The 12 Best Players for Vikings to Target in Free Agency
NFL free agency is eight days away, and the Minnesota Vikings have nearly $63 million to spend, oodles compared to previous years.
The 12 Best Players for Vikings to Target in Free Agency
Minnesota must also re-sign some assortment of its 25 internal free agents, so the budget may shrink quickly unless general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah restructures existing players’ contracts.
Per the open market and increasing fan-driven sentiment, these are 12 high-profile free agents to-be that Minnesota can hunt, assuming the players’ current teams don’t re-sign them. They’re ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = best and most realistic free agent to pursue).
Note: The Vikings won’t sign all of these players.
12. Tre’Von Moehrig (S)
Moehrig is a solid defender whose rookie contract is up with the Raiders. If Harrison Smith retires while Camryn Bynum signs elsewhere in free agency, he could be a starting safety option for the 2025 Vikings. He’ll be more affordable than Bynum.
The 25-year-old is a good pass-rushing safety who stops the run well, versatility that could be put to work in Brian Flores’ system.
11. Amari Cooper (WR)
Cooper doesn’t have too much NFL time left at the age of 30, but he’s a five-time Pro Bowler who could hold WR3 duties in Minnesota better than any man since Jake Reed.
This one boils down to whether Minnesota views Jalen Nailor as a sure-fire WR3. He wasn’t consistent last season.
10. Paulson Adebo (CB)
Adebo will recover from a broken leg this offseason, driving down his free-agent price for 32 teams.
When he’s healthy, Adebo is aggressive and productive and could fit nicely in Flores’ defense. He’s the classic Kwesi Adofo-Mensah style free agency — pay less for a productive player with recent injury history.
9. Cooper Kupp (WR)
If Applicable
Minnesota could upgrade the WR3 spot this offseason, and whether Kupp hits free agency or experiences a trade, he has likely played his last down as a Ram.
This one makes all the sense in the world because Kupp and Kevin O’Connell won a Super Bowl together in 2021. Kupp earned Offensive Player of the Year that season.
8. Teven Jenkins (OG)
Jenkins, like Adebo above, is another “injury history” guy.
His price will be more affordable than Trey Smith — you’ll see him later on the list — because he doesn’t play full seasons. Jenkins has played 45 games in four years.
But his 2024 75.4 PFF grade was pretty delectable.
7. Talanoa Hufanga (S)
Hufanga conducted a down year by his standards, producing a 57.8 Pro Football Focus grade. He usually checks in at 70.0 or higher. Keep an eye on his price tag because it could diminish accordingly.
The man reached a Pro Bowl and earned All-Pro status not long ago (2022), and he’s a San Francisco 49er, the team that gave Adofo-Mensah his first NFL employment.
Again, watch the statuses of the aforementioned Smith and Bynum regarding this spot.
6. Charvarius Ward (CB)
Ward experienced a quiet season in 2024 by his usually lofty standards, which may have driven his price tag down.
Still, not too many proven veteran cornerbacks will hit the open market, and if Minnesota wants a battle-tested option, it’s Ward (if not the last guy on this list). Before 2024, Ward routinely produced 80.0+ PFF seasons and acted as one of the NFL’s top defensive backs. The man was 2nd-Team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler in 2023.
5. Will Fries (OG)
Fries produced a total breakout season in 2024, logging an 86.9 PFF grade.
The only catch? It was the first time in four seasons that Fries played better than mediocre.
Minnesota’s offensive line was exposed late in the season, and if the group subtracts Dalton Risner and Ed Ingram, Fries is a sensible replacement candidate.
4. Jevon Holland (S)
Jevon Holland is a Top 5 safety in the NFL, and he’ll somehow hit free agency in one week.
Minnesota doesn’t outwardly need any safeties — it has Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, and Josh Metellus. But Smith could realistically retire, and Bynum is a free agent who is not guaranteed to return.
Thereafter, in that scenario, the Vikings would need a new starting safety, and defensive coordinator Brian Flores has ties to Holland from the 2021 Dolphins draft and season.
Holland has mentioned his positive relationship with Flores. He tweeted two years ago when Flores landed Minnesota’s defensive coordinator job: “Flo was apart of the reason I got drafted making my lifelong dream come true. I got nothing but love for him!”
That’s a sweet starting point for Vikings free agency if Adofo-Mensah is interested in Holland.
3. D.J. Reed (CB)
Reed told Go Long‘s Tyler Dunne this in December, “I’m ready to go to free agency, bro. I’m ready to see what’s next for me.”
That sounds like a man ready to leave New York, and Minnesota needs a CB.
Reed routinely produces seasons with PFF scores north of 70.0 and 75.0. Minnesota can afford him, and he should be the primary free-agent target. Above all else, Minnesota must address cornerback for the long term this offseason. It’s mandatory.
2. Drew Dalman (C)
Garrett Bradbury could become a salary cap casualty if the Vikings are serious about upgrading the offensive line’s interior.
Dalman is the best center available in free agency, accounting for a 78.8 PFF grade this season. And he’s not like Bradbury, who specializes in run blocking while struggling with pass protection. Dalman does both.
The only drawback? Several teams will pursue Dalman.
Dalman earns near top placement on this list because it would be pretty fantastic to start the J.J. McCarthy era at quarterback with one of the league’s best centers. Allowing Bradbury or a rookie to handle the assignment doesn’t feel smart.
The Vikings should be done with the era of facing an imposing defensive tackle (Dexter Lawrence or Kenny Clark, for example) and just knowing that Bradbury would be pummeled. Dalman is the answer.
1. Milton Williams (DT)
Williams stole headlines in the Super Bowl 15 days ago, accounting for 2 sacks and 2 tackles for loss.
His Eagles absolutely abused the otherwise-dynastic Chiefs, with Williams increasing his earning power along the way. Minnesota must strengthen the interior of its defensive line instead of signing players like Shamar Stephen, Armon Watts, and Jonathan Bullard over and over.
Williams became an elite pass-rushing DT in 2024, banking a remarkable 90.4 PFF mark via pass rush. That ranked second in the NFL behind Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones in 2024.
He won’t be cheap, but the Vikings actually have a cap space surplus this go-round.
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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