Free Agent Targets the Vikings Could Circle in 2026
Believe it or not, sizing up possible free-agent targets for the 2026 Minnesota Vikings is just around the corner. The team’s current season ends in about two weeks, and all eyes will turn to the offseason for upcoming repairs. So, we have free agents for you to think about in the meantime.
When Minnesota goes hunting in 2026, the secondary feels like the most obvious place to start — so these are the names worth tracking now.
The Vikings will mostly need help in the secondary as the foremost priority, and they also don’t have much cap space for the process.
Early 2026 Watchlist for Vikings Free Agency Upgrades
A way-too-early free agency target list for the purple team. Players are listed in alphabetical order.
1. Nick Cross | S | Indianapolis Colts
Key Stat/Fact to Know:
Cross has 147 tackles and 3 interceptions in 2024 before former Viking Camryn Bynum showed up on the scene.
Harrison Smith will probably retire at the start of the offseason, and the Vikings will need a safety from free agency or the draft. Cross might be the best free-agent option, a tackling machine who won’t turn 25 until next September.
The Colts scooped him from Round 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft, and it’s time for a new contract.
2. Kamren Curl | S | Los Angeles Rams
Key Stat/Fact to Know:
Curl has a 71.7 Pro Football Focus grade and doesn’t come off the field.
Curl signed a one-year deal with the Rams last offseason, dropped by the Washington Commanders after the 2024 campaign. He’s an anchor on the back end of Sean McVay’s defense, and if Los Angeles cannot afford him, Minnesota should explore his free agency.
Curl is 6’2,” 210 pounds and does a little bit of everything as a safety, versatility that will work wonderfully if Brian Flores stays with the Vikings.
A few weeks ago, Bleacher Report‘s Kristopher Knox recommended that Los Angeles re-sign Curl: “Of course, the Rams won’t lose [Matthew] Stafford to the open market if they don’t renegotiate. They do stand to lose starting safety Kamren Curl if he doesn’t get a new deal — and he should.”
“Curl has started 27 games for L.A. since he was acquired in 2024 and has provided stability on the back end of the defense. He’s already tallied 87 tackles and two interceptions this year while allowing an opposing passer rating of only 88.4 in coverage. Still only 26 years old, Curl should continue to be a pivotal piece of the Rams’ defense.”
3. Jahan Dotson | WR | Philadelphia Eagles
Key Stat/Fact to Know:
A 1st-Round pick by the Washington Commanders in 2022.
The Eagles don’t pass the ball much, and when they have this season, Jalen Hurts has struggled by his lofty standards.
Dotson probably needs a pass-happy offense, which the Vikings embrace. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should sniff around Dotson’s free-agent asking price if Jalen Nailor does not return to the 2026 roster.
4. Alonate Taylor | CB | New Orleans Saints
Key Stat/Fact to Know:
64.4 PFF Pass Coverage Grade in 2025; a 2nd-Round pick in 2022.
Taylor will not thrive as a team’s CB2 or CB3. Well he hasn’t yet, at least.
But Minnesota has no CB3 in the chamber for 2026. Jeff Okudah probably won’t be back, and the team demoted Dwight McGlothern to the practice squad in favor of Fabian Moreau.
Next to Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers, the Vikings desperately need a trustworthy CB3, and Taylor could be that in 2026 if the price is right.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted on Taylor last month, “He has good size (6-foot, 199 pounds) with the flexibility to play inside and out. The Saints and Taylor once discussed an extension, but a deal never happened, which made him a trade candidate at last week’s deadline.
“The Bears and Colts showed interest. As a reference point, the top 2025 free agent corners earned about $18 million per year on new deals.”
5. Jaylen Watson | CB | Kansas City Chiefs
Key Stat/Fact to Know:
A 70.0 passer-rating against in 2025.
Kansas City appears to be on the cusp of letting Watson test free agency; its cash flow is tied up in other assets.
Watson has started 14 games for the Chiefs this season, and that 70.0 passer-rating-against is rather intriguing. A cornerback room consisting of Watson, Murphy Jr., and Rodgers might do the trick for the 2026 Vikings if Adofo-Mensah does not want to spend a 1st- or 2nd-Round pick on a corner.
The only problem? Several teams will pursue Watson. There may be a bidding war.
6. Tariq Woolen | CB | Seattle Seahawks
Key Stat/Fact to Know:
Woolen is huge at 6’4 and 215 pounds.
It is unclear if Brian Flores will return to run the Vikings’ defense in 2026, but if he does, Woolen should be at the very top of the shopping list.
Flores is famous for adoring big, physical corners. Woolen is one. He also has 73.2 passer-rating-against in Seattle, recently exiting the doghouse and contributing to Mike Macdonald’s team that is heading toward the first overall seed in the NFC.
Like Watson, Woolen won’t be easy to reel in, but he’s the perfect Floresian cornerback.
Woolen will turn 27 in May.
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