Vikings Links: Free Agency Day 4 Open Thread

The heavy lifting is done but some more work is needed

The third day of free agency saw the team extend Harrison Smith which should solidify the safety position for 2025.

The team still needs another QB, RB, WR, TE, LB, and possibly CB & OT.

The salary cap websites (overthecap & Spotrac) do not have the Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Javon Hargrave, and Hitman new deals recorded yet.

The team has 48M & 44M left the next two years respectively but those numbers will go down considerably.

I know the talk has been about Aaron Rodgers but I do not think the team has the cap space to pay him what he will want.

It is fun to speculate I suppose but it is kind of like the Sam Darnold franchise tag talk.

I think any other free agents signed will be close to minimum level deals. Maybe a couple around 3-4 mil.

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What other free agents will they target or do you want them to target?

Ranking the best available 2025 NFL free agents

Here are some of the players I like …

Gardner Minshew QB

Drew Lock QB

JK Dobbins RB

Miles Sanders RB

Cam Akers RB

Dillon Radunz OT

Elijah Moore WR

Devin Duvernay WR

Jaelon Darden WR

Clelin Ferrell DL 28

Jamin Davis LB 26

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Minnesota Vikings News and Links

Your Minnesota Vikings 2025 Free Agency Tracker

Minnesota Vikings 2025 depth chart: Updated look after free agency spending spree

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Who are the Vikings’ veteran quarterback options left in free agency?

Mac Jones

Jones is a former first-round pick who is just 26 years old, giving him some lingering upside if he were to get accepted into O’Connell’s prestigious quarterback academy. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie with the Patriots, then saw his numbers fall off over the next two seasons to the point where he clearly was no longer the answer in New England. The Pats traded Jones to the Jaguars last year and drafted Drake Maye, and Jones wound up making seven starts while Lawrence was hurt. The results were similarly mediocre. Still, Jones has good size and was highly productive when playing with elite receivers at Alabama, so he could be a reasonable solution for the Vikings.

Gardner Minshew

Minshew would be a fun addition for the vibes alone. Known for his mustache and his personality, the former sixth-round pick has had stretches of “Minshew Mania” during a solid career. He threw 37 touchdown passes to just 11 interceptions in his first two seasons with the Jaguars, then spent a couple years as a backup with the Eagles before landing with the Colts in 2023, where he started 13 games and actually wound up as a replacement player in the Pro Bowl. Minshew had a career-low 81 passer rating and more picks than touchdowns last year in nine starts with the Raiders, but he’s a high-end backup who turns 29 in May. He was released by Las Vegas, so there would be no risk of him factoring into the comp pick formula even if he gets a decent-sized contract.

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Minnesota Vikings slate of 2025 NFL Draft picks made official as the league announces compensatory selection

First round: 24th overall

Third round: 97th overall (compensatory selection)

Fifth round: 139th overall

Fifth round: 160th overall

Second-round pick: to the Houston Texans in the trade up to 23rd overall

Third and fourth-round picks: trade up from 23rd overall to 17th overall in the move-up for edge rusher Dallas Turner

Sixth and seventh-round picks: trade with the Cleveland Browns when the Vikings sent them Za’Darius Smith

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Your humor for the day!

Will the 49ers Trade for Vikings Quarterback J.J. McCarthy?

The Vikings and Aaron Rodgers have mutual interest according to reports. Does that mean Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is available, and would the 49ers be interested in trading for him?

The Vikings drafted McCarthy last year before they realized just how good their roster was. Then they won 14 games with Sam Darnold as their quarterback. Now, they probably think they can win a Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers, and they might be right.

Which brings us back to McCarthy. He’s an extremely talented young quarterback, but he doesn’t quite fit the Vikings all-in win-now timeline, because he’s essentially a rookie. You can’t expect him to win a Super Bowl in his first season starting.

Meanwhile, the 49ers aren’t all-in anymore. In fact, they’re rebuilding and slashing their spending budget. So McCarthy actually would be a great fit for them.

What’s the point of making Brock Purdy the highest-paid player in franchise history when the front office is in the process of tearing down the team around him? Why spend so much money on a non-elite quarterback when the 49ers are so far away from Super Bowl contention?

If the 49ers want to save money, what better way than to trade Brock Purdy to a team that needs a quarterback (the Steelers?) and then trade for McCarthy, who won’t be eligible for an extension until 2027?

Note: Most will say GTFOH with this nonsense but you really cannot blame 49er fan for drooling about JJ McCarthy right?

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Yore Mock

I am doing a Kwesi “eff them future picks” mock here.

Trades

Trade Partner: Seattle Seahawks

Sent: Garrett Bradbury, Future Round 7 Pick

Received: Round 5 Pick 37

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Trade Partner: Baltimore Ravens

Sent: Round 1 Pick 24

Received: Round 1 Pick 27, Round 4 Pick 34

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Trade Partner: Seattle Seahawks

Sent: Round 3 Pick 33, Future Round 3 Pick

Received: Round 3 Pick 18, Future Round 5 Pick

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Trade Partner: Denver Broncos

Sent: Round 4 Pick 34, Round 5 Pick 37

Received: Round 4 Pick 20, Round 6 Pick 32

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Trade Partner: Dallas Cowboys

Sent: Future Round 4 Pick

Received: Round 5 Pick 33, Round 6 Pick 35

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27: R1 P27 LB Jihaad Campbell – Alabama 6’3” 235

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82: R3 P18 RB TreVeyon Henderson – Ohio State 5’10.1” 202

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122: R4 P20 DL Ty Robinson – Nebraska 6’5.1” 288

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139: R5 P1 S/CB Caleb Ransaw – Tulane 5’11.3 197

Photo by Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images

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160: R5 P22 CB Jacob Parrish – Kansas State 5’9.6” 191

Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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171: R5 P33 G Dylan Fairchild – Georgia 6’5.2” 318

Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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208: R6 P32 QB Riley Leonard – Notre Dame 6’3.6” 216

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211: R6 P35 WR Jaylin Lane – Virginia Tech 5’9.6” 191

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237: R7 P21 TE Thomas Fidone – Nebraska 6’5.0 243

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