The Minnesota Vikings will enter the new league year with a major surplus at EDGE rusher, and a major need at defensive tackle.
Adding a bonafide starter for the defensive interior feels like a must, as the Vikings got inconsistent returns in 2024 from a group that included Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bullard.
GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has a strong track record of adding impact free agents, and Mason Cameron of PFF predicts he’ll strike again by signing Milton Williams, a rising star who will start for the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Here was Cameron’s take on Williams leaving Philly for Minnesota:
Williams made great strides as a pass-rusher in 2024, earning the second-highest PFF pass-rush grade (90.4) among interior defenders and recording top-five marks in win rate (17.2%), pressure rate (14.6%) and pass-rush productivity rating (8.3) during the regular season.
Jonathan Gannon is very familiar with Williams’ game, having coached the former third-round pick for the first two years of his career. Given the Cardinals’ pass-rushing woes (31st in team PFF pass-rush grade in 2024) and ample cap space, expect Gannon to target familiar faces, like Williams, to revamp his pass rush in 2025.
Brian Flores is known for his aggressive blitz packages but tends to find pressure without blitzing, having ranked 28th in total pressures (144) without the blitz. Williams would fit well in Flores’ scheme at 5-technique, where the Vikings‘ highest-graded pass-rusher failed to eclipse a 65.0 PFF pass-rush grade.
It would be unlike the Eagles to let a rising talent like Williams walk in free agency, especially a defensive tackle, but Philadelphia will be entering an accelerated offseason after the Super Bowl and figures to have major competition for its top free agents.
Linebacker Zack Baun figures to be a priority for the Eagles after his breakout season ended with first team All-Pro honors. Josh Sweat, the team’s top EDGE rusher, and starting right guard Mekhi Becton are also scheduled to hit free agency.
There thus could be a path for Minnesota to poach Williams from Philly, but it would likely cost them. The Eagles took a gamble by letting Williams play out the final year of his rookie contract, and his strong 2024 season figures to land him a contract in the range of three years, $60 million. That could be too rich for GM Howie Roseman and the Eagles, who are in the bottom half of the NFL in projected cap space.
The Vikings, meanwhile, are in the top 10, and we could see them making a splash signing like Williams, especially if they decide not to pay quarterback Sam Darnold this March.
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