The 8 Most Likely Free Agents to Sign with the Vikings
NFL free agency begins in two days, with “legal tampering” kicking off on March 10th. That’s the day when players legally-but-unofficially can start talking with teams about contracts.
The 8 Most Likely Free Agents to Sign with the Vikings
It’s a very weird title for a very real event. Minnesota has over 25 free agents scheduled to hit the open market, though when it’s all said and done, about 30%-40% will return in 2025.
And based on how general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensha usually conducts business, these are the eight likeliest newcomer free agents to sign with the Vikings. They’re listed alphabetically.
1. Paulson Adebo (CB)
Adebo will recover from a broken leg this offseason, driving down his free-agent price for 31 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 an effective player with recent injury history.
This CB room could turn some heads:
- Byron Murphy Jr.
- Paulson Adebo
- Mekhi Blackmon
- Shaquill Griffin
- Dwight McGlothern
2. Jonathan Allen (DT)
Per KSTP’s Darren Wolfson, Minnesota as an Allen landing spot checks out. “Here’s what I would tell you. My sense is that he would have all sorts of interest in being a Minnesota Viking. A lot of players would have interest in being a Minnesota Viking. They have set up an infrastructure that lends itself to a lot of players having interest in being here,” Wolfson said on SKOR North airwaves last week after the Allen trade smoke billowed.
“Whether the Vikings want to play ball, whether the Vikings reciprocate that interest remains to be seen. To suggest that Allen would have interest in the Vikings, I would say you are accurate in doing so.”
Then, three days before the start of free agency, Washington released Allen.
If signed by Minnesota, he won’t affect the 2026 compensatory pick formula, which could be important and music to the ears of the Vikings because of Sam Darnold’s possible exit.
3. Jerome Baker (ILB)
Each offseason, Adofo-Mensah adds at least one veteran off-ball linebacker. See: Jordan Hicks, Troy Reeder, Kamu Grugier-Hill, and Blake Cashman.
Because of Jerome Baker’s previous ties to Flores, he may fill that role for Minnesota in 2025.
4. Will Hernandez (OG)
Guard-needy teams will pursue Will Fries, driving his market up after Trey Smith left free agency because of the Kansas City Chiefs’ franchise tag.
Hernandez is a solid guard coming off an October knee injury, and his price tag will be smallish accordingly. Minnesota could sign two guards for the price of Fries. More on that later.
5. Talanoa Hufanga (S)
Hufanga just turned 25 years old. Despite his recent injury maladies, he has his whole prime in front of him.
If Harrison Smith retires or Camryn Bynum finds a new team in free agency, Hufanga is precisely the type of target that Adofo-Mensah enjoys: a documented track record of success (a 2022 All-Pro) with youth and an affordable price tag.
Too, Adofo-Mensah has ties to the 49ers as his first NFL employer, so he’ll know about Hufanga’s bio through and through.
6. Cooper Kupp (WR)
Cooper Kupp won a Super Bowl with Kevin O’Connell in 2021, and Minnesota might upgrade at WR3.
You do the math here.
Kupp recently stated that he’d be traded from the Rams, but folks should expect his release, not a trade, in the coming days.
7. Jonathan Jones (CB)
Jones has ties to Brian Flores from the Patriots days, and if Minnesota loses out on a top-tier free-agent CB like D.J. Reed, Jones could be an experience consolation prize.
Think of him as “this year’s Stephon Gilmore,” but not quite that old (31).
8. Patrick Mekari (OG)
Mekari is a dependable offensive guard who won’t be as spendy as Will Fries.
What’s more, Mekari won’t have the robust market like Fries, increasing the Vikings’ chances of signing him for a two- or three-year deal. He’s 27, right at the old end of the typical Adofo-Mensah age sweet spot for a free agent.
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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 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.
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