It’s an understatement to say the Minnesota Vikings roster could look very different next season. The team has 23 players set to become free agents. Ten of them played more than 50 percent of the snaps in 2024.
Once the Vikings brass irons out its plans at quarterback, its attention will turn to filling out the rest of the roster. The Vikings will have free-agent targets and draft priorities, but their roster comes first.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell are hoping to remake the roster from a finesse group into one with more physicality. How that looks in terms of personnel remains in question.
For now, here is a ranking of the Vikings’ impending unrestricted free agents based on the level of interest they will likely garner on the market:
1. Sam Darnold, QB
The other quarterback options are working in Darnold’s favor this offseason. Neither the NFL Draft nor the rest of the crop of free-agent QBs instills much confidence. That reality, paired with the bevy of teams needing long-term answers at the game’s most important position (the Raiders, Giants, Titans, Steelers, Browns and others), makes Darnold a valuable commodity.
His 2024 season was fascinating. Darnold ranked 15th among 28 qualified quarterbacks in completion percentage and EPA per dropback. Only four quarterbacks were sacked more than Darnold, but only three tallied more big-time throws than he did.
Darnold played the position in 2024 like a power hitter in baseball. The home runs came, but so did the strikeouts. It’s an effective enough style to work, but it’s bound to come with major dips. There is no better example than his final two clunkers against the Lions and Rams.
Darnold’s experience with poor infrastructures in New York and Carolina will shape his free-agent decision. It’s also not out of the question that the Vikings franchise-tag (or even transition-tag) Darnold, which would add another layer of intrigue to the next month.
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2. Byron Murphy Jr., CB
Most of the free-agent cornerbacks are nearing age 30. Murphy, meanwhile, recently turned 27. He is also coming off his best season. Not only did Murphy record six interceptions, which ranked second among NFL cornerbacks in 2024, but he also played all 17 games.
The combination of age, ball skills, durability and versatility will be enticing to teams. Cornerbacks remain a premium in what has become a pass-oriented league. Last year, the Buccaneers signed Jamel Dean to a four-year, $52 million deal. Murphy might want a higher average annual value, and some team is likely to give it to him.
A return to Minnesota is not out of the question, though. All three of the Vikings’ starters at cornerback in 2024 are on this list. The team has optimism in Mekhi Blackmon, who is recovering from a torn ACL, and Dwight McGlothern, who essentially received a redshirt season, but still needs proven talent.
1st Pro Bowl ✅
Pick 6 ✅
NFC Win ✅
Defensive MVP ✅What a day, @byronmurphy! pic.twitter.com/VMquRgUGCw
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) February 2, 2025
3. Cam Bynum, S
Bynum’s representation tried to negotiate an extension with the Vikings before the start of the 2024 season. They could not find common ground. That’s how Bynum finds himself on this list.
He won’t turn 27 until July. And while he might not be the most explosive player, Bynum’s smarts and ability to process make him an option for almost any system.
He was exposed to Mike Zimmer’s style as a rookie, then Ed Donatell’s rules and most recently defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ ever-changing scheme. Few possess a better knowledge of its intricacies, and although the Vikings didn’t vote him a captain in 2024, multiple young players cited him as a key and comforting voice.
Jevon Holland will be the belle of the ball among free-agent safeties. Tre’von Moehrig, Justin Reid and Talanoa Hufanga are notable names as well. But Bynum deserves to be mentioned alongside these names. Losing him would create another need for a Minnesota team that already has plenty of them.
4. Aaron Jones, RB
Here are some of the running backs projected to hit free agency in March: Jones, Najee Harris, Javonte Williams, J.K. Dobbins, Rico Dowdle, Kareem Hunt and Ameer Abdullah. Jones may be 30, but he is easily the most accomplished — and still the most explosive — name on that list.
Jones is a dynamic player who strengthens a locker room and is a willing pass protector. If there is one aspect working against teams’ potential interest in him, it’s the draft class of running backs, which is massive and talented. Still, Jones’ history of production will generate interest.
He played in every game this season and totaled more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage. His pass-catching prowess exceeds that of the other free agents and may be a major reason why the Vikings try to bring him back on a short-term deal.
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5. Harrison Smith, S
Does the veteran want to play another season? If the answer is yes, the Vikings will likely rework his contract the way they have the last two offseasons to make it work.
He loves playing for Flores, defensive pass game coordinator Daronte Jones and safeties coach Michael Hutchings. He has also been a chief signal caller for a defense that utilizes a check system to position itself on the fly. O’Connell considers Smith one of his premier conduits in the locker room.
Would Smith ever open the door to playing elsewhere? The odds are probably low, but because his contract is set to void, it’s worth mentioning him.
6. Cam Robinson, OT
Robinson was one of the most interesting and under-discussed aspects of the end of the Vikings’ season. He was dinged for nine pressures against the Lions in Week 18 and 12 more against the Rams in the wild-card round. He finished the 2024 season with the most pressures allowed (64) of any tackle in the league.
Robinson’s injury history and a solid tackle market — Ronnie Stanley, Patrick Mekari, Alaric Jackson, etc. — will also affect the types of offers Robinson receives.
7. Daniel Jones, QB
Why is Jones on this list? Well, who would you rather have: Jones or Russell Wilson? How about Jones versus Mac Jones, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields or Jacoby Brissett? Those are the free-agent quarterbacks he’ll be jockeying with during this cycle.
Jones is 24-44-1 in his career as a starter. His arm isn’t nearly as impressive as Darnold’s, but he also might be less prone to turnovers. He’ll turn 28 this summer, potentially young enough for a desperate team to take a stab at him as a starter. If that doesn’t happen, the Vikings could keep Jones to pair with rookie J.J. McCarthy in a setup similar to this past season.
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8. Stephon Gilmore, CB
The Vikings played more man coverage in Week 17 against the Packers than they had in a game all season. In the locker room afterward, Gilmore looked spent. He played a fill-in role admirably in 2024, but he is not the man-cover corner he once was.
His level of experience and processing speed on the field will garner interest if he chooses to play another season. He will turn 35 in September, though, so retirement is not out of the question.
9. Shaq Griffin, CB
Gilmore played almost double the snaps Griffin did in 2024. Like Gilmore, Griffin thrived in man coverage when he entered the NFL. He’ll turn 30 this summer, though, and his speed is not what it once was.
Minnesota signed him to a one-year, $4.55 million deal last winter, and he’s probably in line for another palatable, short-term contract.
10. Patrick Jones II, DL
Jones posted a career-high seven sacks in 2024, though a knee injury sidelined him down the stretch. His season was not too dissimilar from the 2023 campaign of D.J. Wonnum, who signed a two-year deal worth $12.5 million with the Panthers last spring.
Jones fits best in a four-down front where his primary role is to rush the passer. Flores also utilized him on the interior. Minnesota could bring him back on a cheaper deal depending on the market as Flores appreciates his versatility and locker room fit.
Other notable unrestricted free agents: Jonathan Bullard, IDL; Dalton Risner, IOL; Jerry Tillery, IDL; Jihad Ward, IDL; Johnny Mundt, TE; Cam Akers, RB; Brandon Powell, WR; Trent Sherfield Sr., WR; Kamu Grugier-Hill, LB; David Quessenberry, T; Fabian Moreau, CB; Nick Mullens, QB; Dan Feeney, IOL
(Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)