Departures That Could Haunt the 2025 Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings said sayonara to about 15 players from the 2024 roster this offseason, trimming the ledger for 2025 Super Bowl contendership and onboarding other impactful free agents and rookies.
The Vikings lost a handful of players and coaches this offseason — and some of those departures will leave a mark. These are the exits that could haunt the team this season.
The club has +2200 Super Bowl odds this year, which ranks around 10th-best in the NFL, believe it or not. Maybe this will be “the” year.
But let’s take a glance back and identify some players that the Vikings could miss this season. Ranked in ascending order — No. 1 = most crucial loss — Kevin O’Connell’s team might like to have these men on the 2025 roster when it’s all said and done.
The Vikings Will Miss a Few Players in 2025
Camryn Bynum, Sam Darnold, Grant Udinski, and Shaquill Griffin chose new paths in 2025, and fans could look back and wonder, “What might have been?”
4. Shaquill Griffin
Foremost, there is good news here. If the Vikings are in the mood, they can sign Griffin tonight. He remains a free agent.
Griffin makes the cut at No. 4 because he is the quintessential — the very definition — of a spot starter. For instance, if Byron Murphy Jr. or Isaiah Rodgers ruptured something in the preseason, Vikings fans could turn to their pals and say, “Well, at least we have Shaq Griffin.”
They can’t say that right now, and the next best option for the analogy might be Jeff Okudah, whom the Vikings added in March.
Opposing quarterbacks targeted Griffin 57 times in 2024, and he allowed a 75.8 passer rating against. That’s pretty damn efficient.
The latest and greatest theory, courtesy of Trojan Wire, claims Griffin could sign with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Matt Zemek wrote last weekend, “The Las Vegas Raiders don’t have a finished roster, and they want to create position battles heading into preseason camp. Pete Carroll and the Vegas braintrust have more acquisitions to consider. They recently brought in Shaquill Griffin for a workout, but did not sign the NFL cornerback to a deal.”
“Shaquill Griffin’s familiarity with Pete Carroll’s scheme and process obviously works in his favor. However, a few years can make a huge difference in terms of speed, adaptability, and other measurable elements of NFL players. Griffin would have to measure up. Let’s see if the Raiders do take a chance on him.”
3. Sam Darnold
We get it. You don’t like seeing Darnold in this piece. We don’t care that he left, either, especially after his dreadful showing against the Detroit Lions in Week 18 and the Los Angeles Rams in the Wildcard Round.
Yet, let’s level set. Darnold delivered 36 touchdowns for the 2024 Vikings, on the back of 4,319 passing yards, fully reclaiming his career like Baker Mayfield with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023. All those forecasts and theories from last summer were correct. Darnold, indeed, had a “Baker Mayfield season.”
If J.J. McCarthy posts 4,319 passing yards and 36 touchdowns in 2025, onlookers will do cartwheels every weekend and probably on weekdays, too. The fact remains that he likely won’t. Rookies or basically-rookies, like McCarthy, don’t do that.
There’s always a chance that McCarthy is slow to develop, and fans, in hindsight, wish Darnold would’ve stuck around for one more year. Darnold had to be listed here for full disclosure.
2. Camryn Bynum
Bynum was the charismatic soul of the Vikings’ defense in 2023 and 2024. Now, he plays for the Indianapolis Colts.
Folks are eager to get a look at Theo Jackson as Bynum’s primary replacement, and rightfully so. Jackson has habitually made the most of his opportunity each time the Vikings have tossed him on the field.
Have you considered, however, that Jackson could have a little Blake Brandel in him? That is — a deep sleeper on the depth chart promoted by the same coaching staff who just isn’t a starting-caliber commodity.
We don’t think that will happen with Jackson, but if so, Bynum will appear pretty enticing in Indianapolis.
1. Grant Udinski
Some have claimed that Udinkisi was McCarthy’s right-hand man during McCarthy’s meniscus recovery last year. Josh McCown tended to Darnold, and Udinski worked with McCarthy — or so the theory goes.
If so, McCarthy lost his mentor after just a few months in the league, as Udinski swiped a sweet promotion with the Jacksonville Jaguars to run their offense.
Without Udinksi, McCarthy will have to lean on Kevin O’Connell, which isn’t the worst thing in the world — trusting your maturation with the “quarterback whisperer.”
More Good News for the Vikings Rolls In
You must be logged in to post a comment.