It’s no secret that the team that takes the field for the Minnesota Vikings in 2025 will likely look very different from the team that did so well in 2024. The heir apparent at quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, will likely take the reins from Sam Darnold in 2025.
The Vikings currently have just one defensive back under contract through next season, meaning there could be a ton of upheaval at the cornerback and safety positions.
Minnesota is also scheduled to have nearly $70 million dollars of cap space to work with this offseason, with a ton of holes to fill. Minnesota desperately needs to get better in the trenches, on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
They should also have the cap space to bring back a number of their more prominent free agents – should they choose to do so. But who are those prominent free agents, exactly, and how likely is the team to bring them back?
One media outlet, Pro Football Network (PFN), recently dropped their list of the top 100 free agents scheduled to hit the market in 2025, and the Vikings are well represented at the top. Minnesota has two of the top 10 free agents in PFN’s list.
Coming in at number six on their list is cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. Murphy had a career year with the Vikings in 2024, and was named to his first Pro Bowl team this season. Murphy stood out for the Vikings in an otherwise shaky position group, coming down with six interceptions – tied for the league lead among corners with Ravens’ Marlon Humphrey.
Murphy was also a standout in coverage, allowing just a 76.7 passer rating when targeted and giving up just four touchdowns on the season.
With the team’s need in the secondary coupled with the amount of cap space they have going into free agency, it would make sense for the Vikings to try and retain Murphy. Murphy has thrived the past two seasons under defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
With Flores once again not getting any real consideration in the NFL’s coaching carousel, he’ll be back in Minnesota. The pair have been great for the Vikings’ defense, and it would be in Minnesota’s best interest to bring Murphy back.
Rounding out PFN’s top 10 available free agents for 2025 is none other than Vikings’ quarterback Sam Darnold. Signed in the off-season as a bridge to the rookie McCarthy, Darnold made the most of his opportunity and turned in a career season of his own.
Darnold set new career highs in attempts, completions, completion percentage, yards, touchdowns, and passer rating – most by a significant margin. He also led the team to a surprising 14-win season and had the team in contention for the top spot in the NFC until the season’s final week.
And yet, it’s unlikely that Darnold will be in Purple and Gold come next season. The reality of the situation is that the Vikings didn’t draft McCarthy with the 10th pick in the first round just to sit on the bench indefinitely.
Darnold collapsing in the final game of the regular season and in the team’s lone playoff game likely put to rest any lingering thoughts the team may have had about running it back with Darnold.
Still, it’s not a given that Darnold hits free agency. There is a chance the Vikings could work out a tag-and-trade deal with someone given the incredible season Darnold had in 2024. Darnold’s final two games may have made that scenario far more unlikely, but it may still be an option for a team desperate for a starting-caliber quarterback.