christian Darrisaw’s belated ACL recovery is on schedule, alas.

O’Connell talked about Darrisaw’s ACL at the NFL’s league meetings last week, saying, “I do believe we’re at that point now. He’s having a really good offseason. And what that looks like, what his daily practice schedule and plan looks like, we’re going to do what we think is best to get Christian ready to play 17 games and feel at his absolute best to do so.”

“I was proud of the way Christian battled through the offseason and the recovery portion, but then it was frustrating for him at times because he did put in all that work, all that tireless work, that in his mind, ‘Hey, I want to move past this,’ But with an injury like that, sometimes time is truly the only thing that will ultimately get us to where we want to get to.”

In the meantime, Minnesota signed offensive tackle Ryan Van Demark from the Buffalo Bills as insurance.

O’Connell added, “He’s so impactful. That is one position where I don’t think we put enough credence and weight into the impact of winning and losing every snap, every down in the NFL at that left tackle position.”

Here’s to hoping Darrisaw’s ACL heals fully for 2026; Minnesota would be in panic mode without him, schematically and financially.

Arctic Glamour faces tougher weight-for-age rules in the Queen Of The Turf Stakes rematch versus Lazzura, though trainer Gerald Ryan believes it may not hinder her chances.

She received a 2.5kg concession when narrowly missing by a short neck to Lazzura in the Coolmore Classic (1500m), but equal weights apply when they clash again at Randwick on Saturday.

According to Ryan, weights don’t guarantee results, as demonstrated by his Group 1 mare Recurring losing with 54.5kg in the 2004 Birthday Card Stakes before winning with 58kg next start against rivals. “I remember a few years ago Recurring got beaten in a mares race with around 54 kilos then went to the Sapphire Stakes, and because it was set weights with penalties she ended up with 58 and she beat the mares that beat her the start before, despite carrying more weight.”

Can Arctic Glamour step up to genuine mile class? That’s the burning question.

In six 1600m attempts, she hasn’t placed, yet was a close fifth in the 2023 Thousand Guineas (1600m) and echoed that behind Ceolwulf in the Epsom Handicap (1600m) a year ago.

Pride Of Jenni’s presence adds pace to Saturday’s Queen Of The Turf Stakes, making it a genuine test, and Ryan prefers a restrained approach.

“It’s going to be a strong mile on Saturday with the speed that’s in the race,” he said. “We will ride her quiet from where she’s drawn. Her best runs are when we ride her quiet.”

Arctic Glamour was sidelined post-Coolmore Classic on March 14 after scratching from the Emancipation Stakes (1500m) due to wet conditions.

Recent trials and gallops have impressed Ryan greatly. “She trialled very well on Thursday, and her work (on Tuesday) morning was very good. As good as I’ve seen her do,” he said.

In the Arrowfield 3YO Sprint (1200m), Ryan and Sterling Alexiou run Skyhook with similar tactics in mind.

His Darby Munro Stakes (1200m) fourth initially irked, but deeper analysis changed views. “On face value, we were. But when you analyse the race, he was giving them all weight and maybe on the hot speed we rode him too close,” he said. “We’re going to ride him negative on Saturday and see if we can hit the line.”

Check betting sites for competitive markets on the Queen Of The Turf Stakes.

McIlroy, who is hoping to become just the fourth player after Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods to win back-to-back Masters titles has held a six-shot lead at this point in a major before.

He went on to win the 2011 US Open by eight shots – claiming the first of his five majors – and also spreadeagled the field with an eight-shot victory at the 2012 US PGA Championship.

And he plans to maintain an aggressive approach around Augusta National over the weekend as he bids to match Faldo, Phil Mickelson and Lee Trevino’s haul of six majors.

“Don’t protect it. Go out and play freely, keep swinging,” he said when asked what advice his 2011 self would have for him before Saturday.

McIlroy led that year’s Masters by four shots going into the final round, but carded an eight-over-par 80 to tumble down the leaderboard.

“A big part of the lesson from the 2011 Masters to the 2011 US Open was don’t get protective,” he added. “Go out there and keep playing, keep trying to make birdies, stay as trusting and as committed as possible.”

McIlroy also said he plans to watch tennis and spend time with his daughter Poppy to take his mind off the third round.

“That distraction is usually a good thing for me, especially with a late tee time and the lead,” he explained.

