Vet QB to Backup or Be Bridge to J.J. McCarthy Still a Big Need for Vikings
With an abundance of salary cap room ($63 million entering the new league year) fueled by a $24 million increase in the cap this season and not franchise-tagging Sam Darnold, the Vikings have been one of the most active teams in early free agency.
The re-signing of Pro Bowl corner Byron Murphy for three years and $54 million was a critical first step for the secondary and with safety Cam Bynum leaving for Indianapolis (overpaid at $15 million per year), keeping Theo Jackson for two years and $12.6 million was a smart re-signing on a player who has been impressive when he’s had playing time in the past.
Vet QB to Backup or Be Bridge to J.J. McCarthy Still a Big Need for Vikings
After the late-season flops against the Lions and Rams that were disappointing when the team had reached a surprising 14-2, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell have made a concerted effort to improve the team in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
The free-agent signings of two Pro Bowl defensive tackles who are impact pass rushers and can stop the run will make the defensive front more formidable. Adding Jonathan Allen (three years, $51 million plus up to $9 million in incentives; 401 tackles and 42 sacks in eight seasons with Washington) and Jevon Hargrave (two years, $30 million; 380 tackles and 45.5 sacks in nine seasons with Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and San Francisco) will create one of the NFL’s best fronts on defense when they’re combined with 2024 Pro Bowl edge/OLBs Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel along with last year’s first-round edge/OLB Dallas Turner.
Allen recovered from a torn pec and played at the end of last season for the Commanders during their playoff run. He’s been healthy over the vast majority of his career. Hargrave suffered a partially torn triceps and played only three games last season, but that was the first season in which he’s missed more than a game or two.
On offense, the Vikings have addressed their weakness on the interior offensive line that was exposed in the Lions and Rams losses by signing four-time Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly (two years, $18 million) and one of the top guards in free agency Will Fries (five years, $88 million), both former Colts who are accustomed to playing next to each other. Both Fries and Kelly dealt with injuries last season that kept them out of several games, so the Vikings need them to stay healthy.
Christian Darrisaw will be back from his ACL injury. This bolstering of the O-line bodes well for better pass protection for expected starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who reportedly has recovered from his knee meniscus surgeries and is back working out. The running game should also be improved with these additions up front, which will help the young QB.
McCarthy has one of the best skill position supporting casts in the NFL with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and the wise re-signing of Aaron Jones (two years, $20 million) to lead the running back group (and the Vikings should try to draft a young explosive back to share play time with Jones and keep him healthier for the postseason compared to last season).
Now, the Vikings need to address a couple of critical positions by signing an experienced veteran quarterback and another quality corner to join Murphy, free agent signee Isaiah Rodgers, and 2023 third-rounder Mekhi Blackmon, who is returning from an ACL injury. One more signing at guard also would be helpful.
I learned early in my NFL management career from our Hall of Fame coach, Bud Grant, and my predecessor as Vikings GM, Mike Lynn, how important it is to have a quality No. 2 QB. When Hall of Fame QB Fran Tarkenton broke his leg in mid-season in 1977, we had Bob Lee as an excellent backup, and he led us to the division title and the NFC title game in Dallas.
In our 1987 playoff run to the NFC title game in Washington, Wade Wilson took over for the injured Tommy Kramer and played outstandingly in road playoff wins at higher-seeded New Orleans and San Francisco. Then, in our 15-1 season of 1998, former Eagles Pro Bowl QB Randall Cunningham stepped in when starter Brad Johnson suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2, and Cunningham wound up being the league MVP as we made it to another NFC title game.
The Vikings had to be disappointed to lose both Darnold ($100.5 million for three years in Seattle) and Daniel Jones ($14 million for one year, plus up to $3.5 million in incentives and a better chance to start in Indianapolis, where 2023 first-rounder Anthony Richardson has been injury-prone and inconsistent).
A vet quarterback with plenty of starting experience, such as Marcus Mariota, would be an excellent addition as a backup and possible bridge starter if McCarthy gets hurt again or is not quite ready to start. Other possibilities include Mac Jones, Carson Wentz, and Jameis Winston. Gardner Minshew may also become available if the Raiders release or trade him.
But I think signing Aaron Rodgers would create way too much drama and not be beneficial for McCarthy’s development compared to Mariota, who is accustomed to the backup role in recent years after several years as the Titans’ starter and has a pleasant personality to support McCarthy.
As for Isaiah Rodgers (signed for two years, $15 million), he was a backup corner on Philadelphia’s Super Bowl champions last season and will have a chance to start or compete with Blackmon (who the team likes) to be the third corner if the Vikings re-sign Stephon Gilmore who played well enough last season to warrant a 2025 re-signing.
Another new addition is Tavierre Thomas, an excellent special teams player with seven years of experience (most recently with Tampa Bay last season) who can help replace Trent Sherfield (signed with Denver) as a special teams ace. Thomas has 22 career starts in the secondary, so he can be a backup there.
Around the NFL Free Agency Observations
1. Josh Allen was justly rewarded by the Bills after his MVP season with a six-year, $330 million extension that ties him for the second largest average per year at $55 million behind Dak Prescott. Allen’s $250 million guarantee is the most in NFL history. Now he needs to finally lead the Bills to a Super Bowl after suffering four postseason losses to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, including last season’s AFC title game.
2. The Geno Smith trade from Seattle to Las Vegas opened the door for Darnold to sign in Seattle. They’re close to equal in ability, and the Seahawks got a third-round pick for Smith, who was seeking an extension at $40 million or more per year on his contract with one year remaining at $31 million. Smith reunites with Pete Carroll, the former Seattle coach who is the Raiders’ new head coach, and we’ll see if the Raiders are willing to extend Smith’s contract or possibly draft a QB at No. 6 overall and make Smith play out his contract.
3. Matthew Stafford’s power play got him a restructured contract from the Rams that will give him a deserved increase over the $27 million he was scheduled to earn this year (and he only had $4 million guaranteed before the restructure). Stafford has led the Rams to the playoffs in three of his four seasons in L.A., including the 2021 Super Bowl victory, and led the Rams to the wild card win over the Vikings last postseason before nearly upsetting the Eagles in the divisional round (324 passing yards and two TDs in that game).
4. The Vikings are happy to receive a third-round compensatory pick in the upcoming draft for Kirk Cousins signing last year in Atlanta. Speaking of Cousins, the drama continues over whether the Falcons will release Cousins and take a massive $65 million dead money hit to their salary cap that they can spread over two years, trade him, or keep him as a backup to Michael Penix.
Cousins has a $10 million 2026 roster bonus that becomes guaranteed if he is on the roster next Monday, and the Falcons appear to want to trade him before the guarantee hits, but they also can get that $10 million back via an offset if he is cut after the 2025 season. The Browns, with Cousins’ former OC in Minnesota — Kevin Stefanski — as head coach, are a possible trade partner, but the Browns are also talking with Russell Wilson.
Jeff Diamond is a former Vikings GM, former Tennessee Titans President and was selected NFL Executive of the Year after the Vikings’ 15-1 season in 1998. He now works for the NFL agent group IFA based in Minneapolis and does other sports consulting and media work along with college/corporate speaking. Follow him and direct message him on Twitter — @jeffdiamondnfl
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