The Most Splashy Free Agents the Vikings Can Pursue in 2026
The Minnesota Vikings will not have a boatload of cap space in 2026 as they did in 2025. In fact, the situation has reversed: general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah must get creative with the budget to sign any external free agents at all. Thankfully, Minnesota has encountered this situation before, and if it clears enough cap space to dream big, a handful of free agents will be on the market to consider.
Who the Vikings can pursue if they’re in a frisky mood in seven weeks.
In all likelihood, the Vikings will pursue productive, bargain-bin youngsters in free agency. But if they get bold, here’s what that list looks like.
The Splashiest Free Agent Fits for the 2026 Vikings
The “dream big” free agents for the 2026 Vikings — ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most likely to sign in Minnesota)
5. Breece Hall (RB)
Since his rookie year injury, Hall has stayed on the field. That matters, especially at running back, a position often beset more than most by injuries
His production holds up, too. He’s a 4.5 yards-per-carry runner across his career, steady enough that any team would take him without hesitation. If Minnesota found a way to bring Hall into the mix, there wouldn’t be much backlash from fans. Hall’s numbers in the NFL:
2022: 681 yds | 5 TDs
2023: 1,585 yds | 9 TDs
2024: 1,359 yds | 8 TDs
2025: 1,415 yds | 5 TDs
The only problem in getting Hall? The cash. He will probably command a contract around $12-$15 million per year, and the Vikings just don’t have that under the mattress for a running back.
4. Tyler Linderbaum (CB)
Linderbaum is the fifth-best center in football, according to Pro Football Focus, and it seems odd that Baltimore would let him out of the building. Perhaps Eric DeCosta and friends cannot afford him.
Meanwhile, the Vikings’ starting center, Ryan Kelly, may retire this offseason due to multiple concussions. Minnesota would then need a new center if Blake Brandel or Michael Jurgens are not called upon for duty.
Linderbaum is so talented and productive that he’ll fetch a deal worth $20 million per year.
PFF‘s Bradley Locker on Linderbaum: “Since being selected in the first round by Baltimore in 2022, Linderbaum has been one of the best centers in football. Over the past four seasons, the Iowa product is tied for second at the position in PFF Wins Above Replacement (1.15) and ranks fourth in PFF overall grade (87.0) among qualifiers.”
“Linderbaum is a model of consistency in both the pass and run games, allowing just two sacks in the past two years while posting an 83.1-plus PFF run-blocking grade in both of the past two campaigns. Linderbaum very well may reset the center market this offseason based on his pedigree, and the Ravens should look to ensure he stays in purple.”
3. Quay Walker (LB)
Walker has posted over 100 tackles in each season as a pro, dating back to 2022. He’s a staple in the middle of the Packers’ defense, and Vikings fans just love a Packers turncoat.
At linebacker in Minnesota, the Vikings have Blake Cashman under contract — and Eric Wilson + Ivan Pace Jr., both slated for free agency.
There’s a chance that they pick Walker to run alongside Cashman for the next few seasons.
Walker’s next deal will likely pay him about $12 million annually.
2. Tariq Woolen (CB)
This guy has been linked to the Vikings in the shadows for about a year. Down the stretch of the 2024 campaign, the Seahawks benched him, and that pissed him off. Onlookers thought Woolen could be traded during the 2025 offseason, but that never happened. Then, in theory, Woolen could have been on the move before the trade deadline this season. No luck.
Now, Woolen is poised to hit open free agency and is one of the most exciting CBs on the market. He’s 6’4″, and if Brian Flores stays in Minnesota, he’s just what the doctor ordered for his defense. Flores digs big, physical corners.
Woolen has posted a 75.5 passer-rating-against in 2025. Quite awesome. He’ll earn about $18 million per season via his next contract.
1. Malik Willis (QB)
Scaled to a small sample, Willis was the NFL’s best quarterback in 2025 per EPA+CPOE. He only logged 58 dropbacks, but his production cleared any other passer in the league by leaps and bounds.
Of course, nobody knows if that efficiency would hold up for a full season, but one thing is certain: Willis deserves an audition for his next team to find out.
Willis will probably secure a contract worth $40 million or so over two years from someone, and if Minnesota is in the mood for a true challenger to J.J. McCarthy this offseason, this might be the one guy who could start, still has untapped upside, and doesn’t cost anything via trade.
The Packers QB2 doesn’t really fit Kevin O’Connell’s traditional style, but does anybody care if the guy is just plain good? Remember, O’Connell cooked with Joshua Dobbs for a few weeks in 2023, and Willis’s skill set is much more enticing than Dobbs’s.
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