The Vikings’ Best Bargains in 2025
The Minnesota Vikings spent a boatload of money in March, venturing onto a spending spree that most fans had never seen.
The Minnesota Vikings have a handful of player contracts that are favorable to team-building, and these are the top five.
So, the roster is in fabulous shape for 2025, while the 2026 cap space is ginormously in the hole.
And to get you thinking about the 2025 Vikings, these are the team’s best value contracts. Players on rookie deals were excluded because — of course those players provide the best value.
They’re listed ascendingly (No. 1 = best value contract among veteran players).
5. Ryan Kelly (C)
Average Annual Salary: $9 million
To be clear, $9 million is not inexpensive for a center, but if Kelly brings his four Pro Bowls to the Vikings and markedly improves the center position over Garrett Bradbury, he’ll feel like a steal of a deal.
Kelly and his Indianapolis Colts teammate Will Fries arrived in Minnesota as a package deal in March, totally revamping the interior of the Vikings’ offensive line. The veteran center ranks eighth among NFL centers per average annual value, and because it’s vital to get the J.J. McCarthy era off with a trustworthy center, Kelly makes the cut on this list at No. 5.
4. Blake Cashman (LB)
Average Annual Salary: $7.5 million
Cashman did everything for the 2024 Vikings, and in fact, when he was hurt for a few games, the Vikings began losing without him after an undefeated sprint to start the year.
Many became convinced that he was personally the secret sauce in Brian Flores’ defense. An Eden Prairie native, Cashman joined the purple team from 2024 free agency, and he feels like a player who will remain with the Vikings indefinitely, perhaps until his retirement.
He racked up 112 total tackles and 4.5 sacks last year.
3. Isaiah Rodgers (CB)
Average Annual Salary: $5.5 million
The Vikings have this man in mind for CB2 duty in 2025, and if he’s any good, his $5.5 million price tag will be a total bargain, perhaps not unlike Andrew Van Ginkel in 2024.
Besides Jeff Okudah, Minnesota has signed or drafted no other major cornerbacks this offseason, leaning toward a starting cornerback job for Rodgers. The speedster could also return kicks for the Vikings. He’s shaping up to be a steal of a deal, fresh off a Super Bowl championship with the Philadelphia Eagles in February.
The only reason Rodgers isn’t No. 1 on this list? He actually has to play well first.
2. Theo Jackson (S)
Average Annual Salary: $3 million
Camryn Bynum is out — he’s an Indianapolis Colt — and Theo Jackson is in, if one assumes the Vikings don’t sign a safety like Justin Simmons this summer.
Jackson’s teammates and coaches have showered praise on him this offseason, a hungry defensive back who’s always made splashy plays when given a chance on the field.
Minnesota trusts with a starter’s job, and any defensive starter playing for $3 million (not on a rookie contract) is a bargain.
1. Josh Metellus (S)
Average Annual Salary: $4 million
This one should be caveated because Metellus will likely snatch a contract extension in the next three months. Still, at $4 million annually, he’s the Vikings’ top value player, especially because he can play any defensive spot on the field in a pinch. He’s the Denny Hocking for the Vikings — for those fans who double as Twins fans from two decades ago.
If Metellus’ deal is not extended, his $4 million is by far the best value contract on the books.
SI.com‘s Will Ragatz wrote about Metellus this week: “The two-year, $8 million extension Metellus signed two years ago came when he had mostly been a core special teams player in his first three seasons. Once he emerged with an incredible 2023 campaign where he stuffed the stat sheet and showed off remarkable versatility, that deal became a huge bargain for Minnesota.”
“Metellus didn’t rack up stats in quite the same way last year, but he had another strong season as an every-down player who lines up all over the field for Flores. There’s little reason to suspect that something won’t get worked out between the Vikings and the 27-year-old Metellus, who was a sixth-round pick out of Michigan back in 2020.”
It’s worth noting that the Vikings will likely lock in a deal with Metellus before too long. This thing isn’t heading toward a cliffhanger.
Ragatz added, “They have a history of taking care of their key players and rewarding them with extensions — most recently Andrew Van Ginkel earlier this offseason.”
“It’s probably just a matter of time until the two sides find common ground on a new deal. Metellus was already one of the Vikings’ most important defenders, and his long-term value is boosted further by Camryn Bynum’s departure and the possibility of Harrison Smith retiring after this year.”
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