The Pressure Is Sky High for These Vikings Players in 2026
After signing wide receiver Jauan Jennings from free agency, the Minnesota Vikings’ roster is pretty much spoken for, as training camp is less than eleven weeks away. Per our annual tradition, we asked our writers to define players with the most to lose in 2026 — who’s facing a make-or-break campaign?
Minnesota has a long list of players entering prove-it territory.
The following are their responses. You can also consider these men “boom or bust” candidates.
Training Camp Will Begin to Answer Questions in July
It’s all on the line for these dudes.
1. Andrew Van Ginkel | OLB
VT Writer: Steve Hoikkala
The easy answer here is Kyler Murray, but I am going to go with a player who probably isn’t on your radar but should be. I’m a huge fan of Van Ginkel when healthy. The issue is that he is in the final year of his current contract, turns 31 in July, and is coming off a 2025 season in which he was injured for most of it or played on a snap count.
Players at EDGE tend to fall off around his age, and he will likely need a solid to big year to receive an extension after the 2026 season. Another reason why the Vikings will be targeting an EDGE heavily in the draft and free agency in 2027.
2. Theo Jackson | S
VT Writer: Tony Schultz
The easy answer is J.J. McCarthy. I’m looking at the other side of the ball and looking at a guy we thought would be a solid player. That’s Theo Jackson. He was set to line up next to Harrison Smith and perhaps show enough to take over the starting mantle in the next season with Smith’s eventual retirement.
They had rewarded him with a new contract after Camryn Bynum signed with the Colts. He had ample chances to shine as Smith started the season with lingering medical issues. There were some struggles. When he returned, those struggles continued, and by the end of the year, Jay Ward was putting more on tape.
Now, the Vikings drafted Jakobe Thomas, who still has to prove himself to take over, and Smith is not 100% saying he has retired. If Jackson doesn’t have a great camp and has explosive plays on tape, the promise he showed might go back to the bench.
3. Brian O’Neill | RT
VT Writer: Wes Johnson
McCarthy and Murray are the low-hanging fruit of this exercise, so I’ll shift to someone else who has a lot riding on the line. O’Neill enters the final year of his deal and has already been asked to restructure it a bit for the Vikings to add in free agency.
Currently sitting with a team-high $23+ million contract at 31 years of age, a healthy and productive 2026 could be the determining factor in whether O’Neill is re-upped and finishes his career with the Vikings.
4. Isaiah Rodgers | CB
VT Writer: Adam New
He will always have that phenomenal game against the Bengals, but Rodgers needs to find more consistency this season. If he doesn’t, the Vikings probably don’t want to be offering him a new deal next year.
5. Jordan Addison | WR
VT Writer: Ali Siddiqui
He’s already been in trouble twice with the league and was suspended for three games last year. If he gets into trouble again, he could miss more games, which will not only cost him money down the road, but it could also decrease the Vikings’ chances of going far this year
This team has a chance to surprise many this year, and one reason is its WR trio of him, Jefferson, and Jennings. If Addison gets into trouble again, it could cost the team a couple of wins. Defenses wouldn’t be as tough as a team against them, either
6. Josh Metellus | S
VT Writer: Cole Smith
Metellus got paid before the 2025 season but struggled to stay healthy and didn’t have the impact he had in the past. Maybe Theo Jackson’s disappointment in a starting role affected Metellus’ role. But he has a sizeable contract in a non-premium position, so next offseason could be interesting if he doesn’t bounce back.
t7. Dallas Turner | OLB
VT Writer: Dustin Baker
Jonathan Greenard is gone, which instantly promotes Turner. The speedy young EDGE probably has the chops for Greenard’s direct replacement, but in Vikings speak, Turner must be a mighty performer.
Why? Well, the Vikings paid a fortune to get him: the 23rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Pick No. 167 in 2024, a 2025 3rd-Round pick, and a 2025 4th-Round pick. It will never be good enough for Turner to be a Brian Robison-style pass rusher — good but not great. Based on the price former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah paid for Turner, he must turn into a Pro Bowler soon.
Couple those stakes with no Greenard in the mix, and Turner has hefty marching orders.
t7. Dallas Turner | OLB
VT Writer: Kyle Joudry
J.J. McCarthy is the obvious answer, but allow me to uplift Turner as someone with a ton to lose. So far, he has been a disappointment, being merely good rather than great. He’ll need to change that now that the runway has been cleared for takeoff.
t8. J.J. McCarthy | QB
VT Writer: Ted Schwerzler
J.J. McCarthy is the most obvious answer, and it likely has nothing to do with him. The competition we keep hearing about is Kyler Murray versus himself. If Murray is a stud, then McCarthy never plays in Minnesota again and will be on a new team next season.
t8. J.J. McCarthy | QB
VT Writer: Janik Eckardt
After missing his rookie season with a knee injury, McCarthy was inserted into the starting lineup last year, but the results were inconsistent, to put it lightly. He lacked accuracy, touch, and a feel for the game. If Kyler Murray, as expected, wins the starting job and stays healthy (big if), McCarthy would have played just ten games in three seasons, which could be career-ending for a raw player who needs in-game reps.
t9. Kyler Murray | QB
VT Writer: Henrique Gucciardi
Probably the obvious pick here, but this could be Murray’s last chance as a starter in the NFL. Kevin O’Connell is regarded as one of the best QB gurus in the league, and with the Vikings having one of the worst QB performances in 2025,
Murray will look better even if he’s just okay. If he can’t do it, though, it’s hard to see another team giving him this kind of chance.
t9. Kyler Murray | QB
VT Writer: Josh Frey
The Arizona Cardinals opted to take cap hits totaling about $55 million over the next two years rather than stick with the veteran quarterback. Now with the Vikings, Murray has a chance to earn himself hundreds of millions of dollars next offseason if he plays well.
If this season doesn’t go well, or if J.J. McCarthy somehow beats him out for the starting job, the future is very uncertain for the 28-year-old.
t9. Kyler Murray | QB
VT Writer: Sean Borman
Murray is playing for his entire career trajectory this season. Unlike a young prospect, he is, at 29, fighting to prove he is still a top-tier starter in the NFL.
With weapons like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings, and T.J. Hockenson, if he can’t produce, he could be missing out on a potential $40-50M/year contract, similar to what Sam Darnold was able to do (adding inflation).
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