3 Vikings Who Didn’t Start in 2025 but Might in 2026
NFL free agency will begin in about three weeks, and after the Minnesota Vikings presumably clear a ton of cap space, the club can sign new players. In the meantime, a handful of men from the 2025 roster could, in theory, be in line to start for the 2026 Vikings.
The Vikings’ roster will change significantly in the next few months, and a few non-starters from 2025 already look positioned to climb into bigger 2026 roles.
Here’s a look at the players who could command promotions by default if no replacements are signed or drafted this offseason.
Three Vikings Perhaps Positioned for Starting Roles in 2026
A quick peek at the 2026 depth chart.
1. Michael Jurgens | Center
In Jurgens’s final four appearances of 2025 — when Ryan Kelly missed time — he fired up these pass-blocking grades from Pro Football Focus:
- vs. GB: 71.6
- vs DET: 83.7
- at NYG: 14.6
- at SEA: 78.2
Generally speaking, it’s unlikely for the Vikings to roll with Jurgens, a 7th-Rounder from the 2024 NFL Draft, but he did enough to stay attached to the roster for the duration of his rookie contract and be the backup center. There’s also a world where the Vikings’ coaching staff is impressed enough to give him a starting audition.
Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling wrote about Kelly, the starting center for 2026, at least on paper, last week: “The Vikings would save $8.75 million by releasing Kelly this spring; he has no guaranteed money left in his deal, so they could take their time if they wanted to gauge the market.”
“Kelly’s concussion history could also lead him to consider retirement. The Vikings will likely be thinking about their future at the position even if Kelly, who turns 33 in May, decides he wants to return in 2026.”
If Kelly walks away, Minnesota must decide between Jurgens, Blake Brandel, a free agent, or a rookie from the draft. Jurgens is in the mix.
2. Jordan Mason | Running Back
Lions writer Al Karsten posted this statistic to social media last week:
Explosive Rush Rate Leaders since 2023 (min. 300 rushes):
1 — De’Von Achane (MIA) — 12.3%
2 — Jahmyr Gibbs (DET) — 11.4%
3 — J.K. Dobbins (BAL, LAC, DEN) — 10.7%
4 — Jordan Mason (SF, MIN) — 10.5%
5 — Raheem Mostert (MIA, LVR) — 10.1%
6 — James Conner (ARZ) — 9.7%
7 — Derrick Henry (BAL) — 9.4%
8 — Christian McCaffrey (SF) — 9.3%
9 — Bijan Robinson (ATL) — 9.1%
10 — James Cook (BUF) — 8.6%
Mason also led the Vikings in rushing last season, banking 758 yards and 6 touchdowns. His 4.8 yards per carry outshone Aaron Jones’s 4.2.
While Minnesota should probably find a game-changing RB1 — they haven’t employed one since Dalvin Cook’s 2021 campaign — the club may cut ties with Aaron Jones, roll with Mason as RB1, and draft a rookie runner like Penn State’s Nick Singleton or Washington’s Jonah Coleman.
At least for a few weeks, Mason would start while the new guy gets acclimated to the NFL.
The Viking Age‘s Brad Berreman opined on Mason last month, “Mason had the seventh-best rushing success rate (minimum 100 carries), he was 10th in yards after contact per attempt (3.41, also minimum 100 carries), and he had 22 rushes of 10-plus yards.
“When Aaron Jones was out early in the season (Week 3-7), Mason was the RB16 in fantasy. From there to the end of the season (Week 8-18), he was RB48 in 0.5-point PPR. From Week 10-15, before he was injured early in Week 16 and missed the following game, Mason averaged 5.3 yards per carry but had double-digit carries just twice in that span. Then he finished the season with 94 yards on 14 carries in Week 18.”
Mason will carry a $5.8 million cap number into 2026 — more than reasonable.
Berreman continued, “The Vikings may move on from the 31-year-old Jones this offseason. That would open up more carries for Mason next season, which, even during his downturn in workload this season, he proved deserving of based on how efficient he was. If Jones is gone and a notable addition is made in free agency or the draft, that would be a huge fly in the Mason fantasy breakout ointment for next season.”
“But if he can get to 200 carries, leaving aside his lack of a role in the passing game, there could be significant value in what’s lined up to be a depressed Average Draft Position (ADP) come July and August.”
3. Jay Ward | Safety
Turning 26 this summer, Ward’s contract situation comes at an ideal time for the Vikings. Entering the final year of his rookie deal after being drafted in 2023, Minnesota faces a decision: whether to consider a second contract now, before Ward gains the upper hand and his price tag potentially rises.
His on-field performance already warrants consideration. Last season, Ward excelled when given significant snaps, playing with an undeniable edge, delivering mean hits, and injecting the youthful energy that the defense needed.
Late in 2025, defensive coordinator Brian Flores increasingly relied on Ward, even favoring him over Theo Jackson in crucial situations — a clear indication of internal trust, which Ward validated by consistently delivering.
He banked a 70.9 Pro Football Focus grade last year while playing about 250 snaps. That’s a building block for 2026.
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