4 Stealthy Roster Decisions for Vikings Free Agency
A few dominoes have tumbled inside the Minnesota Vikings’ offseason so far (Kevin O’Connell’s extension, Brian Flores’ return as defensive coordinator, no franchise tag for Sam Darnold), but some are currently unresolved.
4 Stealthy Roster Decisions for Vikings Free Agency
These are the top matters in the Vikings’ orbit at the moment:
- Will Sam Darnold stay or leave?
- Harrison Smith — will he retire or be back for Year No. 14?
- Will the Vikings re-sign Camryn Bynum and Byron Murphy Jr.?
- How will the team fix the interior offensive line?
- Who will play QB2 if Sam Darnold leaves?
- Which cornerbacks will start in 2025?
And while those items will be tremendously important, some stealthy free-agency items loom.
Listed in no particular order, these are those.
1. Will Minnesota Actually Upgrade at WR3?
The Vikings love Jalen Nailor, and that’s fine and dandy. But all of a sudden, the open market will have some significant WR beef to choose from if general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wishes to upgrade Nailor’s position.
Some examples:
- Davante Adams
- Keenan Allen
- Hollywood Brown
- Amari Cooper
- Stefon Diggs
- Chris Godwin
- Christian Kirk
- Cooper Kupp
- Tyler Lockett
So, curious minds want to know — will Minnesota brush off high-profile WR3 candidates in favor of Nailor?
2. Will the Vikings Add an Impact Off-Ball Linebacker?
For the most part, Minnesota has the off-ball linebacker positions accounted for, showcasing Ivan Pace Jr. and Blake Cashman. Nevertheless, the 2024 campaign proved how valuable a reservist linebacker like Kamu Grugier-Hill can be when injuries emerge.
Most fans don’t have linebacker anywhere on their personal team-need lists, but the Vikings could get sneaky and sign a player like Jerome Baker from Brian Flores’ days with the Miami Dolphins. Baker is scheduled to be a free agent in four days.
Don’t rule out a linebacker as a semi-splashy signing when the calendar turns to March 10th.
3. The RB Plan
All signs point to Aaron Jones returning in 2025.
ESPN’s Field Yates tweeted a couple of weeks ago, “The Vikings and RB Aaron Jones agreed to move the void date on his contract from this Monday until the final day before free agency. If Jones had not been extended by Monday, the team would have taken on $3.2M in dead money in 2025. This expands the window for Jones and Minnesota to continue to negotiate a new deal that would avoid that amount hitting the cap in full for 2025.”
This proved that Minnesota at least has some interest in reuniting with Jones.
But can he really be the RB1 fix entering his age-31 season? Minnesota will probably draft a halfback from a very deep class, and then the question is — who will it be?
These are some options from the 2025 draft class:
- Omarion Hampton (North Carolina)
- TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State)
- Kaleb Johnson (Iowa)
- Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State)
- Cam Skattebo (Arizona State)
- Devin Neal (Kansas)
- Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State)
- Dylan Sampson (Tennessee)
4. Don’t Forget about Safety
Harrison Smith could retire, and Camryn Bynum may leave.
Minnesota could turn around in early March and realize it needs two starting safeties if it wishes to keep Josh Metellus in the Swiss Army knife role.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could use free agency for possible replacements, men like Jevon Holland or Talanoa Hufanga will be available. But remember, because Smith and Bynum feel like they’re still on the roster, safety doesn’t seem like an urgent need.
But it could get urgent really fast.
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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