The Vikings have had one of the best safety rooms in the NFL over the past couple seasons. The trio of Josh Metellus, Camryn Bynum, and Harrison Smith have all complemented each other excellently and fit perfectly into Brian Flores’ scheme. But the continuity of that group is in question this offseason. Bynum is a free agent, while Smith is 36 years old and could choose to retire.
If Smith retires, safety would go from a sneaky need to a major one for the Vikings. They do have Theo Jackson as an internal candidate to step into a big role, but with plenty of cap space, they could also target a more proven replacement at the position. Here are six notable free agents who could make sense for Minnesota in March.
Last offseason, the Vikings signed Andrew Van Ginkel, an ex-Dolphin who used to play for Flores. That worked out pretty nicely. Could they add another this year? Holland was Miami’s second-round pick in 2021, Flores’ final year as their head coach. He burst onto the scene with an outstanding rookie season that included two interceptions, ten passes defended, and 2.5 sacks. Holland followed that up with a good second season and then graded as one of the best safeties in football (by PFF) in 2023. He’s coming off a slightly down year, but Holland is a great athlete who can do everything you want from a No. 1 safety. He turns 25 next month, so he fits the Vikings’ timeline perfectly. Holland won’t be cheap (likely $16-18 million per year), but he’s a stud who would form quite the duo with Metellus.
Reid, who has been a pretty consistent producer for both the Texans and Chiefs in a seven-year career, turns 28 shortly after the Super Bowl. He’s coming off a very strong season and could look to cash in on the open market. However, he may want to stick around with the Chiefs, particularly if they win their third consecutive championship this weekend. Reid’s regular season stats this year include five tackles for loss, nine passes defended, a pair of interceptions, and a 76.9 PFF grade.
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Hufanga was a fifth-round pick in 2021 who earned first team All-Pro honors after absolutely stuffing the stat sheet in his second NFL season. He had four interceptions that season and then had another three in 2023, but he suffered a torn ACL in late November, came back early last season, and then missed another chunk of time with a wrist injury. The 26-year-old played in just seven games in 2024, but his talent is arguably up there with Holland and Reid if he’s healthy. His deep range could make him a good replacement for Bynum.
Speaking of Bynum, the Vikings may want to keep him around. The converted college cornerback and former fourth-round pick has been a good fit as their deep safety over the past three years. He has ball skills (8 INT, 28 PD, 3 FF, 4 FR in career) and had over 230 total tackles in the last two seasons. Bynum also brings elite locker room vibes with his personality and his choreographed dance celebrations after takeaways, many of which went mega-viral in 2024. There was a report last week that the two sides are open to working out a contract extension before free agency begins, but can they meet in the middle on a price tag?
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A third-round pick in 2020, Blackmon re-signed with Indianapolis on a one-year deal last year and had another strong season. He’s another potential Bynum replacement as a rangy deep safety with seven interceptions since 2023. Blackmon turns 27 in August.
Cisco was a third-round pick in 2021 who, like Bynum, became a full-time starter in his second season. He’s got eight career interceptions of his own and had better PFF grades in 2022-23 than this past year. Cisco turns 25 in March and might be slightly cheaper than the Bynum-Blackmon tier (though that’s just a guess).
This free agency class also has box safeties like Jeremy Chinn and Tre’von Moehrig, who probably aren’t fits for Minnesota with Metellus around. Deeper down the list, there are veterans like Marcus Williams and Xavier Woods who could be inexpensive one-year stopgaps.
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