Dustin Baker’s 5 Bold Predictions for Vikings Free Agency
The Minnesota Vikings embark on free agency in eight days, on tap to spend more than $60 million.
Dustin Baker’s 5 Bold Predictions for Vikings Free Agency
It’s the most for the purple team in years.
To set the table for the Vikings’ free agency, here are five bold predictions, ranked in no particular order.
Reminder: “Bold predictions” are designed to be “out there” and dream big.
1. Vikings Sign Paulson Adebo (CB)
Adebo won’t be quite as expensive as D.J. Reed, the top cornerback on the market, because he broke his leg last year. But when he’s healthy, Adebo is aggressive and productive.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who constantly scours the market for a phenomenal deal, will sign Adebo, not Reed, for about $7 million less than Reed’s annual salary.
2. Camryn Bynum Walks
Bynum will ask for $15 million or more for his next contract, but the Vikings won’t oblige, instead spending the funds on Jevon Holland from the Miami Dolphins or Talanoa Hufanga from the San Francisco 49ers.
On the open market, Bynum will sign a sizable deal with the New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, or New England Patriots.
3. Vikings Sign Jerome Baker (LB)
Every offseason, Adofo-Mensah adds at least one veteran off-ball linebacker. See: Jordan Hicks, Troy Reeder, Kamu Grugier-Hill, and Blake Cashman.
Because of Jerome Baker’s previous ties to Brian Flores, he will fill that role for Minnesota in 2025.
4. Fans Groan at the iOL Solutions
The Kansas City Chiefs franchise-tagged Trey Smith this week, swiping him off the free-agent market.
That, by itself, wasn’t a humongous problem because Adofo-Mensah doesn’t usually break the bank on the most expensive player at his position during free agency. The real problem is the effect on Will Fries, the “other” coveted guard on the market.
His value will now rise with Smith unavailable.
Accordingly, the Vikings will miss out on big-name guards, settle for mid-tier solutions, and leave fans hoping the draft is the fix-all.
Free agency’s top center, Drew Dalman, too, will be in high demand, and he might even return to the Falcons.
In short, the iOL market will dry up too quickly for fans’ liking.
5. Maneuver a Way to Get Cooper Kupp
Kupper will be released or traded, and because he played for Kevin O’Connell in 2021, winning a Super Bowl and the Offensive Player of the Year award, he has a connection to the purple team.
The Vikings will find a way to obtain Kupp for relatively cheap, nominating him as the 2025 WR3. And that will work out beautifully because Jordan Addison may be suspended to start the season.
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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