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I think the Vikings are more than likely going to try and bring back Daniel Jones to go with JJ McCarthy. KOC said in an interview that “Darnold has earned the right to go to free agency” or something along those lines. I do think the team does not want to tie up too much in the QB position regardless of 14 wins. It is a bold strategy but it is time.
I would love it if the team brought in Aaron Rodgers only because I like to see things burn. I doubt it because they have invested time in Jones already and Jones is able to move.
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
2024 season: 14-3, second in NFC North, lost to Rams in wild-card round
Overview: Before it fell apart in the end, this was the best Vikings season in years, which is remarkable considering their rookie quarterback didn’t play a single snap.
Despite limping to the finish, the future in Minneapolis is bright. Both head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have secured contract extensions, and the team is bringing back most of its key pieces next fall. The biggest question the Vikings likely face is what to do at QB.
Who’s in/out: There’s no question that Darnold cost himself a lot of money with his performances in the last two games for Minnesota. But he’s shown that he’s capable of being a starter, and it’s hard to imagine that he’ll be content as a backup in Minneapolis. Just about everything the Vikings do this offseason has to be done after they figure out their plan at quarterback. If they re-sign Darnold to a multiyear deal or hit him with the franchise tag, both of which could be expensive, who knows what McCarthy’s future will look like. Or the Vikings can simply let Darnold walk and make sure McCarthy has everything he needs to be successful as he starts his career.
Lunchbreak: Draft Supply & Demand; Too Early Power Rankings
Cornerback. Defensive tackle. Running back. Guard. Safety.
That’s the ordering of Minnesota’s “biggest needs” as the 2025 NFL offseason comes into full picture, according to NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter, who outlined priorities Sunday night for all 32 teams.
Jeremiah, a former NFL scout and highly respected draft voice in the media, included five corners in his initial prospects ranking: Texas’ Jahdae Barron (No. 9), Michigan’s Will Johnson (12), Florida State’s Azareye’h Thomas (43), Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston (44) and Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison (45).
Short story shorter, the Vikings might have plentiful CB options to consider late in the first round.
So long, of course, as the field isn’t wiped out by cornerback-needy teams. In addition to the Vikings, Reuter underlined CB as one of the first three “biggest needs” for Jacksonville (5th pick), San Francisco (11th), Indianapolis (14th), Atlanta (15th), Pittsburgh (21st), Green Bay (23rd), the Los Angeles Rams (26th) and Detroit (28th). Furthermore, Reuter declared CB the top priority for the Jaguars and Packers.
Also, Seifert reminded, the handling of its quarterback room will guide Minnesota’s offseason approach.
Meanwhile, David Helman of FOX Sports pegged Minnesota two spots lower and shared the following:
Doing my best to learn my lesson from this past year, which is that quarterback uncertainty might not matter as much if O’Connell is your head coach. The Vikings roster is fantastic, and K.O. can get good results no matter if the quarterback is Darnold, McCarthy or someone else — Daniel Jones, anyone?
Vikings on the Verge of Losing $88 Million Pro Bowler
The future of the Minnesota Vikings secondary hinges on a decision between re-signing safety Camryn Bynum or cornerback Byron Murphy Jr.
The Vikings have the cap space to re-sign both players, but with roster needs elsewhere, it looks more likely they will choose between the two stars.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on February 12 that the “sense” is “Murphy walks but Bynum could stay under a new deal.”
Fowler’s report likely considers that Murphy, who made his first Pro Bowl in 2024, may garner stronger competing offers that Minnesota would not match.
The Vikings have five starters in the secondary who are on expiring contracts, with veterans Shaq Griffin, Stephon Gilmore and Harrison Smith joining Murphy and Bynum.
Spotrac projects Murphy to garner a four-year, $88 million contract worth $22 million a year — a far cry from the two-year, $17.5 million deal he signed with the Vikings in 2023.
Murphy’s projected contract would rank in the top five at his position — which seems a bit of a reach. Murphy finished as the 20th-ranked cornerback by Pro Football Focus (PFF) this season but has positional versatility as a slot corner by trade.
While Fowler’s “sense” suggests that Murphy will have a strong market in free agency, Minnesota Star Tribune beat reporter Ben Goessling argues that the Vikings may let Bynum walk and keep Murphy instead.
“They need corners, none of them are signed,” Goessling said on the “Vikings Access” podcast in November. “I think the value of a corner is more than a deep safety.”
The general sense from most Minnesota beat reporters is that Murphy will be the one to stay and Bynum will walk. The Vikings have options at safety. Josh Metellus has emerged as a versatile piece in the secondary and Theo Jackson is poised to step up in either Smith or Bynum’s role.
