A Big Vikings Signing Must Deliver in Year 2
In contrast to this year, the Minnesota Vikings were big spenders in free agency in 2025. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah splashed the cash, but it didn’t work, and he was eventually fired at the beginning of the year. Several of the big signings last year have already left Minnesota, and it’s basically down to one man to save the Vikings’ 2025 free agency class.
One Key Vikings FA from 2025 Faces Heightened Expectations
While Ryan Kelly, Javon Hargrave, and Jonathan Allen have gone, Will Fries is still here. Monetarily, Fries was the biggest signing, and he always looked more like a long-term signing than the other three when he signed a five-year, $88 million contract with the Vikings.
The soon-to-be 28-year-old’s first season in Minnesota was solid if unspectacular, garnering an overall grade of 61.8 from Pro Football Focus, with a 62.9 pass blocking grade and a 60.2 run blocking grade. That level of play is decent, but not what you hope for when you are playing over $17 million a season.
Fries was highly sought after after a breakout season with Indianapolis, where he showcased elite-level play. The risk for the team that signed him was that play came only over a five-game span in 2024 before a fractured right tibia in Week 5 ended his season. Such a big commitment with a five-year deal was a risk, but there were certainly positives to take from Fries’ first season in purple.
Fries Fully Healthy in Year 1
Coming back from such a bad injury can often cause problems, but Fries was ready for Week 1 and played in all 17 games of the 2025 season. He was the only Vikings offensive lineman who managed to do that, as the team endured a torrid time with injuries on the OL last season.
The Vikings will hope for more consistency in the lineup around Fries, which should help his personal performance. Having a full year playing after the broken leg should also put him in good standing for Year 2 in Minnesota.
There is something Kevin O’Connell can do to help Fries, the rest of the OL, and the offense in general. Produce a better run game for the 2026 season. We have heard talk coming out of Minnesota over the last couple of seasons about an emphasis on an improved run game, but it has never materialised to the standard you would hope for.
The difference it can make is visible through former second-round rookie Ed Ingram. After three seasons of struggle in Minnesota, Ingram moved to Houston and started to impress, thanks largely to showcasing his ability to block and a good rushing scheme.
A major criticism of O’Connell since becoming the Vikings’ head coach has been his apparent reluctance to run the ball and his view of the rushing attack as secondary to his passing offense. A balanced offense will help the Vikings, who are due to have Kyler Murray as their new QB1, which should give the team a new dynamism.
New Coaching for Fries and His Teammates
One thing to keep an eye on regarding Fries and the other Vikings linemen this season is that there will be a fresh approach to the OL coaching in Minnesota this year, with the number of former Vikings linemen looking better after leaving Minnesota, like Ingram, Garrett Bradbury, and Ezra Cleveland. Questions were being asked about the job Chris Kuper was doing.
Kuper had been the Vikings’ offensive line coach since O’Connell came in back in 2022, but was relieved of his duties this offseason, subsequently landing in Philadelphia as the Eagles’ new OL coach. Keith Carter was brought in last year as the assistant OL coach and was promoted to the main job following Kuper’s exit. The Vikings also brought in former Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith to be the new assistant head coach. Smith has a background in OL coaching.
The Vikings will be hoping the fresh coaching will lead to improvement on the OL, particularly with Fries and last year’s first-round rookie pick, Donovan Jackson. Fries is young enough that his best years can still be ahead of him. That’s what the Vikings will be hoping for after putting such a big investment into him.
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