The Vikings’ 4 Biggest Changes This Offseason
With NFL free agency winding down, most Minnesota Vikings enthusiasts have turned their concentration to the 2025 NFL Draft, which is less than four weeks away.
The Vikings’ 4 Biggest Changes This Offseason
The team has not disappointed in free agency, adding about a dozen new players and some not even on fans’ radar leading into March.
And as the depth chart takes shape, these are the Vikings’ four biggest changes this offseason, ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most important change).
4. Increased RB Depth — Jordan Mason
The Vikings traded for Jordan Mason two weeks ago, a move to stabilize the 2025 running back room.
The move added intense, unforeseen running back depth to the purple roster after the club re-signed Jones to a two-year extension in early March. As of March 30th, these halfbacks are under contract for 2025:
- Aaron Jones
- Jordan Mason
- Ty Chandler
- Zavier Scott
It also signaled a guaranteed RB3 post for Chandler, who might’ve personally sized up the RB2 job without a Mason trade.
The Mason trade, for better or worse, made Chandler a summer cut candidate. He could be released during roster trimdowns in August.
3. Fortifying the Defensive Line’s Interior
It took about 12 years for the Vikings to realize they could onboard a defensive tackle with a similar skill set to Kevin Williams, who departed the organization in 2013.
And this go-round, they added two, signing Jonathan Allen in free agency, followed by fellow veteran defensive tackle Javon Hargrave. Minnesota evidently watched the Super Bowl seven weeks ago when the Philadelphia Eagles abused the Kansas City Chiefs from the defensive line’s interior and said, “We should do that, too.”
So, they signed Allen and Hargrave — and might even draft a DT like Walter Nolen, Kenneth Grant, Derrick Harmon, or Tyleik Williams in 25 days.
2. Building the Offensive Trenches
Vikings fans would’ve been utterly elated if they knew either Will Fries or Ryan Kelly was on the way.
Instead, Adofo-Mensah added two new trenchmen, a signal he watched as his team’s offensive lines suffered abuse against the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs. He decided the era of stinky offensive lines had to be over, adding Fries and Kelly as his solutions.
On paper, Minnesota will showcase its best offensive line since the late 2000s.
1. Nominating J.J. McCarthy as the De Facto QB1
NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero posted to X on March 19th: “The Vikings have rejected multiple trade calls on J.J. McCarthy, telling other teams they’re moving forward with him as their quarterback, sources say. The team plans to add a veteran. But they’re not pursuing Aaron Rodgers at this time. McCarthy now enters the offseason as QB1.”
This was the update folks had waited for, the tweet that seemed to hand J.J. McCarthy the QB1 job in 2025.
It might’ve been tempting to re-up with Sam Darnold and play it safe with the best of both worlds, but the Vikings will sink or swim with McCarthy.
A new era in the Twin Cities, McCarthy should be able to thrive with a roster made in heaven. He’ll be on the books with an affordable contract for the next four seasons. The time to win is now.
The Newest Viking … with the Most Upside
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 MIN 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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