Vikings Free Agency Looks Better Than People Think
As the dust settles on free agency in the NFL, the Vikings are a team that did more than expected. The team was so cash-strapped that no one expected any real movement on signing new players.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is out. Rob Brzezinski is in. Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores are still in place, with a few assistants moving on to new jobs.
The Underrated Moves That Quietly Helped Minnesota
These are the answers to usually tough questions that a team that had a rocky season has to endure. What’s next?
Cleaning House
Last year, fans were very excited about the Vikings’ free-agent signings. While Isaiah Rodgers was a bit of a surprise, and no one knew much about him, folks thought he was a great veteran addition that just hadn’t had the opportunity to shine as a starter.
Will Fries was seen as a huge addition, and Ryan Kelly was a nice add-on coming in with his former teammate. It felt like the bigger splash was on defense with the tandem of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave being added to an already loaded defense, even if they were coming to the end of their careers. There was excitement in the air that a strong defense and an upgraded offensive line would be in place to help a young quarterback like J.J. McCarthy not have to carry the team in his first year as a starter.
But all that spending last year quickly reflected that the next year’s salary cap was going to be over the limit already. Fast forward to 2026, and many fans thought there was no way the team would sign anyone as they slashed through the mess left behind.
Brzezinski did what he’s best known for: removing those with whom there was no impasse and restructuring with players where he could. Allen, Hargrave, Aaron Jones, and Harrison Smith were all released. Kelly retired due to his constant concussion injuries.
Surprisingly, Jones had his contract re-worked and is back. Smith is still in limbo about whether he’ll be back next season, as he hasn’t made a formal retirement announcement, even though the team made a big deal about him and C.J. Ham having their final game at US Bank Stadium. Smith also wasn’t part of a joint Ham and Adam Thielen retirement press conference.
Now, let’s add in that the team would miss out on free agents, and what other core players would they lose to free agency because they couldn’t afford to bring them back? They lost Jalen Nailor, Ryan Wright, Ty Chandler, and Ben Sims to other teams. Chandler was the only player most didn’t expect to be back, while Sims has popped on and off the team over the last few seasons.
Nailor had a slim chance of staying if he didn’t get paid well somewhere else, which is exactly what happened. Wright was a surprise after he had a rebound year in 2025 and was punting very well. Punters are easy to replace, but holders on field goals can be a sketchy premise when the kicking woes in Minnesota seem to have disappeared with Will Reichard. Where does a team go in a moment like this?
The first thing the Vikings did was lock down guys who needed to be kept around, and that had a huge impact last season. Eric Wilson was the first guy they handed a bag to. Wilson had a huge year after success in San Francisco and Green Bay, following the Vikings’ original 2017 signing as an undrafted free agent, during which he had a great four-year run on special teams and as a backup.
They also kept all-world long snapper Andrew DePaola, defensive end Bo Richter, running back Zavier Scott, safety Tavierre Thomas, and quarterback Carson Wentz by re-signing them. They also offered tenders to Ivan Pace Jr., who many thought would be let go, and Jalen Redmond, who is an essential signing as he was a force the last two years.
While many are depth signings, they have all performed well on special teams or as rotational players. That’s good to keep the core in place for stability.
Free Agency Was Freer Than Speculated
Fans thought for sure the Vikings wouldn’t be signing anyone to be super excited about. Even with Brzezinski’s genius at work, he couldn’t dig the team out of this gigantic hole. He did enough. For the second year in a row, the Vikings signed a mostly backup cornerback in James Pierre from the Steelers.
While many weren’t super excited, fans came around after his stats started to come out, and it felt similar to Rodgers’ story. They needed that signing as well, since last year they basically had almost no depth at the position, and Jeff Okudah was a bust as the third corner. They also brought stability to the special teams by bringing in Johnny Hekker as a punter.
Sure, he’s an older player, but punters can be around for a long time, and he should help keep Reichard calm with solid holds on big kicks. The Vikings then made an interesting move by offering Ryan Van Demark, who had a tender from the Buffalo Bills, where he was a solid swing tackle. He started a few games last year and was impressive enough to draw the Vikings’ attention.
The Bills didn’t match the offer, and the big thing is that the Vikings don’t lose a draft pick, which is usually the case. He’ll replace Justin Skule, who did well as a backup last year, filling in for both Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neil.
Then there was finally a “splash” signing. The offensive line and the quarterback position were in constant flux last year due to injuries. McCarthy, Wentz, and Max Brosmer all had their moments of excitement and head-scratching decisions, with McCarthy and Wentz both suffering from different injuries.
You can’t deny that the biggest mistake last year was letting Sam Darnold walk away, and the team has to address the biggest elephant in the room once again. The Cardinals released Kyler Murray after seven seasons of up-and-down production and some controversial study habits.
The two best things about this signing are that he’s a veteran with a great completion percentage, and it was cheap at only $1.3 million for one year. He’s a fast, shifty player in the backfield who can escape pressure and, if he gets loose, can run down the field with speed.
With no pun intended, Murray has shortcomings, too. Mainly, his height at 5’9″, a history of playing video games instead of studying the playbook, and his penchant for chucking the ball downfield without seeing who’s there, causing interceptions.
Will he be the starter right away? That’s yet to be seen. He’s being given an offense with weapons he’s never had before in Jordan Mason, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Josh Oliver. He also gets a very strong offensive line and an organization that isn’t a mess year to year.
But so does McCarthy, who has another year under his belt and much more on-field experience. He might not start, but he hopefully brings in some great competition to make the quarterback room even better by pushing others to be their best.
While this free agency hasn’t been as exciting as last year, it may be a solid showing nonetheless. They did what they could to keep pieces in place while adding high-quality pieces where they needed to be, rather than randomly spending on positions that are shored up as best they can.
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