“There are two really good semi-finals at Monte Carlo in the tennis. So I’ll watch those.

“We’ve been watching the tennis early in the mornings. And then hopefully spend some time with Poppy. I think we’re about halfway through Zootopia 2.”

McIlroy has credited his fast start to the tournament with spending a huge amount of time practising on the course in the three weeks he took off from playing PGA Tour events after the Players Championship in March.

“I just don’t like the three tournaments leading up to this event,” said McIlroy, who has a home in nearby Florida.

“I’d rather come here. I did a couple of days where I dropped Poppy to school, flew up here, played, landed back home and had dinner with Poppy and [wife] Erica.

“I felt it was a better use of my time than going to Houston or San Antonio. It wasn’t really about conserving energy, but just I felt the more time I could spend up here, the better.

“I’ve been on this golf course so much the past three weeks. That has been a combination of practice and chipping and putting around greens, and then just playing one ball and shooting scores and ending up in weird places that you maybe never find yourself and just trying to figure it out. I think just spending so much time up here has been a big part of it.”

If you’re feeling generous, go ahead and turn over your couch cushions. Scrounge up your spare change and send it over to the Minnesota Vikings.

In all seriousness, the Vikings’ budget is quite lean. Much was done to allow the team to function within the frenzied portion of free agency. There has then been some ongoing inaction, a quiet period leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft, the event that was always going to be the main way to reinforce the roster for the upcoming season. More work could be needed to help carve out cap space.

The Vikings’ Budget & The 2026 NFL Draft

The word from Over the Cap is that things are pretty modest.

Right now, the Vikings have less than $5 million. Any normal person sees $5 million as a massive, life-changing amount of money, but the NFL isn’t a normal workplace. That’s open room that will disappear very quickly. The precise estimate — $4,826,234 — is a mere fraction of the league-wide cap that’s sitting at north of $300 million.

What needs to be remembered — and what Minnesota’s front office has baked into the financial planning — is that June is going to bring a financial windfall, at least as it relates to the salary cap.

The Vikings’ budget hasn’t yet reaped the rewards of Jonathan Allen’s and Harrison Smith’s post-June 1st cuts. As the basic description suggests, there needs to be some patience for June. The Vikings will get an influx of north of $12 million at that time, providing the needed wiggle room to do business.

Most commonly, draftees get signed well ahead of NFL training camps at the end of July. There are always some guys who linger into the summer, though, before ink gets tossed down onto a contract. Seeing a Viking or two get signed in June isn’t a catastrophe even if signing earlier is generally better.

What happens, though, if the Vikings don’t want to wait until June to get all of the draftees signed? There will need to be some further cap clearing.

Per Spotrac, the Vikings will need close to $6.5 million in cap space to get all of their nine picks under contract. The beefiest cap charge (obviously) is going to go to that top pick, the No. 18 selection. That single player alone is going to chew up more than $3.7 million in cap space for the upcoming season. Toss on the 2nd-Round selection (coming in at No. 49) and there’s an added $1.782 million being accounted for within the Vikings’ budget. Combined, the two highest picks eliminate the cap space.

Oh, and then there would be the remaining draft picks even if the offseason’s top-51 cutoff comes into play to help the budget balance.

Quite often, NFL front offices are more patient than fans of the team. Such is the case right now for the Minnesota Vikings. Onlookers may be skittish, but there’s little need to be concerned.

Rob Brzezinski is working through the offseason a step at a time. He opened the cap space he needed to do business with veteran talent and to navigate the in-house decisions. Well and good, perfectly reasonable.

Even if nothing happens to create cap space — unlikely — the Vikings will get added financial freedom starting in June. That influx alone will be enough to officially sign the draftees.

The Vikings are sitting on nine draft picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. At the top is the aforementioned No. 18 pick. There’s then No. 49 (2nd) alongside No. 82 and No. 97 (3rd) as the most promising picks. We’ll see if there’s some trading to change the water on the purple beans, but that’s a general description of how things look for the current picks in the purple coffer.

Keep an eye on the Vikings’ budget in the coming weeks. A surgeon’s scalpel is likely to be used. Possibilities for added cap freedom include adjusting the deals for Jonathan Greenard (trade or restructure), Brian O’Neill (extension), and/or various other decisions.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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