All Told, the Vikings Have 38 New Players.
In January, after the Minnesota Vikings finished 7-10 following Kirk Cousins’ Achilles’ injury, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah told reporters his “competitive rebuild” was near completion.
All Told, the Vikings Have 38 New Players.
He said, “There are some things we need to be better at, no question. I think you want to get to a point, from a depth, from a top-end standpoint, where you can overcome the adversity. Right now in the competitive rebuild, we want to get to a place where there’s no rebuild. It’s just competitive in a window. And I think we’re close to that, it’s gonna take a big offseason, it’s why we’re gonna be here a lot. I think it’s important, it’s key, and I’m excited for the challenge.”
“A big offseason” is what the Vikings effectuated, saying goodbye to 16 players who have signed with new teams. Fourteen veterans were onboarded. Seven more were welcomed during last week’s draft. And after the event, Adofo-Mensah signed 17 dudes from undrafted free agency.
That’s 54 new things for the Vikings.
So, take a gander at the new 38 players. These first 14 joined via free agency, a substantial haul compared to the 2023 offseason:
- Blake Cashman (ILB)
- Sam Darnold (QB)
- Dan Feeney (OL)
- A.J. Green (CB)
- Shaq Griffin (CB)
- Jonathan Greenard (EDGE)
- Kamu Grugier-Hill (ILB)
- Aaron Jones (RB)
- Parker Romo (K)
- Trent Sherfield (WR)
- Jerry Tillery (DT)
- Andrew Van Ginkel (EDGE)
- Jihad Ward (EDGE)
- Jonah Williams (DT)
Defense headlined the group, especially Greenard and Van Ginkel on the first day of free agency. Those two immediately replaced Danielle Hunter, who vamoosed for his hometown Houston Texans. On offense, Minnesota opted to fix the rushing attack with a sure-thing solution in Jones while onboarding Darnold as the patchover quarterback to a rookie who would be named six weeks later.
Speaking of rookies, this is the next batch of newcomers, men from the draft:
- R1: J.J. McCarthy (QB, Michigan)
- R1: Dallas Turner (EDGE, Alabama)
- R4: Khyree Jackson (CB, Oregon)
- R6: Walter Rouse (OT, Oklahoma)
- R6: Will Reichard (K, Alabama)
- R7: Michael Jurgens (C, Wake Forest)
- R7: Levi Drake Rodriguez (DT, Texas A&M University-Commerce)
Minnesota indeed used Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft to select McCarthy and Turner. Virtually no Vikings fan believed both men were attainable, as general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was expected to trade his 1st-Round assets for a quarterback of the future. But on draft night, McCarthy slid to pick No. 10, where the young executive pulled the trigger on a trade with the New York Jets — while keeping his 23rd overall pick in-house. He then picked Turner after an expensive trade to the 17th spot with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
On undrafted commodities, it’s the largest group of newcomers:
- Matt Cindric (OL)
- K.J. Cloyd (LB)
- Jeremy Flax (OL)
- Dallas Gant (LB)
- Devron Harper (WR)
- Ty James (WR)
- Jeshaun Jones (WR)
- Trey Knox (TE)
- Tyler Manoa (DL)
- Donovan Manuel (LB)
- Dwight McGlothern (CB)
- Gabriel Murphy (OLB)
- Doug Nester (OL)
- Owen Porter (OLB)
- Bo Richter (LB)
- Spencer Rolland (OL)
- Taki Taimani (DL)
Murphy and McGlothern were considered by many draft heads as the top UDFAs of 2024.
Of course, many on the final list won’t make the team. But on the whole, Adofo-Mensah has delivered on his promise to promote change — to the tune of 38 new players.
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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