8 Free Agents the Vikings Can Still Explore
The Minnesota Vikings embark on the regular season in 24 days, but after several horrid injuries, the club might not be finished signing new players.
8 Free Agents the Vikings Can Still Explore
The team has around $19 million in cap space, so all names on this list are within reach if general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah takes the plunge.
These are eight free agents the team should explore. Of course, Adofo-Mensah won’t add all eight, but these are the best options, ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = best option).
8. Ndamukong Suh (DT)
Minnesota reportedly pursued Suh two summers ago, but no deal materialized. He later joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022.
And last season, Suh didn’t play for anybody, nor did he expressly retire. The Vikings might encounter a hurdle when exploring his free agency because they’re not a true-blue contender, but Suh could be obtainable at the right price.
Suh, for one last hurrah, would help solve the longstanding DT questions, at least for a single season.
7. Brian Allen (C)
Vikings Head coach Kevin O’Connell has shown an affinity for signing former Rams to Minnesota’s roster, such as Brandon Powell and Johnny Mundt. In fact, coaches adding former players is prevalent in the NFL and sports on the whole. Allen and O’Connell won a Super Bowl together in Los Angeles 2.5 years ago — the event that prompted O’Connell’s promotion to head coach of the Vikings. The two know each other.
Allen would serve as an insurance policy for Garrett Bradbury, who has encountered injury woes in recent years.
6. Michael Thomas (WR)
Before an injury in 2023 — against the Vikings — Thomas tabulated about 44 receiving yards per game for the Saints. And that’s just about what Minnesota needs until T.J. Hockenson returns this season. Thomas has not lived up to this otherworldly shine since signing a mammoth contract four years ago, but for cheap, he could play WR3 for Minnesota.
All a WR3 must do in an offense is grab about 600-700 yards, and Thomas can do that if healthy. Thomas could even play WR4 if Jalen Nailor continues his summer hot streak into the regular season.
5. Ahkello Witherspoon (CB)
Last month, we asked VikingsTerritory writers to declare one free agent the purple team should explore, and Adam New wrote, “Minnesota needs to add to the CB ranks, and there are a few veteran options still on the free-agent market. My choice would be Ahkello Witherspoon, who started 17 games last season for the Los Angeles Rams and snagged three interceptions.”
Witherspoon fired up marvelous seasons in 2020 and 2021 with the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively.
4. Kareem Hunt (RB)
Hunt met with the Vikings last summer, though no contract came to fruition. He remains a free agent into mid-August, and if Minnesota isn’t satisfied with Myles Gaskin at RB3, Hunt could fill the job easily.
O’Connell endured several running back injuries last year, which may heighten the importance of RB3.
3. Hunter Renfrow (WR)
Renfrow tabulated 1,038 receiving yards in 2021 and then just under 600 combined from 2022 to 2023. His career has stalled, and at age 28, he needs a change of scenery for an attempt at reclamation.
Conveniently, Renfrow is a free agent, and many wonder why no team has taken the plunge for his services as a WR3 or WR4. Adofo-Mensah selected zero wide receivers during the draft, even though the event was filled with promising WR3 types.
In theory, Renfrow should have a few seasons left, so why not in purple as a WR3 or WR4 on a one-year deal? It’d be affordable.
2. Teair Tart (DT)
Dropped by the Miami Dolphins this week, Tart is a better pass rusher than run defender, which just so happens to be what the Vikings have lacked at defensive tackle in recent years.
He banked a 73.3 Pro Football Focus grade not long ago, the 2022 season.
1. Stephon Gilmore (CB)
The Vikings actually met with Gilmore on Monday, but he did not sign on the dotted line.
A five-time Pro Bowler, Gilmore awaits his 2024 marching orders. He played for the New England Patriots from 2017 to 2020, crossing paths with Brian Flores in 2017 and 2018. Gilmore started all 17 games for last year’s Dallas Cowboys, registering a wonderful 74.4 PFF grade for his troubles. If he signed with the Vikings — or almost any other team — it would represent five teams in five seasons for the 33-year-old.
He was also responsible for a commendable 82.7 passer-rating-against in 2023, which would’ve been wonderful by Vikings cornerbacks’ standards.
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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