4 Vikings Looking for Bounce Back Campaigns in 2025
The Minnesota Vikings are coming off a 14-3 campaign in 2024, which ended up being one of the biggest pleasant surprises in the NFL.
While the season came to a disappointing end against the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round, it overall was a very successful season for the Vikings. Still, as we look to the 2025 Vikings, there are a number of players looking to put together bounce back seasons. Here is a look at four of those players.
CB Mekhi Blackmon
Many Vikings fans were hoping Mekhi Blackmon could blossom into the young stud at the cornerback position in 2024 while playing in a stable filled with veterans.
Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed before they could even get solid footing because Blackmon tore his ACL during the first practice of training camp, ending his season.
The injury came after a promising rookie season in which he played 15 games and made three starts. He recorded eight passes defended and an interception during that time. His PFF coverage grade of 71.8 in 2023 ranked third among rookie cornerbacks.
Heading into 2025, Blackmon is in a group of three or four players fighting to earn the CB2 role behind Byron Murphy. Blackmon’s physical play and solid tackling ability make him an intriguing player for that role.
DT Jonathan Allen
Jonathan Allen’s 2024 season was a second consecutive relatively disappointing campaign for the defensive tackle. He missed nine games in the middle of the year after suffering a torn pectoral muscle in Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Allen was able to return to the field in Week 17, and he played a role in helping the Washington Commanders make the NFC Championship Game in January.
Despite the success when he returned, Allen’s 2024 campaign was a statistical down year. He recorded just three sacks and three tackles for loss, his lowest totals in each category since 2020. It came after a 2023 season in which he recorded 5.5 sacks, which was a significant drop from his 9 sacks in 2021 and 7.5 in 2022.
Now that he is in a Vikings defense that is loaded with pass rushing defenders and that is being led by the blitz mastermind who is Brian Flores, perhaps Allen can see a bounce back in 2025.
WR Rondale Moore
Rondale Moore is a speedy receiver, but he hasn’t quite been able to capitalize on his breakaway acceleration in the NFL. Of course, Moore totaled 40+ receptions in each of his first three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, but he has only averaged 10 yards per reception once (2022).
In his other two seasons, Moore averaged 8.1 yards per reception (2021) and 8.8 yards per reception (2023). Then, during training camp of the 2021 second-round pick’s contract year, he suffered a season-ending knee injury.
As a result, Moore signed with the Vikings on a one-year contract worth just $1.4 million as the last memories people had of the receiver was a player who came off career-lows in receptions (40) and receiving yards (352) in 2023.
Moore no longer has the pressure to eventually become a WR1 or WR2 with the Vikings, though. That attention from the defense will go towards Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. It could allow the speedy Moore to slip through the cracks and put together a strong campaign.
QB J.J. McCarthy
J.J. McCarthy’s rookie season was cut short during Week 1 of preseason, which opened the door for Sam Darnold to put together a Pro Bowl season in Minnesota. It also means we don’t really have a point of reference for what McCarthy can be at the NFL level.
Still, with a much improved offensive line, an aforementioned talented receiving group, and a full season of a healthy T.J. Hockenson, McCarthy could be in position to put together even better numbers than Darnold’s 2024 campaign.
There certainly will be an emphasis on the running game now that Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason are spearheading the carries out of the backfield, and McCarthy has always been at his best when playing in a balanced offense.
That being said, he has the capabilities of carrying an offense to wins when needed, and while the Vikings are hoping they don’t have to see too much of that in 2025, it will be great to see what Minnesota’s new QB1 is truly capable of.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference.
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