After a disappointing end to an excellent season for the Vikings, they come into the 2025-26 NFL season with a ton of new guys after free agency ended, making many moves that have fans hopeful this season. The biggest is moving on from 27-year-old quarterback Sam Darnold, who exploded last season, putting up a career-high 4,312 passing yards with 35 passing touchdowns. Darnold signed a 3-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks, making the Vikings move onto the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft, who missed the entire campaign with an injury, J.J. McCarthy. However, their QB situation wasn’t the only thing that changed because they replenished a large group of supporting players.
For starters, they brought back many guys who made an impact last season: S Theo Jackson, RB Aaron Jones, P Ryan Wright, and CB Byron Murphy all resigned with Minnesota, most notably Byron Murphy, who made the Pro Bowl last season.
Moving on to their new guys, the Vikings managed to sign a plethora of new guys. The biggest signing by far was former Washington Commander’s two-time pro-bowler defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, who will significantly improve the Vikings’ defensive line. Other signings include a pair of Colts in OG Will Fries & C Ryan Kelly, former Eagles CB Isaiah Rodgers, former Texans CB Jeff Okudah, former 49ers DT Javon Hargrave, a pair of Buccaneers in CB Tavierre Thomas & OT Justin Skule, and they signed LB Eric Wilson, who was previously on the Packers but spent his first four seasons in Minnesota from 2017-2020. The Vikings also added to their receiving core, signing WR Rondale Moore from the Falcons and WR Tim Jones from the Jaguars. Many of these signings will likely be for depth purposes, but Javon Hargrave and Will Fries are my favorite signings and will have a genuine impact.
Despite the Vikings’ gains, they also lost some valuable pieces, notably Safety Cam Bynum. Others include LB Patrick Jones II, C Garrett Bradbury, and QB Sam Darnold. However, the gains certainly outweigh the losses, but losing Cam Bynum is rough.
Finally, to round out their free agency run, the Vikings swung at RB Jordan Mason, trading the 160th overall pick and a 2026 6th-round pick in exchange for Mason and pick 187. Jordan Mason was a great RB provider for the 49ers last season, with Christian McCaffery out, reaching career highs of 153 attempts with 789 yards and tying a career-high of 3 TDs in the season. Averaging an eye-catching 5.2 yards per carry, Mason is an intriguing backup to an aging Aaron Jones.
Overall, here is a recap of all the Vikings’ moves through free agency:
Added:
-DT Jonathan Allen
-OG Will Fries
-C Ryan Kelley
-CB Isaiah Rodgers
-DT Javon Hargrave
-CB Tavierre Thomas
-OT Justin Skule
-LB Eric Wilson
-CB Jeff Okudah
-WR Tim Jones
-WR Rondale Moore
-RB Jordan Mason
-Pick #187
Lost:
-QB Sam Darnold
-S Cam Bynum
-LB Patrick Jones II
-C Garrett Bradbury
-Pick #160
-2026 6th Round Pick
The Vikings have improved so far this off-season. With an improved defensive line, more depth at WR and RB, and a refurnished offensive line, Vikings fans should feel optimistic about the 2025 campaign. As long as J.J. McCarthy works out and Dallas Turner takes a leap, the potential for this Vikings team is high. They still have the draft coming up from April 24th to 26th, and I’ll make sure to catch the Vikings’ draft class.
