The Top 10 Players for Vikings to Pursue in Free Agency
NFL free agency is 12 days away, and the Minnesota Vikings have nearly $63 million to spend, oodles compared to previous years.
The Top 10 Players for Vikings to Pursue in Free Agency
Minnesota must also re-sign some assortment of its 25 internal free-agents, so the budget may shrink quickly unless general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah restructures existing players’ contracts.
Per the open market and increasing fan-driven sentiment, these are 10 high-profile free agents to-be that Minnesota can hunt, assuming the players’ current teams don’t re-sign them. They’re ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = best and most realistic free agent to pursue).
Note: The Vikings won’t sign all of these players.
10. Paulson Adebo (CB)
Adebo will recover from a broken leg this offseason, driving down his free-agent price for 32 teams.
When he’s healthy, Adebo is aggressive and productive and could fit nicely in Brian Flores’ defense. He’s the classic Kwesi Adofo-Mensah style free agency — pay less for a productive player with recent injury history.
9. Cooper Kupp (WR)
If Applicable
Minnesota could upgrade the WR3 spot this offseason, and whether Kupp hits free agency or experiences a trade, he has likely played his last down as a Ram.
This one makes all the sense in the world because Kupp and Kevin O’Connell won a Super Bowl together in 2021. Kupp earned Offensive Player of the Year that season.
8. Teven Jenkins (OG)
Jenkins, like Adebo above, is another “injury history” guy.
His price will be more affordable than Trey Smith — you’ll see him later on the list — because he doesn’t play full seasons. Jenkins has played 45 games in four years.
But his 2024 75.4 PFF grade was pretty sweet.
7. Talanoa Hufanga (S)
Hufanga conducted a down year by his standards, producing a 57.8 Pro Football Focus grade. He usually checks in at 70.0 or higher. Keep an eye on his price tag because it could diminish accordingly.
The man reached a Pro Bowl and earned All-Pro status not long ago (2022), and he’s a San Francisco 49er, the team that gave Adofo-Mensah his first NFL employment.
If Harrison Smith retires and Camryn Bynum leaves in free agency, Hufanga would look good in Brian Flores’ defense.
6. Will Fries (OG)
Fries produced a total breakout season in 2024, logging an 86.9 PFF grade.
The only catch? It was the first time in four seasons that Fries played better than mediocre.
Minnesota’s offensive line was exposed late in the season, and if the group subtracts Dalton Risner and Ed Ingram, Fries is a sensible replacement candidate.
5. Trey Smith (OG)
Smith is probably the most popular free agent among Vikings fans. Those fans watched as Minnesota allowed 9 sacks during its playoff loss in the Wildcard Round, the most in the history of the NFL playoffs. Smith is the best guard on the open market if the Chiefs don’t re-up for his services. He’s a two-time Super Bowl champion and reached his first Pro Bowl this season.
As a comparison, he’s as steady as Brian O’Neill per week-to-week performance.
Brace yourself, however — he’ll be spendy. His next deal will likely check in around $20 million per year. The only reason Smith doesn’t top this list is because a dozen other teams might pursue him.
It’s also worth noting that Smith and his OL teammates were totally walloped in Super Bowl LIX — less than ideal for his free agency.
4. Jevon Holland (S)
Jevon Holland is a Top 5 safety in the NFL, and he’ll somehow hit free agency in three weeks.
Minnesota doesn’t outwardly need any safeties — it has Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, and Josh Metellus. But Smith could realistically retire, and Bynum is a free agent who is not guaranteed to return.
Thereafter, in that scenario, the Vikings would need a new starting safety, and defensive coordinator Brian Flores has ties to Holland from the 2021 Dolphins draft and season.
Holland has mentioned his positive relationship with Flores. 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 sweet starting point for Vikings free agency if Adofo-Mensah is interested in Holland.
3. D.J. Reed (CB)
Reed told Go Long‘s Tyler Dunne this in December, “I’m ready to go to free agency, bro. I’m ready to see what’s next for me.”
That sounds like a man ready to leave New York, and Minnesota needs a CB.
Reed routinely produces seasons with PFF scores north of 70.0 and 75.0. Minnesota can afford him, and he should be the primary free-agent target. Above all else, Minnesota must address cornerback for the long term this offseason. It’s mandatory.
2. Drew Dalman (C)
Garrett Bradbury could become a salary cap casualty if the Vikings are serious about upgrading the offensive line’s interior.
Dalman is the best center available in free agency, accounting for a 78.8 PFF grade this season. And he’s not like Bradbury, who specializes in run blocking while struggling with pass protection. Dalman does both.
The only drawback? Several teams will pursue Dalman.
Dalman earns near top placement on this list because it would be pretty fantastic to start the J.J. McCarthy era at quarterback with one of the league’s best centers. Allowing Bradbury or a rookie to handle the assignment doesn’t feel smart.
The Vikings should be done with the era of facing an imposing defensive tackle (Dexter Lawrence or Kenny Clark, for example) and just knowing that Bradbury would be pummeled. Dalman is the answer.
1. Milton Williams (DT)
Williams stole headlines in the Super Bowl 15 days ago, accounting for 2 sacks and 2 tackles for loss.
His Eagles absolutely creamed the otherwise dynastic Chiefs, with Williams increasing his earning power along the way. Minnesota must strengthen the interior of its defensive line instead of signing players like Shamar Stephen, Armon Watts, and Jonathan Bullard over and over.
Williams became an elite pass-rushing DT in 2024, banking a remarkable 90.4 PFF mark via pass rush. That ranked second in the NFL behind Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones in 2024.
Minnesota can afford him.
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 Vikings 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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.