7 Notable Vikings Scheduled for Last Season in Minnesota
The Minnesota Vikings embark on their first preseason game in six days.
7 Notable Vikings Scheduled for Last Season in Minnesota
The team finished 7-10 in 2023 and will hope to improve on that mark with some combination of Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy at quarterback.
Meanwhile, oodles of Vikings players — more than 35 — will be free agents next March, and these are seven notable players scheduled to enter their final season with the club. Players who just signed (Sam Darnold and Aaron Jones, for example) were not included. The players are listed in ascending order (No. 1 = most important Viking entering a final contract year).
7. Nick Mullens (QB)
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah extended Mullens’ contract last offseason, and the deal turned heads because it was longer than the young executive’s go-to one-year deals. However, with Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy in the house, 2024 truly feels like Mullens’ last in purple — if he isn’t released or traded this summer.
6. Patrick Jones II (OLB)
The Vikings suddenly have abundant outside linebacker depth, particularly if undrafted free agent Gabriel Murphy performs well this summer. That puts men like Patrick Jones II, Andre Carter II, and Jihad Ward on the roster bubble.
Jones II could be on the chopping block in August, and 2024 is, incidentally, the final year of his rookie deal.
5. Kene Nwangwu (RB | KR)
Nwangwu may profit from the NFL’s reformed kickoff return rule. And he might need that to continue his Vikings employment. Minnesota rarely uses the speed merchant on offense, so if Nwangwu doesn’t make splash plays on special teams, he could be on the way out after 2024.
His speed is deadly, however. Fans would love it if his speed found a way to the offense.
4. Byron Murphy (CB)
This one may be merely in spirit. Murphy could be back in 2025. He told KSTP’s Darren Wolfson earlier this summer, “I gotta say, since I’ve been here since day one, I fell in love, so I don’t want to go nowhere. I want to stay here for the rest of my career. So I’m gonna try to work my ass off to stay here for sure.”
Otherwise, Murphy signed a two-year deal last offseason, making 2024 the final season in Minnesota. All signs, though, point to his return.
3. Camryn Bynum (S)
Bynum’s presence on this list could be moot by the start of the regular season. Minnesota could extend his contract before Week 1, as his rookie deal expires after the 2024 campaign.
After one year of deployment in Brian Flores’ defense, Bynum ranked as one of the NFL’s best safeties per Pro Football Focus, checking it at No. 22 among peers at his position. He should command a decent contract extension before too long, but if not, 2024 is scheduled as the last go-round in Minnesota for Bynum.
2. Harrison Phillips (DT)
Phillips came aboard at the dawn of the Kevin O’Connell era, and this season is the final of a three-year deal. A fantabulous teammate, person, and football player, Phillips has helped hold down the innards of Minnesota’s defensive line for two years running.
He turned 28 in January and will likely be re-upped this summer or next offseason. However, if none of that occurs, he’d hit the open market in seven months.
1. Harrison Smith (S)
Smith is 35 years old, and based on his hard-hitting playing style, it’s a gridiron marvel that he’s still playing at a relatively high level.
Nevertheless, any season could be his last. His actions have proved he wishes to remain a Viking for life. So, unlike others on this list, Smith’s “final season” chatter isn’t about impending free agency; it’s about retirement. The Pioneer Press claimed last weekend that this year is Smith’s last.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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