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Insider Says Minnesota Vikings Had a Near-Perfect Free Agency
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- Insider Says Minnesota Vikings Had a Near-Perfect Free Agency
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
General manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Minnesota Vikings front office entered the new NFL league year with a laundry list of items on their to-do list. At the top (after extending head coach Kevin O'Connell) was filling the many roster holes created by a hefty outgoing 2025 free agency class .
Unlike the head coach, who was hired just after he was, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has struggled to prove himself as the young, forward-thinking outsider who could learn how to be an NFL GM on the fly, especially when it comes to the NFL Draft, where since Kwesi took over the Vikings have struggled to find pro talent the way other teams do.
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Minnesota Vikings crush free agency again?
Adofo-Mensah's draft day deficiencies could be what's holding him back from a contract extension. But then, there's free agency, where Kwesi's story as Vikings GM couldn't be more different than that of the draft. The 2024 MN Vikings free agency class wasn't just good, it was (Tony Tiger voice) "GREEEEAAAAATTT".
Both EDGE rusher pickups, Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard , made the Pro Bowl. Aaron Jones ran for over 1,000 yards, while Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin both played major roles in the Minnesota Vikings secondary. Oh, and then there's Sam Darnold , who went from 1st round bust to franchise QB, in his one season in purple.
Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
But now, with so much talent on the way out and limited draft capital to work with later in the offseason, the 2025 MN Vikings have no choice but to get their incoming free agent class right again. That's why, armed with a massive arsenal of cap space, Kwesi & Co quickly and deliberately addressed just about every need Minnesota had on their roster , within the first 5-6 days of free agency.
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Kwesi Adofo-Mensah added talent on both sides of the ball. He started in the trenches , then moved out from there, fixing running back, linebacker, safety and cornerback. Is there still work to be done?
Yes, but there is still a lot offseason left too. After that initial week of free agency frenzy, there's way more offseason than there are tasks on that Vikings offseason to-do list we discussed earlier. Count ESPN's Ben Solak as one NFL analyst who's impressed.
ESPN loves MN Vikings 2025 free agency class
He ranked the Minnesota Vikings free agency as third-best in the NFL, behind only the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams . The only thing he had a qualm with was Jonathan Allen's price tag , but even he admits that all interior defensive linemen went for more than what he expected.
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On the other side of the trenches, Solak loved the Vikings signing of Will Fries , who he had pinned as one of his "top free agent gems", prior to the league year starting. He did act a bit surprised that Minnesota valued Ryan Kelly over Garrett Bradbury as much as they did, too.
"The investment in the offensive line. Fries was one of my top free agent gems — he's one of the best players nobody knows about, and he should make a big push for a Pro Bowl spot at guard if he fully recovers from his tibia injury. The need at guard was obvious; the need at center was far more subtle. I thought the Vikings would happily play out another year with Garrett Bradbury at the pivot, surrendering his pass protection issues for his running game value. Instead, they did what true contenders do and tried to upgrade not just at the needy positions, but also the average ones. I'm not sure it will work — Kelly (31) is older than Bradbury (29) — but it's a good risk to take."
It's hard to look at how Minnesota was able to supplement their roster and not see a better overall team on the field in 2025. Of course, an improvement on 14 wins is difficult and switching quarterbacks will put even the best roster in flux.
Free agency positions MN Vikings well in NFL Draft
For a franchise that has seen poor drafts under the tenure of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, this one has to feel like a breath of fresh air. The reality is that there isn't a glaring need for the Minnesota Vikings. They truly could take they best player available with their 24th overall selection.
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There's also the possibility, and potential preference, that Minnesota simply trades back and stacks capital. They picked up a third round pick thanks to the departure of Kirk Cousins . They could parlay their first round selection into a second and more that would give them additional chances to add talent.
| Name |
Position |
Former Team |
|---|---|---|
| Cornerback |
Eagles |
|
| Safety |
||
| Ryan Kelly |
Center |
|
| Aaron Jones |
Running back |
Vikings |
| Cornerback |
Vikings |
|
| Defensive tackle |
Commanders |
|
| Will Fries |
Guard |
Colts |
| Defensive tackle |
||
| Wide receiver |
Falcons |
|
| Cornerback |
||
| Tackle |
||
| Cornerback |
Buccaneers |
|
| Linebacker |
The Vikings have seen contributors come from different places in the draft. New starting safety Theo Jackson was once a sixth round pick. If Adofo-Mensah is content with the depth of the class, and the assessment of talent, then picking up more bullets makes a ton of sense.
Minnesota isn't always going to have a ton of room under the salary cap. That requires more young players developing into starters and role players. The more prospects you get right, the more likely that is to happen.
