Vikings Free Agents: Sam Darnold and 9 other important players who should arrive on the market

It is an understatement to say that the List of Minnesota Vikings could be very different from next season. The team has 23 players to become free agents. Ten of them played more than 50% of the shots in 2024.

Once the Vikings have done brass Quarter-rear plansHis attention will turn to fill the rest of the list. Vikings will have free agent targets and project priorities, but their list goes first.

Managing Director Kwesi Adofofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell hopes to redo the list of a finesse group in one with more physique. What it looks like in terms of personnel is in question.

For the moment, here is a classification of free agents without restriction of Vikings according to the level of interest which they will probably arouse on the market:

1. Sam Darnold, QB

The other quarter-back options work in favor of Darnold this offseason. Neither the draft of the NFL nor the rest of the HQ harvest of free agent get a lot of confidence. This reality, associated with the multitude of teams needing long -term responses to the most important position of the game (raiders, giants, titans, steelers, browns and others), makes Darnold a precious goods.

His 2024 season was fascinating. Darnold ranked 15th among 28 quarters qualified as a percentage of completion and EPA per department. Only four -quarters were dismissed more than Darnold, but only three marked more major throws than him.

Darnold played the position in 2024 as a power striker in baseball. The circuits came, but the stick withdraws too. It is a style effective enough to work, but it has necessarily come with major hollows. There is no better example than his last two Clunkers against Lions and Rams.

Darnold’s experience with bad infrastructure in New York and Caroline will shape her free agent decision. Nor is it out of the question that the Darnold of the Vikings franchise (or even the transition), which would add another intrigue layer next month.

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2. Byron Murphy Jr., CB

Most of the free agents of free agents are almost 30 years old. Murphy, meanwhile, recently was 27 years old. He also comes from his best season. Not only did Murphy recorded six interceptions, which ranked second among NFL’s cornerbacks in 2024, but he also played the 17 games.

The combination of age, ball skills, sustainability and versatility will be attractive for teams. The corner half remain a bonus in what has become a league focused on passes. Last year, the Buccaneers signed Jamel Dean for a $ 52 million contract over four years. Murphy might want a higher average annual value, and a team is likely to give it.

A return to Minnesota is not, however, out of the question. The three starters of the Vikings in the cornerback in 2024 are on this list. The team has optimism in Mekhi Blackmon, which recovers a torn ACL, and Dwight McGothern, which has essentially received a season of red shirts, but still needs proven talent.

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What a day, @byronmurphy! pic.twitter.com/vmqurgugcw

– Minnesota Vikings (@vikings) February 2, 2025

3. Cam bynum, S

The representation of Bynum tried to negotiate an extension with the Vikings before the start of the 2024 season. They could not find common ground. This is how bynum is on this list.

He will not be 27 years before July. And although he is not the most explosive player, bynum’s intelligence and the ability to treat make it an option for almost all systems.

It was exposed to the style of Mike Zimmer as a recruit, then the rules of Ed Donatell and more recently the program in constant evolution of the defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Few have a better knowledge of its subtleties, and although the Vikings do not vote Captain in 2024, several young players cited him as a key and comforting voice.

Jevon Holland will be the beauty of the free agent security ball. Tre’von Moehrig, Justin Reid and Talanoa Hufanga are also notable names. But bynum deserves to be mentioned alongside these names. Losing it would create another need for a minnesota team who already has a lot.

4. Aaron Jones, RB

Here are some of the runners who hit the free agency in March: Jones, Najee Harris, Javonte Williams, JK Dobbins, Rico Dowdle, Kareem Hunt and Ameer Abdullah. Jones may be 30 years old, but it is easily the most accomplished name – and always the most explosive – on this list.

Jones is a dynamic player who strengthens a cloakroom and is a voluntary passing protector. If there is one aspect that works against the potential interest of the teams for him, it is the class of draft of runners, which is massive and talented. However, the history of Jones’ production will arouse interest.

He played every game this season and totaled more than 1,500 melee yards. Its catchy prowess exceeds those of other free agents and can be a major reason why Vikings are trying to bring it back to a short -term agreement.

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5. Harrison Smith, S

Does the veteran want to play another season? If the answer is yes, the Vikings will probably rework its contract as they have the last two seasons to make it work.

He likes to play for Flores, the coordinator of defensive passing games Daronte Jones and the security coach Michael Hutchings. He was also a main call for a defense that uses a control system to position itself on the fly. O’Connell considers Smith one of his main conduits in the locker room.

Would Smith open the door to play elsewhere? The chances are probably low, but because his contract is emptied, it is worth mentioning it.

6. Cam Robinson, Ot

Robinson was one of the most interesting and most underlined aspects of the end of the Vikings season. He was crazy for nine Pressures against the Lions of Week 18 and 12 More against the Rams in the round at the Joker. He finished the 2024 season with the most authorized pressures (64) of any tackle of the league.

The history of Robinson’s injuries and a solid tackle market – Ronnie Stanley, Patrick Mekari, Alaric Jackson, etc. – will also affect the types of offers Robinson receives.

7. Daniel Jones, QB

Why is Jones on this list? Well, who do you prefer to have: Jones or Russell Wilson? And Jones against Mac Jones, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields or Jacoby Brissett? These are the quarter-rear of the free agent with whom he jockey during this cycle.

Jones is 24-44-1 in his starter career. His arm is not as impressive as that of Darnold, but he could also be less subject to reversals. He will be 28 years old this summer, potentially young enough for a desperate team to punch him as a starter. If this does not happen, the Vikings could prevent Jones from associating with the JJ McCarthy recruit in a configuration similar to last season.

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8. Stephon Gilmore, CB

The Vikings played more men’s coverage in week 17 against packers than in a match all season. In the locker room later, Gilmore seemed to be spent. He admirably played a filling role in 2024, but he is not the corner of a man that he was in the past.

His level of experience and his treatment speed in the field will arouse interest if he chooses to play another season. He will be 35 years old in September, so retirement is not out of the question.

9. Shaq Griffin, CB

Gilmore played almost double the shots that Griffin made in 2024. Like Gilmore, Griffin prospered in the cover of man when he entered the NFL. He will be 30 years old this summer, however, and his speed is not what it was in the past.

Minnesota signed it for a one -year contract of $ 4.55 million last winter, and it is probably online for another pleasant contract in the short term.

10. Patrick Jones II, DL

Jones posted a career summit of seven bags in 2024, although a knee injury put it aside in the section. His season was not too different from the 2023 campaign of DJ Wonnum, which signed a two -year contract worth 12.5 million dollars with the Panthers last spring.

Jones adapts best in a front in four cases where its main role is to precipitate the smuggler. Flores also used it inside. Minnesota could bring it back to a cheaper agreement depending on the market while Flores appreciates its versatility and cloakroom.

Other notable free agents without restrictions: Jonathan Bullard, Idl; Dalton Risner, IOL; Jerry Tillery, Idl; Jihad Ward, Idl; Johnny Mundt, Te; CAM AKERS, RB; Brandon Powell, WR; Trent Sherfield Sr., Wr; Kamu Grugier-Hill, lb; David Quesenberry, t; Fabian Moreau, CB; Nick Mullens, QB; Dan Feeney, IOL

(Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)