The 4 Best-Kept Secrets of the Vikings Offseason

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings guard Ed Ingram (67) against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.

The Minnesota Vikings’ 2024 campaign ended 12 weeks ago at the feet of the Los Angeles Rams in the Wildcard Round of the postseason.

The 4 Best-Kept Secrets of the Vikings Offseason

Since then, the club has conducted an impressive free agency, re-upped with head coach Kevin O’Connell, and is preparing for the 2025 NFL Draft, which gets underway in 19 days.

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January 10th, 2024. Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah addressed the media from the TCO Performance Center concluding the 2023 NFL regular season. Minnesota finished 7-10 in 2023 and missed the postseason.

Along the way, Minnesota has fired off some under-the-radar transactions, too. These are the best-kept secrets of the Vikings’ offseason, ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most important under-the-radar move).

4. Ty Chandler Not Guaranteed a Roster Spot in 2025

In the middle of March, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah conducted a weekend trade for running back Jordan Mason, shipping a menial 6th-Round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for the veteran runner. Folks had no idea that Minnesota would use a trade to find a running back, instead believing the draft might be the wisest forum for RB depth.

Adofo-Mensah could still draft a running back in 2.5 weeks, and if so, halfback Ty Chandler might be the odd man out when roster trimdowns roll around in five months. Chandler has shown flashes of promise and speed, but because his pass protection is suspect, Minnesota has not trusted him with an RB1 workload.

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Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Ty Chandler (32) runs after a catch as New York Giants safety Tyler Nubin (31) and New York Giants cornerback Duke Shelley (33) defend during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images.

If the Vikings choose a running back anywhere in the draft later this month, Chandler’s days would be numbered.

3. Jalen Redmond Back in Crowded DT Room

Early in the offseason, after the unspeakable loss to the Rams in the playoffs, the Vikings re-signed Redmond, one of the first orders of 2025 business.

Adofo-Mensah found Redmond from the UFL, and at the time of his signing, most considered him a “practice squad body” at best. But nope — Redmond banked 6 tackles for loss in 2024, basically out of nowhere.

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Dec 29, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Jalen Redmond (61) is unable to stop Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) from scoring a touchdown during the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin via Imagn Images.

He was also accountable for a 77.2 Pro Football Focus grade, which ranked 13th of 219 qualifying defensive tackles. Redmond will have to prove his sustainability in 2025, and he plays in a suddenly crowded DT room, but the Vikings have sought credible interior defensive line depth for over a decade.

Redmond is that.

2. New CB Isaiah Rodgers Could Start as a Standalone Solution

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores had a “tone his voice” while speaking about his defense welcoming Rodgers, according to O’Connell. If that’s the case, Rodgers could be in line to play CB2 for the 2025 team — not merely auditioning for regular season snaps against counterparts Mekhi Blackmon and Jeff Okudah.

Initially, when Adofo-Mensah signed Rodgers, some fans surmised, “Oh, that’s some good depth. I like it.”

There’s a world, albeit not formally announced, where Rodgers is already a starting cornerback. That theory will be amplified if Minnesota leaves the draft without a Round 1 or 2 corner and doesn’t fulfill the Asante Samuel Jr. rumors.

1. Ed Ingram Trade Paid for RB Jordan Mason

Right in the middle of March, Adofo-Mensah fired off the aforementioned trade with the 49ers, his former employer, for running back Jordan Mason.

He’s the guy who saved your fantasy football season when Christian McCaffrey’s injury(ies) lingered.

Mason played Minnesota last year, evidently impressing Vikings coaches to the utmost.

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Aug 14, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Minnesota guard Ed Ingram (67) defends against Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Vernon Butler (94) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.

Well, Minnesota paid a 6th-Rounder for Mason, and it received that pick by trading Ed Ingram to the Houston Texans a few days before the Mason trade.

The faux secret? Minnesota essentially swapped Ingram, an underachieving guard, for Mason, an overachieving running back. Finesse.