Purple Rumor Mill: Sexy Free Agent Signing for Vikings, Jimmy Garoppolo, Najee Harris
VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s Vikings rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the February 1st edition.
Vikings Rumors: Sexy Free Agent Signing for Vikings, Jimmy Garoppolo, Najee Harris
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the purple team, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Here’s the first batch of the week. All past rumors can be read here.
Rumor: Jevon Holland is a fan of Brian Flores, increasing his chances of signing with the Vikings in March.
If Harrison Smith retires and Camryn Bynum leaves in free agency, Minnesota would be left with the prospect of starting Josh Metellus and Jay Ward. However, because Smith and Bynum could vanish, the Vikings are a common-sense option to add Jevon Holland via free agency.
- The Vikings might have a dire safety need.
- Flores drafted Holland in Miami four years ago.
Moreover, Holland has mentioned his positive relationship with Flores, bordering on adoration. He tweeted two years ago when Flores landed Minnesota’s defensive coordinator job: “Flo was apart of the reason I got drafted making my lifelong dream come true. I got nothing but love for him!”
That’s a fantastic starting point for Vikings free agency if general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is interested in Holland.
Holland is a versatile safety who can do it all, not outwardly displaying many weaknesses. And if Flores returns to Minnesota for Year No. 3 — he probably will — Holland’s versatility is just what the doctor ordered in Flores’ system.
Let it be known that this rumor makes a lot of sense.
Rumor: Jimmy Garoppolo is a QB2 option for Minnesota in 2025.
According to CBS Sports, J.J. McCarthy as the Vikings’ starter next fall isn’t a foregone conclusion, posting an article this week claiming that Minnesota could sign veteran Jimmy Garoppolo as a placeholder quarterback this offseason.
Cody Benjamin explained, “At 33, Garoppolo is older and less explosive than Sam Darnold, the Vikings’ 2024 starter. He’s also likely to come much cheaper, and he played on some big stages under general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah with the San Francisco 49ers. He could be another placeholder until young J.J. McCarthy is ready.”
While adding Garopplo is certainly an option — he just worked for the Los Angeles Rams, Kevin O’Connell’s former employer — letting Garoppolo take the reins of QB1 feels severely unlikely.
Why? Well, Minnesota already has Daniel Jones in its roster orbit, signing the cast-off quarterback in November when the New York Giants cut ties. If the Vikings wish to explore a “placeholder” or “bridge” quarterback, as they did last year with Darnold, Jones makes more sense than Garopplo, mainly because he’s already in the building.
Rumor: Minnesota is a good free-agent fit for RB Najee Harris.
Bleacher Report furnished the Harris-to-Minnesota theory this week in an article outlining the best landing spots for the league’s free-agent running backs. BR’s Kristopher Knox explained, “A return to Pittsburgh could make sense, given the system familiarity. However, that doesn’t appear to be high on his priority list.”
Knox added: “Harris would be a sensible target for the Vikings if they don’t retain Aaron Jones. Minnesota is expected to turn the offense over to J.J. McCarthy in 2025, and the young signal-caller would benefit from having a high-volume back in the fold.”
This one could hold some weight, especially if the purple team opts not to re-sign Jones.
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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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