Vikings FB C.J. Ham recovering from “simple procedure”
Vikings fullback C.J Ham will spend some time recovering from an operation this offseason.
Ham’s wife posted pictures of her husband in a hospital bed with a boot on his right foot and ankle to Instagram on Wednesday. She wrote that it was a “simple procedure” without detailing what injury he was addressing with the procedure.
Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes that Ham was on the injury report with an ankle issue late in the season, but he did not miss any time.
Ham appeared in all 18 games for the Vikings. He caught five passes for 35 yards and ran twice for 10 yards in the regular season. He also had one catch in the team’s playoff loss to the Rams.
Free agency is going to be huge for the Minnesota Vikings. They are primed to be a major player with $58 million in salary cap space, but a major decision to make at the quarterback position.
Sam Darnold is arguably the biggest factor in all of free agency. If the Vikings keep him in the building, teams will start calling about J.J. McCarthy and if he’s not available, teams will get more desperate at quarterback.
There have been discussions about the Vikings using the franchise tag on Darnold to either keep him or trade him. However, there is one other player that makes sense when it comes to the franchise tag.
There is one player who could be given the franchise tag by the Vikings: cornerback Byron Murphy Jr.
Placing the franchise tag on Murphy would be an interesting move for the Vikings. If they were to do that, it would likely cost them $20,357,000 per Over The Cap’s franchise tag projections. It might feel like a lot for Murphy who is set to enter his age 27 season, but it’s not crazy. Murphy could get that on the open market, especially with the top of the market now being $24 million per season.
How did top free agent guard Trey Smith play in the Super Bowl?
Super Bowl LIX did not go well for the Kansas City Chiefs, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Patrick Mahomes was sacked six times, turned the ball over three times, and was under constant duress from the Eagles’ defensive line. Philadelphia dominated in that area, got a great game from Jalen Hurts, and turned the Super Bowl into a 34-0 blowout that ended with a slightly deceiving final score of 40-22.
The answer, from looking at the Pro Football Focus grades and skimming through some of the tape, is that Smith wasn’t great, but he was also far from the biggest issue for the Chiefs up front. He didn’t help boost his free agent stock like the Eagles’ Milton Williams and Josh Sweat did on the other side, but he also probably didn’t hurt it very much. After all, this was one game against arguably the best defensive line in football, and there’s an 80-game sample size of Smith mostly playing right guard at a high level.
PFF gave Smith a 63.2 overall grade (60 is considered average). That included a 49.2 mark in pass blocking and a 71.5 grade in run blocking. The bad? He was charged with three pressures, two hurries, and the first and only sack he allowed in 20 games all season. Smith also committed a holding penalty against Jalen Carter and got blown up by Nolan Smith as a puller in the run game.
The good — or at least not that bad? On a lot of reps, Smith was absolutely battling against Carter, who is already one of the best defensive tackles in the league. Carter was the Eagles’ lowest-graded player on Sunday and was held to two total pressures after racking up 20 in their three NFC playoff games. The bigger issue for the Chiefs was the left side, where emergency LT Joe Thuney (who usually plays guard) allowed seven pressures and Mike Caliendo, playing in Thuney’s usual LG spot, earned a 30.1 PFF pass blocking grade.
Interestingly, Smith received a PFF grade below 64 in all three postseason games after doing so just twice in 17 regular season contests. He actually graded better in this one than he did against the Bills and Texans in the last two rounds. Teams like the Vikings will have to do their own study of the film to see how much weight they want to put into these playoffs compared to the four-year sample of Smith’s career.
Sam Darnold rumors: This AFC team is already set to pursue the Vikings QB in 2025 free agency
The Raiders have an obvious need at quarterback, shuffling between backups Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew during the 2024 season. Now under reportedly significant direction from new minority owner Tom Brady, the former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers great, Las Vegas also boasts the second-most projected salary cap space of the 2025 offseason, with more than $92 million set to be at their disposal.
The Raiders have also been tied to this year’s top quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the favorites to go early, including Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, could be off the board by the time Las Vegas is scheduled to pick at No. 6 overall.
REPORT: Is Vikings QB Sam Darnold a Bad Look for the Raiders?
The Las Vegas Raiders have had a major shake up this offseason so far. Owner Mark Davis with the help of minority owner Tom Brady have brought in two key people that will look to turn around the franchise in Las Vegas. Pete Carroll and John Spytek are the new head coach and general manager duo that will do their best to give the Silver and Black stability.
Now Carroll and Spytek will be looking for their next franchise quarterback. The Raiders have not had good quarterback play over the last two seasons. Carroll and Spytek will have options on how they want to address the problem.
The Raiders also can find their next quarterback via free agency. One of the top quarterbacks in free agency will be Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold.
