The 7 Greatest Gamers for Vikings to Goal in Free Company

NFL free company is nineteen days away, and the Minnesota Vikings have almost $60 million to spend, their most in years.

The 7 Greatest Gamers for Vikings to Goal in Free Company

Minnesota should additionally re-sign some allotment of its 25 free-agents-to-be, so the piggybank could shrink shortly until common supervisor Kwesi Adofo-Mensah restructures present gamers’ contracts.

Per the open market and rising fan-driven sentiment, these are seven high-profile free brokers to-be that Minnesota can chase, assuming the gamers’ present groups don’t re-sign them. They’re ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = greatest and most reasonable free agent to pursue).

Observe: The Vikings gained’t signal all of those gamers.

7. Talanoa Hufanga (S)

Sergio Estrada-Imagn Photographs.

Hufanga performed a down yr by his requirements, producing a 57.8 Professional Soccer Focus grade. He normally checks in at 70.0 or greater. Regulate his price ticket as a result of it might diminish accordingly.

The person reached a Professional Bowl and earned All-Professional standing not way back (2022), and he’s a San Francisco 49er, the workforce that gave Adofo-Mensah his first NFL employment.

If Harrison Smith retires and Camryn Bynum leaves in free company, Hufanga would look good in Brian Flores’ protection.

6. Will Fries (OG)

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports activities.

Fries produced a complete breakout season in 2024, logging an 86.9 PFF grade.

The one catch? It was the primary time in 4 seasons that Fries performed higher than mediocre.

Minnesota’s offensive line was uncovered late within the season, and if the group subtracts Dalton Risner and Ed Ingram, Fries is a smart alternative candidate.

5. Trey Smith (OG)

Morgan Tencza-USA TODAY Sports activities.

Smith might be the preferred free agent amongst Vikings followers. These followers watched as Minnesota allowed 9 sacks throughout its playoff loss within the Wildcard Spherical, probably the most within the historical past of the NFL playoffs. Smith is the perfect guard on the open market if the Chiefs don’t re-up for his providers. He’s a two-time Tremendous Bowl champion and reached his first Professional Bowl this season.

As a comparability, he’s as regular as Brian O’Neill per week-to-week efficiency.

Brace your self, nonetheless — he’ll be spendy. His subsequent deal will possible verify in round $20 million per yr. The one motive Smith doesn’t prime this record is as a result of a dozen different groups may pursue him.

It’s additionally value noting that Smith and his OL teammates had been completely disgraced in Tremendous Bowl LIX — lower than excellent for his free company.

4. Jevon Holland (S)

Miami Dolphins security Jevon Holland (8) reacts after receiving a good catch within the fourth quarter in the course of the soccer sport between the New York Jets and host Miami Dolphins at Laborious Rock Stadium on Sunday, January 8, 2023, in Miami Gardens, FL.

Jevon Holland may be the perfect security within the NFL, and he’ll in some way hit free company in three weeks.

Minnesota doesn’t want any safeties — it has Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, and Josh Metellus. However Smith might realistically retire, and Bynum is a free agent who just isn’t assured to return.

Thereafter, in that situation, the Vikings would wish a brand new beginning security, and defensive coordinator Brian Flores has ties to Holland from the 2021 Dolphins draft and season.

Holland has talked about his constructive relationship with Flores. He tweeted two years in the past when Flores landed Minnesota’s defensive coordinator job: “Flo was apart of the reason I got drafted making my lifelong dream come true. I got nothing but love for him!”

That’s a candy place to begin for Vikings free company if Adofo-Mensah is keen on Holland.

3. D.J. Reed (CB)

Shaun Brooks-Imagn Photographs.

Reed instructed Go Lengthy‘s Tyler Dunne this in December, “I’m ready to go to free agency, bro. I’m ready to see what’s next for me.”

That appears like a person prepared to depart New York, and Minnesota wants a cornerback.

Reed routinely produces seasons with PFF scores north of 70.0 and 75.0. Minnesota can afford him, and he needs to be the first free-agent goal. Above all else, Minnesota should handle cornerback for the long run this offseason. It’s necessary.

2. Drew Dalman (C)

Wealthy Barnes-USA TODAY Sports activities.

Garrett Bradbury might turn out to be a wage cap casualty if the Vikings are critical about upgrading the offensive line’s inside.

Dalman is the perfect middle out there in free company, accounting for a 78.8 PFF grade this season. And he’s not like Bradbury, who makes a speciality of run blocking whereas battling move safety. Dalman does each.

The one disadvantage? A number of groups will pursue Dalman.

Dalman earns close to prime placement on this record as a result of it will be fairly improbable to start out the J.J. McCarthy period at quarterback with one of many league’s greatest facilities. Permitting Bradbury or a rookie to deal with the project doesn’t really feel good.

The Vikings needs to be accomplished with the period of going through an imposing defensive deal with (Dexter Lawrence or Kenny Clark, for instance) and simply understanding that Bradbury can be pummeled. Dalman is the reply.

1. Milton Williams (DT)

Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Photographs.

Williams stole headlines within the Tremendous Bowl, accounting for two sacks and a pair of tackles for loss.

His Eagles completely trampled the in any other case dynastic Chiefs, with Williams rising his incomes energy alongside the best way. Minnesota should strengthen the inside of its line of defense as an alternative of signing gamers like Shamar Stephen, Armon Watts, and Jonathan Bullard time and again.

Williams turned an elite pass-rushing DT in 2024, banking a outstanding 90.4 PFF mark by way of move rush. That ranked second within the NFL behind Chiefs defensive deal with Chris Jones in 2024.

Minnesota can afford him if it bins out different bidders.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the College of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his day by day YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The present options visitors, evaluation, and opinion on all issues associated to the purple workforce, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings 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.