Top 5 Offseason Priorities for the Minnesota Vikings
With the Minnesota Vikings’ embarrassing loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, their season has now come to an end.
As a result, all eyes are now pointed toward what could be another very pivotal offseason for Minnesota. Sam Darnold, Aaron Jones, and a number of defenders are heading into free agency, and the Vikings have to decide which positions they would like to focus on with what appears to be $70.5 million in cap space.
Here is a look at what should be the top five offseason priorities for the Vikings this offseason.
5. Draft a Running Back
Once again, the Vikings’ rushing attack fizzled out by the end of the season, and whileSam Darnold was not great on Monday, it didn’t help that Minnesota was constantly trying to throw their way out of their problems rather than finding a way to consistently run the ball.
Aaron Jones is now 30 years old, and he seemed constantly banged up by the end of the year. Even when he was on the field, he was not the guy to give the ball on 3rd/4th and short to bully his way for a few yards. As a result, it may be time for the Vikings to utilize a quality draft pick on a running back.
Luckily, it appears that there is no shortage of options in this draft as the class is loaded with RBs who hold plenty of potential at the NFL level. Of course, Ashton Jeanty is the cream of the crop, but players like Dylan Sampson, Cam Skattebo, Kaleb Johnson, Omarion Hampton, and others should not be brushed aside as lesser options.
4. Find Defensive Tackle Help
Once again, Vikings fans will be pounding the table for defensive tackle help in 2025 after the position essentially went unaddressed in 2024 other than a few journeyman signings like Jerry Tillery and Jihad Ward.
Of course, the lack of depth at that position didn’t matter as much in Minnesota due to Brian Flores’ extremely aggressive blitzing scheme along with fantastic seasons from both Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard.
This year’s free agency class does not feature the same type of names as last year’s group did, so once again, the Vikings may need to turn to the draft to bring in any help. The pair of Michigan Wolverines, Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, are at the top of the class, but Alfred Collins out of Texas is a wrecking ball in the middle of the defensive line as well.
3. Bolster the Interior Offensive Line
Sticking with the trenches, the Vikings cannot run it back in 2025 with the trio of Blake Brandel, Garrett Bradbury, and Dalton Risner/Ed Ingram as their interior offensive linemen. This certainly has played a role in Minnesota’s inability to run the ball, and Kevin O’Connell was as blunt as he’s ever been about a position group since he took the head coaching job.
Brandel and Risner served as band-aids on guard positions that have been a weakness in Minnesota for years and years. Meanwhile, Bradbury is turning 30 in June, and it is safe to say that he is not going to magically get better anytime soon.
This year’s free agency class holds a number of talented players at both the center and guard positions including Trey Smith, Drew Dalman, Teven Jenkins, and Kevin Zietler.
2. Re-Sign Camryn Bynum/Byron Murphy
Camryn Bynum put together a fantastic season in 2023 during Brian Flores’ inaugural year coaching the Vikings’ defense, and while Byron Murphy took a little longer to pop, he certainly did exactly that in 2024.
Both Bynum and Murphy are up and coming players in the defensive secondary and could prove to be cornerstones of the Vikings’ defensive future. With many other players hitting free agency like Harrison Smith, Shaquill Griffin, and Stephon Gilmore, the Vikings need to keep the two players around.
1. Give Kevin O’Connell a Contract Extension
As much as the last two losses have hurt, one thing was made crystal clear in 2024: Kevin O’Connell is one of the best coaches in the entire NFL. Considering how many questions the Vikings faced coming into the season, it would have been perfectly reasonable for this team to finish 6-11, quietly head into the offseason, and go about their business.
Instead, O’Connell helped build a juggernaut of a team that believed they were capable of doing something special. Of course, it didn’t turn out the way that Minnesota wanted, but O’Connell should get a hefty contract extension to keep him with the Vikings for years to come, particularly as the team looks ahead to the J.J. McCarthy era.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference.
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