Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) warms up before the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings have eight games remaining in the regular season, showcasing a 7-2 record entering Week 11.
The offseason will be here before too long, and the club will have several players vamoose, per usual.
To get you thinking about 2025, these notable Vikings players are scheduled to depart or at least hit free agency in March 2025.
These players signed a one-year contract last offseason or are playing on a one-year deal from another team.
Most fans are excited about the team’s forecast of $70+ million in 2025 cap space, but that will evaporate quickly if general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wants these men back next year.
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. Yet, with Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy in the house, 2024 could be Mullens’ last in purple. Otherwise, Mullens could, in theory, back up McCarthy indefinitely starting in 2025.
The Vikings suddenly have abundant outside linebacker depth, including Jones II, who was a notable contributor in the first 6-7 games.
And so far, without any hint of a contract extension, Jones II will play out his deal in these final eight games. Jones II will probably cash in a decent contract elsewhere in March.
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 in the 2023 offseason, making 2024 his final season in Minnesota. All signs, though, point to his return.
He’s played wonderfully this season, increasingly morphing into a fan favorite by the week.
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. This year, he ranks 36th.
He should command a decent contract extension before too long. If not, this year is scheduled to be his last. Bynum recently ranked 16th among all free agents to be in 2025, according to ESPN.
Smith is 35 years old, and based on his hard-hitting playing style, it’s a gridiron miracle that he’s still playing at a relatively high level.
Nonetheless, any new 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 in July 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.