The NFL salary cap just had a record increase of $30.6 million from last year.

The Minnesota Vikings are entering a critical offseason. They have roster holes at key positions and decisions to make with some aging players. Their division rivals Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers appear to NFC powerhouses for the foreseeable future, so Minnesota won’t want to fall behind. Even the Chicago Bears could get things going quickly with their abundance of cap space and high draft picks.

The good news for the Vikings is that they have flexibility. They rank in the middle of the pack of the league with $37,868,132 of cap space per Over The Cap. They could get even more by making a no-brainer move – extending All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson. At just 24 years old Jefferson is in his prime and makes up one half of a dynamic duo with fellow receiver Jordan Addison.

Another extension the Vikings could hand out is to star outside linebacker Danielle Hunter. They are very thin at pass rusher and Hunter is coming off a career-best 16.5 sacks. He will certainly be looking for top dollar after being among the league leaders in sacks over the past several years, but his consistency could prove worth it.

Minnesota will need more pass rush help in addition to that, specifically from up the middle. With the additional incoming cap space, the Vikings could take a big swing at a top defensive tackle such as Chris Jones, Christian Wilkins or Justin Madubuike. They may also look to grab a bona fide lockdown outside cornerback to allow Byron Murphy Jr. to play primarily in the slot.

A factor that is outside of Minnesota’s control is the future of safety Harrison Smith, who has hinted at retirement. If Smith is to retire it would save the Vikings a whopping $11,384,116. The free agent safety market is very deep this year, so the Vikings could replace Smith at a reasonable cost without losing a lot of on-field production. If Smith decides to return, a reworked salary would be likely.

The Vikings are a hot candidate to trade up in the first round of April’s draft to grab their quarterback of the future, regardless of current starter Kirk Cousins returning or not. The cost of trading up is high, so draft picks could be thin for Minnesota in the future, making this year’s free agent period a very crucial one.