Brad Rempel-Imagn Photos.
The Minnesota Vikings’ offseason has been dominated by just a few dominoes, ones unresolved as of February twenty second.
Vikings Free Company: 3 Underneath the Radar Selections
These are the highest issues within the Vikings’ orbit in the intervening time:
Will Sam Darnold keep or go?
Harrison Smith — will he retire?
Will the Vikings re-sign Camryn Bynum and Byron Murphy Jr.?
How will the crew repair the inside offensive line?
Who will play QB2 if Sam Darnold leaves?
Which cornerbacks will begin in 2025?
And whereas these gadgets might be tremendously impactful, a handful of under-the-radar free-agency gadgets loom.
Listed in no specific order, these are these.
1. Will the Vikings Add an Impression Off-Ball Linebacker?
Typically talking, Minnesota has the off-ball linebacker positions sewed up, using Ivan Tempo Jr. and Blake Cashman. Nevertheless, the 2024 marketing campaign proved how worthwhile a reservist linebacker like Kamu Grugier-Hill will be when accidents emerge.
Most followers don’t have linebacker anyplace on their private team-need lists, however the Vikings might get sneaky and signal a participant like Jerome Baker from Brian Flores’ days with the Miami Dolphins. Baker is scheduled to be a free agent in two weeks.
Don’t rule out linebacker as a semi-splashy signing when the calendar turns to March tenth.
2. The RB Plan
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Photos.
All indicators level to Aaron Jones returning in 2025.
ESPN’s Area Yates tweeted final weekend, “The Vikings and RB Aaron Jones agreed to move the void date on his contract from this Monday until the final day before free agency. If Jones had not been extended by Monday, the team would have taken on $3.2M in dead money in 2025. This expands the window for Jones and Minnesota to continue to negotiate a new deal that would avoid that amount hitting the cap in full for 2025.”
This proved that Minnesota a minimum of has some curiosity in reuniting with Jones.
However can he actually be the RB1 repair coming into his age-31 season? Minnesota will in all probability draft a runner from a really deep class, after which the query is — who will it’s?
3. Don’t Overlook about Security
Ben Ludeman-USA TODAY Sports activities.
Harrison Smith might retire, and Camryn Bynum might depart in free company.
Minnesota might flip round in early March and understand it wants two beginning safeties if it needs to maintain Josh Metellus within the Swiss Military knife function.
Normal supervisor Kwesi Adofo-Mensah might use free company for potential replacements, males like Jevon Holland or Talanoa Hufanga might be out there. However bear in mind, as a result of Smith and Bynum really feel like they’re nonetheless on the roster, security doesn’t appear to be an pressing want.
We might get right here in a rush.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the College of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his each day YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The present options friends, evaluation, and opinion on all issues associated to the purple crew, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates again to 1996. Listed responsible pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doorways (the band). He follows the NBA as carefully because the NFL.
All statistics supplied by Professional Soccer Reference / Stathead; all contractual data supplied by OverTheCap.com.
