The Vikings’ 3 Signings before Free Agency
The Minnesota Vikings’ roster-building for 2024 gets underway in about 26 hours. NFL free agency kicks off tomorrow, and the 2024 NFL Draft is 46 days away. Movement will be fast and furious, rest assured.
Vikings Free Agency: The 3 Men Already Re-Signed
The franchise has about $37 million in cap space, its most in years.
Minnesota will add a handful of new players, probably with a defense-first focus. But for those keeping score at home, these are the three players already re-signed.
1. Johnny Mundt (TE)
And just like that, Minnesota appears to have its tight end situation figured out, needing to mitigate the injury to T.J. Hockenson. The Pro Bowler was injured in December by a dirty hit from Detroit Lions safety Kirby Joseph and might miss the start of the regular season.
Mundt turned heads in the last two seasons with the Vikings, tallying 36 catches for 312 and 2 paydirts. Of course, those numbers aren’t legendary, but Mundt wasn’t targeted much, with Hockenson owning the lion’s share of TE attention.
On deck for TE2 behind Josh Oliver for at least the first few games of the Vikings’ 2024 season, Mundt is back in the saddle for one year and $2.5 million.
2. Nick Muse (TE)
Nick Muse re-signed with the Vikings on Tuesday, another depth transaction to help hedge the bet against Hockenson’s injury. Hockenson may or may not be ready for Week 1 in September, and most Vikings fans believe he’ll rejoin the club sometime in October or so.
Muse saw action in two regular season games after Hockenson’s injury, tallying a single catch, which ultimately netted a touchdown. Because of his preseason output, Vikings fans have labeled Muse an up-and-comer to watch, and the Tuesday transaction only reinforces that opinion.
3. Theo Jackson (S)
On February 21st, Minnesota re-upped with Theo Jackson, a depth safety who turned heads in 2023. He’ll compete for a roster spot this summer but won’t be alone from the extensive list of 27 Vikings free agents to start the offseason.
As a sophomore in purple, he banked 21 total tackles, a QB hit, a pass defended, and a memorable interception at the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2. The Vikings’ 2023 safety room was incredibly deep per most teams’ standards, showcasing Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, Camryn Bynum, Jay Ward, and Lewis Cine, so Jackson standing out, in general, was quite noteworthy.
Jackson gets another purple audition, deservedly so.
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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