The Minnesota Vikings overachieved during the 2024 NFL season but fell short of a Cinderella run when they lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild-Card round of the playoffs. Winning 14 games, rejuvenating the career of quarterback Sam Darnold, and seeing Kevin O'Connell win Coach of the Year was great but the disappointing end left a bitter taste in fans' mouths.
Minnesota's front office has some work to do this offseason. The Vikings have multiple players scheduled to hit free agency and they will need to re-sign or bring in some new talent to be competitive in 2025.
The purple and gold have a good amount of salary cap space to spend this offseason but lack picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Despite that, fans shouldn't expect a significant drop off in the team's play next season.
Minnesota Vikings are apparently one of the most desperate teams heading into the 2025 NFL Draft
Not everyone believes that the Minnesota Vikings can reload their roster this offseason. Pro Football Focus recently shared an article listing the most desperate teams in the 2025 NFL Draft and had the team sixth.
In fact, Mason Cameron at PFF questions the Vikings' ability to reload at defensive back. He cites their lack of draft picks as the main reason for concern about their cornerback and safety situation.
"The Vikings will watch many key contributors from their 2024 secondary enter the market, with Josh Metellus standing as the lone cornerback or safety left under contract who recorded 80 or more defensive snaps this past season."
Some things aren't mentioned in that article. Minnesota should get cornerback Mekhi Blackmon back after he missed the 2024 season after suffering an ACL tear. They also have NaJee Thompson at cornerback who ended the season on IR
Plus, veteran safety Harrison Smith has not retired or been released. He is still under contract for the upcoming season until one of those things happens. The 36-year-old defensive back hasn't looked like a liability for Minnesota and his retirement is far from guaranteed this offseason.
The Vikings are expected to have more than $60 million in salary cap space this offseason. If they don't spend that on an expensive quarterback, they should be able to spread that money around to fill holes on the roster and be ready for the upcoming season.
Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah needs to prove he can draft well and get contributors and good value with their limited draft picks. A solid draft and smart spending in free agency should have the Vikings in much less of a "desperate" situation this offseason.
