The Minnesota Vikings are just one win (or one loss by either the Seattle Seahawks or the Los Angeles Rams) away from clinching a playoff berth. Compared to the preseason expectations, the franchise is widely overperforming, having already won 11 games in year one after Kirk Cousins.
5 Key Issues the Vikings Must Tackle This Offseason
There has been massive roster turnover in recent years, and the upcoming offseason might not be any different, with roughly half the roster scheduled to hit free agency. These are the things the front office must address.
1. Cornerback Room
The entire starting group of Byron Murphy, Shaq Griffin, and Stephon Gilmore will enter the offseason as pending free agents, barring extensions. In addition to that, backup Fabian Moreau will depart, leaving rookie Dwight McGlothern and injured sophomore Mekhi Blackmon as the only cornerbacks under contract.
Murphy has surely earned a new contract, but with six interceptions in 13 games, he might get some serious interest from around the league, potentially driving his price in uncomfortable regions. Gilmore is 34 and can’t be a long-term option, and CB3 Griffin will turn 30 in July.
Spending in free agency, re-signing the group (or some of them), and investing in the draft should all be on the table. But one thing is clear: the cornerback room could undergo significant changes.
2. Find 2 RBs
It’s quite comparable to the CBs. Both RB1 Aaron Jones and RB2 Cam Akers signed one-year contracts and will depart in free agency unless they sign a new deal first.
Jones has been decent, but he will turn 30 shortly. For running backs, that is borderline ancient. Akers doesn’t have the boost he used to have prior to his two Achilles injuries, and third running back Ty Chandler still hasn’t earned the trust of the coaching staff. At age 26, it can be doubted that he will in the future.
Re-signing Jones or adding a comparable veteran in free agency and pairing that runner with a rookie selected in April’s draft makes sense.
3. Deal with the QB Position
When Cousins left after six seasons, the Vikings signed Sam Darnold to be the bridge quarterback until a new rookie arrives and is ready to enter the starting lineup. J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending meniscus injury in August, and the people in charge had to give the veteran the keys.
He has been fantastic through 13 games, already tossing 28 touchdowns and an acceptable ten interceptions. Because he has been this good, there has been some chatter about just keeping Darnold, but that likely comes with a hefty price.
Well, the Vikings have made very clear how much they value McCarthy, so he will be here. Because he is still practically a rookie in 2025, they need either Darnold back or find a new Darnold ‒ a veteran who can keep the ship afloat if McCarthy isn’t ready for one reason or another. Daniel Jones comes to mind.
4. Find Interior Offensive Line Help
The offensive tackle duo of Brian O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw can compete with anyone’s tandem in the entire league, but the interior of the line has been an issue for years and still is. Garrett Bradbury is a solid run blocker at center but occasionally gets overpowered, and his pass protection is questionable at best.
Blake Brandel was a backup for years before entering the starting lineup, and the right side has already seen a shuffle between Dalton Risner and Ed Ingram.
Adding one or two players who are better than low-end starters could elevate both the passing and the running game. The problem is that good free-agent guards go for annual rates of $20 million or more, and the Vikings only have one first- and one third-rounder to spend.
5. Add a Game-Changing DT
Now, this is a hard quest. However, the Vikings have not had a dominant interior defender in years, and it’s finally time to change that after missing out on guys like Christian Wilkins in 2024.
Those men are hard to find, and it would surely cost the first-rounder or a huge contract in free agency. Regardless, the time has come to escape the circle of playing replacement-level defenders like Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bullard on the interior and find someone who can make a difference next to Harrison Phillips.
Editor’s Note: Information from Over The Cap helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt