5 Starters from 2022 Vikings Remain Free Agents
NFL free agency kicked off over three months ago, and the Minnesota Vikings added over 15 new players.
5 Starters from 2022 Vikings Remain Free Agents
Then, the club added a litany of rookies from the 2024 NFL Draft and undrafted free agency. The 2024 campaign will feel markedly different for the purple team, especially after Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter bolted for new teams.
And a handful of Vikings of yesteryear remain free agents, with the NFL regular season 10 weeks away.
These five starters from the 2022 team are unsigned as of June 25th. They’re listed alphabetically.
1. Dalvin Cook (RB)
Last month, Cook personally told KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, “I’m still Dalvin Cook. I’m still that guy. For me, I don’t like to toot my own horn. I just like to go out there, put my helmet on and line up on the grass I think last year was really like a learning curve for me. I got kind of itchy. At the time it was coming, the season. It was where I wanted to go and now it’s about the opportunities are going to come. It’s about what are you going to do with it. For me, patience is the key, so let’s just stay ready and stay confident it’s going to explode.”
He awaits his 2024 assignment, and some have spitballed that Cook could land in Dallas with the Cowboys.
2. Cameron Dantzler (CB)
The Vikings cut Dantzler loose during the 2023 offseason, and he later joined four new NFL teams in a one-year span. The problem? He played zero snaps on defense for any team in 2023. His NFL career could be toast.
Dantzler is a part of the UFL, though. But he’d likely sprint to the NFL if a team extended an olive branch.
3. Patrick Peterson (CB)
Although he is not currently employed, Peterson has recently said he has plenty left in the tank and publicly declared his desire to re-sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, his squad from 2023. Peterson actually played 97% of all Steelers’ defensive snaps last season or 1,096 plays.
He’ll turn 34 in about two weeks and should find a home on an NFL roster before Week 1.
4. Duke Shelley (CB)
A folkloric former Viking, Minnesota had no interest in a Shelley reunion last offseason, even though the man balled out in 2022. Shelley landed with the Los Angeles Rams in 2023 and played 76 defensive snaps.
When it’s all said and done, his 2022 stretch with the Vikings might be his magnum opus.
5. Chandon Sullivan (CB)
Sullivan joined the aforementioned Peterson in Pittsburgh last year, playing in all 17 games and tabulating over 400 defensive snaps. His Pro Football Focus grade of 61.2 was passable, so it’s a little odd that he hasn’t latched on somewhere as a depth cornerback. Stay tuned.
Sullivan will turn 28 in August.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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