9 Free Agents for Vikings to Target after the Draft
The Minnesota Vikings can still sign free agents at any time, but to avoid messing up the 2026 compensatory draft pick formula, after the draft is a more sensible timeline for any veteran newcomers.
9 Free Agents for Vikings to Target after the Draft
The NFL draft is just 22 days away, so Minnesota can add free agents soon after if it sees fit.
And if the franchise wishes to add more veterans, in addition to a litany of rookies on the way, these nine players make the most sense. They’re listed alphabetically.
Note: Minnesota obviously won’t sign all nine of the players listed below, but consider the batch a platter of options.
1. Joe Flacco (QB)
J.J. McCarthy arguably needs a mentoring force for good behind him in the locker room, and Flacco, at 40, has the age part down.
Otherwise, Brett Rypien is on tap for QB2 duty, and most don’t believe that’s a standalone QB2 solution. Flacco could fill in if McCarthy hit the shelf for a few games, almost dragging the Cleveland Browns deep into the postseason in 2023.
2. Will Hernandez (G)
Kevin O’Connell said Tuesday that if the regular season started this week, Blake Brandel would “probably” start at left guard. Him — or a 7th-Rounder from last year, Michael Jurgens.
That doesn’t inspire an overwhelming amount of confidence in Brandel’s job security.
Hernandez remains a free agent and produced a 69.3 Pro Football Focus grade in 2023 before succumbing to injury, which is better than Brandel’s 55.3.
3. Mike Hilton (CB)
Hilton is basically the best blitzing cornerback in football, and Minnesota employs the defensive coordinator who blitzes the most.
The Vikings + Mike Hilton = a fit.
However, like Stephon Gilmore last season, Hilton isn’t a long-term solution, and if the Vikings draft a corner like Jahdae Barron or Shavon Revel Jr., for example, well, they won’t need Hilton or any veteran insurance cornerbacks.
But no one has signed Hilton through four weeks of free agency.
4. Diontae Johnson (WR)
Minnesota added Rondale Moore late last month, and some onlookers went, “Boom. There’s the new WR3.”
That prognosis is thanks to Moore’s delicious speed and upside that he’s never achieved. And he may not be available at the start of the season because of an injury recovery.
That leaves Johnson as an option after his career encountered turmoil last season. He was passed around all over the place.
In Minnesota, with the proper culture and locker room, Johnson would actually have WR3 upside, unlike Moore’s absolute best-case scenario.
5. Drew Lock (QB)
Minnesota’s head coach is known as a “quarterback whisperer,” and he could almost certainly whisper to Drew Lock.
Lock’s arm strength is dreamy, possessing one of the league’s top cannons. He didn’t play well in New York last year, but no one other than Dexter Lawrence and Malik Nabers really did.
Lock’s bubbly personality would jibe well with McCarthy’s.
6. Shaq Mason (G)
Shaq Mason won a couple of Super Bowls during his New England Patriots days and has started 147 games in the NFL. He’s dependable and rarely misses games due to injury.
He’s also not ancient at 31 years old — new center Ryan Kelly is older — and could take over Minnesota’s LG job if called upon.
If general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah doesn’t leave the draft with Grey Zabel (North Dakota State), Tyler Booker (Alabama), Donovan Jackson (Ohio State), or Tate Ratledge (Georgia), he should give Mason’s agent a jingle.
7. Asante Samuel Jr. (CB)
VikingsTerritory poked around the Asante Samuel Jr. rumors recently presented by SKOR North, and two of our sources say the buzz is legitimate.
It will remain odd that the Vikings, in theory, told Samuel Jr., “Please wait for us. We will sign you,” and he’d just agree to that, but stranger things have happened.
If Samuel Jr. is on the post-draft to-do list, when he can be signed without muddying up the compensatory draft pick formula, Minnesota probably won’t use its first pick on a cornerback. Jot that down.
8. Brandon Scherff (G)
Kevin O’Connell worked with Brandon Scherff in Washington before the coach became the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator.
And, evidently, Jonathan Allen, a new defensive tackle in Minnesota, was lured to Minnesota partly because Allen and O’Connell were coworkers for the Commanders in 2019.
In the spirit of that player-coach tie, Scherff to Minnesota at left guard might check some boxes — a short-term solution.
9. Carson Wentz (QB)
The Kansas City Chiefs signed Carson Wentz to support Patrick Mahomes in 2024. He served as the QB2 all season, and if Wentz passes the test for Andy Reid’s offense, that’s enough for O’Connell’s.
Like many men on this list, Wentz can’t be signed right now because it would cost the Vikings a 4th- or 5th-Round compensatory pick, but after the draft, all’s fair in love and war.
Wentz might even continue the trend of reborn quarterbacks with O’Connell’s tutelage.
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