“I think the challenging thing about that is Sam Darnold under pressure is a bad look, and that team [Raiders] does not have the protection necessarily,” said former NFL Player Domonique Foxworth on Get Up. “I think you get the best version of every quarterback honestly when they are protected. Some quarterbacks who have the athleticism or who have the ability to make quick decisions would be better in that situation. I do not think Danrold is perfect for that.”
Kirk Cousins’ Vikings Connection Could Give Falcons Potential Trade Option
ESPN’s Rich Cimini discussed the Spielman-Cousins relationship in an article on Feb. 9.
“Cousins is an interesting possibility because his former Vikings GM, Rick Spielman, is now the Jets’ senior football adviser. He’d be cost-effective. The Falcons are on the hook for his $27.5 million base salary (guaranteed), so the Jets would have to pay only the veterans minimum, roughly $1.2 million,” wrote Cimini.
“The Jets will need to be in a cap-conscious mode. Releasing or trading Rodgers will result in $49 million in dead cap charges. That can be spread over two years if they designate him as a June 1 cut, which they can execute at the start of the league year March 12.”
Vikings trade prediction ends QB debate while landing top-10 pick from desperate Jets
Seth Trachtman of Yardbarker predicts the Vikings will bring back starting QB Sam Darnold, and subsequently flip McCarthy in a blockbuster trade with the New York Jets for the No. 7 overall pick. Here was his take on a bold move that Vikings fans would loathe:
McCarthy effectively had a red-shirt year after missing his rookie season due to injury and might have lost the starting job in Minnesota after Sam Darnold’s fine season. If Minnesota retains Darnold, they could look to cash in on their 2024 first-rounder. The Jets are among the teams desperate for a quarterback with a weak 2025 draft class after the Aaron Rodgers debacle.
Six NFL teams to be hit hardest by free agency in 2025
Rank 6
Minnesota Vikings
2024 record: 14-3
Salary cap space: $58 million
The Vikings have a metric ton of valuable players headed into unrestricted free agency. The left side of their offensive line for the entire second half of the season — midseason tackle acquisition Cam Robinson and guard Dalton Risner — are impending UFAs. Productive running back Aaron Jones signed a one-year deal in 2024 and could be gone. The defense could be absolutely gutted with Harrison Smith, Byron Murphy, Stephon Gilmore, Camryn Bynum, Jonathan Bullard, Shaquill Griffin and Jerry Tillery, among others, all on expiring contracts.
2025 Vikings offseason news and rumor tracker: Free agency, NFL draft
An Off Season Plan
Starting Cap Space
2025: $58,012,543
2026: $101,508,844
.
Franchise tag Sam Darnold and trade him to Raiders for pick #73 and #218
.
Cut Ed Ingram : saves 3.325M in 2025 cap space
Extend Daniel Jones 1 yr 15M
Extend Dalton Risner 2 yr 8M
Extend Theo Jackson 1 yr 3.185M (Right Of First Refusal tag)
.
Sign Tevin Jenkins LG 3 yr 45M
Sign Michael Jackson CB 3 yr 24M
Sign Elijah Molden S 3 yr 21M
Sign Ifeatu Melifonwu CB/S 2 yr 10M
Sign Eric Stokes CB 2 yr 8M
Sign Michael Hoecht DT 2 yr 16M
Sign Sebastian Joseph Day DT 2 yr 14M
Sign Rico Dowdle RB 2 yr 13M
.
Ending Cap Space
2025: $26,839,209
2026: $25,283,844
Yore Mock
Trades
Trade Partner: Raiders
Sent: Sam Darnold
Received: R3.73, R6.218
…
Trade Partner: Commandos
Sent: R1.24, R6.218
Received: R1.29, R3.79
…
Trade Partner: Browns
Sent: R3.97
Received: R4.102, R6.200
…
R1.29 Kenneth Grant DT Michigan 6’3” 339
R3.73 Azareye’h Thomas CB Florida State 6’2” 198
R3.79 Jonah Savaiinaea OG Arizona 6’5” 336
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Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images
R4.102 RJ Harvey RB UCF 5’9” 208
R5.139 Billy Bowman S 5’10” 200
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Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
R5.161 Jonah Monheim OC USC 6’5” 310
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Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images
Those uniforms are sweet!
R6.200 Efton Chism III WR Eastern Washington 5”11” 200
R7.239 Tonka Hemingway DT South Carolina 6’3” 288
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Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
UDFA
David Gbenda LB Texas
Trey Wedig OT Indiana
Nash Jones OG Texas State
Warren Brinson DT Georgia
Johnny Walker Jr EDGE Missouri
Donovan Edwards RB Michigan
CJ Dippre TE Alabama
Vernon Broughton DT Texas
Shaun Dolac LB Buffalo
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