Vikings Have Several Important Pending FA Decisions

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The Minnesota Vikings’ immediate focus is the current season, during which they are in playoff contention. However, looking forward, the Vikings have several top pending free-agent decisions to make during the offseason.

Vikings Have Several Important Pending FA Decisions

In a recent article, Pro Football Focus named its top 10 pending free agents for each position group. The Vikings had six players named, three on offense and three on defense. The decisions don’t end there, though, as several other less high-profile names are playing key roles or depth roles this season and are also due to be out of contract.

I want to look at these players’ roles this season, how they are performing, and whether the Vikings should or should not bring each player back in 2025. I will start with the big six named by PFF as the top pending free agents.

Sam Darnold

The season is as going as well for Sam Darnold as anyone could have expected. There have been wobbles along the way, particularly the three-interception game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Vikings signed Darnold to a 1-year, $10 million contract to be the bridge QB to first-round rookie JJ McCarthy. McCarthy is the long-term plan at quarterback for the Vikings, but he has completely lost his rookie season to a knee injury. 

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The plan is a little murkier than it otherwise could have been. Kevin O’Connell may want another season with a veteran quarterback who can be the starter if needed on the roster. Darnold has played his way into a bigger contract than $10 million next season. The question is how big and how far would the Vikings be willing to keep him around another year? I suspect Darnold will end up somewhere else as the starting quarterback to begin the 2025 season.

Aaron Jones

Aaron Jones was another veteran player brought in on a one-year deal as a short-term solution. Unlike at QB, no young playmaker is currently waiting in the wing to take over from Jones. The Vikings could and probably should select an RB relatively early in next year’s draft. Jones has played well enough to consider offering him another year if the price is right. He should easily surpass 1000 rushing yards, and his prowess as a pass catcher is essential to the Vikings’ offense.

Cam Robinson

The Vikings acquired Cam Robinson via trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars after their starting left tackle went down with a season-ending injury. Christian Darrisaw signed a big contract this year and is already one of the best tackles in the league. With Brian O’Neill playing better than ever on the other side, there will be no need to retain Robinson’s services after this season.

Byron Murphy

Byron Murphy is enjoying the best season of his career with a career-high grade of 70.8 from PFF and already tying his career-high of four interceptions with six games left. Murphy may never be the elite lockdown CB the Vikings crave, but he is a versatile DB who should return next season to give the Vikings string depth at the position. He has had the knack of showing up in big moments late in games this season which saw him given the clutch tag from PFF.

Camryn Bynum

Camryn Bynum is the first of two safeties that make up the last of the six players to feature in PFF’s top 10 lists. A college who was a fourth-round draft pick and immediately converted to safety. Bynum has grown into his role in the Vikings’ defense over the last four seasons. He plays primarily as the safety but can move around the alignment, although he hasn’t done that as much this season.

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Bynum has an eye for the ball, with three interceptions and four pass deflections this season. It would be a surprise if the Vikings didn’t extend his stay in Minnesota.

Harrison Smith

Harrison Smith will turn 36 in February, and discussing whether he will continue to play has become an annual event. Smith continues to be an important part of the Vikings’ defense and has managed to steer clear of any significant injuries. How long can he go on? When the Hitman reworked his contract and took a substantial pay cut for 2024 so he could come back for his 13th season as a Viking. It felt like a move for one last run. That may be the case, but Smith still looks good enough to continue should he want to.

The Other Veteran Starters

Three other veteran players are starters who will also be out of contract. They are CB Stephon Gilmore, DL Jonathan Bullard, and G Dalton Risner. I am eager to bring just one of those back, and that would be Bullard. The Vikings’ run defense has improved dramatically this season, and Bullard has been a big part of that. The DL is one area I’m looking at the Vikings making a big splash in free agency or the draft, but Bullard should remain in Minnesota as part of the DL group.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) throws the ball under pressure from Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jonathan Bullard (90) on Sunday, September 29, 2024, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Vikings won the game, 31-29. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.

Gilmore arrived late in the day with the Vikings sensing they needed another veteran presence in the secondary for this season. The All-Pro defender has been solid in that role, but he will be 35 next season, and the Vikings need to get younger, quicker, and just better at the position. The Vikings need to find a player like Gilmore was in his prime. Risner recently replaced Ed Ingram at RG, and in my eyes, there has been no significant upgrade to make me believe Risner will still be there next season. The Vikings desperately need to find a quality interior lineman next year.

Significant Depth Players

There are also several significant depth players on whom decisions will need to be made. Most of them should be fairly easily re-signed for minimum cost should the Vikings wish to. Players like Kamu Grugier Hill, Jihad Ward, Shaq Griffin, Jerry Tillery, and  Cam Akers are all playing a role this season, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if most of them came back next.

The big decision is on Patrick Jones, who is having a career year on the edge with seven sacks — more than he managed in his previous three seasons. If he can get up to 10 sacks by the end of the season, he will likely have played his way into a nice contract. With Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel starring on the edge for Minnesota and first-round draft pick Dallas Turner waiting in the wings, will they want to pay Jones significant money to Turner with other more pressing issues to attend to? I think not.

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Lastly, we have Brandon Powell, Trent Sherfield, and Ryan Wright, who all have significant special teams repercussions. Powell has been a solid, if unspectacular, punt returner over the last couple of seasons. The question for the Vikings is whether they stick with Powell’s reliability or look for someone more explosive. Sherfield doesn’t see the ball often, but catching 7 of 8 targets for 77 yards and a touchdown down, he has answered the call when it comes. His primary value is as the gunner on special teams, where he has been excellent, which is enough for me to bring him back.

Finally, we have punter Ryan Wright, who had an impressive rookie season before falling off last year. He’s been better this year, but I’m firmly on the fence about whether he should come back next season.