The Minnesota Vikings will have a much different look to start the 2025 campaign than they did a season ago, as they lost a plethora of players in free agency, a list that includes the likes of quarterback Sam Darnold (Seattle Seahawks), safety Camyrn Bynum (Indianapolis Colts), linebacker Patrick Jones II (Carolina Panthers), and center Garrett Bradbury (New England Patriots) among others.
Thankfully, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took an aggressive approach in replacing these players, signing roughly a dozen new names to the active roster while also re-signing cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. to a lucrative three-year, $54 million extension.
That said, however, Adofo-Mensah will have plenty more decisions to make next offseason, as roughly a third of the players on Minnesota's 90-man roster are set to enter the upcoming 2025 season on one-year or expiring contracts
Most of the names you'll see listed below won't make Minnesota's initial 53-man roster, but the team does have a few starters set to hit the market in one way or another next spring, most notably strong safety Josh Metellus, linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. (restricted), wide receiver Jalen Nailor, and fullback C.J. Ham.
There's also the matter of six-time Pro Bowl safety Harrison Smith, who's set to enter his 14th NFL season, all of which have been played with the Vikings.
The 36-year-old opted to forgo retirement and agreed to a new one-year restructured deal with Minnesota in March worth $10.25 million with a max value of $14 million. Smith signed a two-year deal in March 2024, but with this new restructured contract, the 2026 season will now technically be a void year.
Full list of 2026 Minnesota Vikings free agents
Here's the complete list of current Vikings set to hit some sort of free agency in 2026. You may not know some of the names, as we've included players currently signed to reserve/futures contracts. (UFA=unrestricted free agent; RFA=restricted free agent; ERFA=exclusive rights free agent).
Player | Position | Type |
|---|---|---|
Harrison Smith | S | UFA |
Josh Metellus | S | UFA |
Jalen Nailor | WR | UFA |
Eric Wilson | LB | UFA |
Ryan Wright | P | UFA |
Justin Skule | LT | UFA |
Andrew DePaola | LS | UFA |
C.J. Ham | FB | UFA |
Tim Jones | WR | UFA |
Ty Chandler | RB | UFA |
Jonathan Harris | IDL | UFA |
Jeff Okudah | CB | UFA |
Tavierre Thomas | CB | UFA |
Brian Asamoah | LB | UFA |
Sam Howell | QB | UFA |
Giovanni Ricci | FB | UFA |
Ambry Thomas | CB | UFA |
Brett Rypien | QB | UFA |
Rondale Moore | WR | UFA |
Ivan Pace Jr. | LB | RFA |
Leroy Watson | RT | RFA |
Kahlef Hailassie | CB | RFA |
Jalen Redmond | IDL | ERFA |
Gabriel Murphy | EDGE | ERFA |
Bo Richter | EDGE | ERFA |
Reddy Steward | CB | ERFA |
Jeshaun Jones | WR | ERFA |
Henry Byrd | RG | ERFA |
Zavier Scott | WR | ERFA |
Thayer Thomas | WR | ERFA |
Max Tooley | LB | ERFA |
Marcellus Johnson | LT | ERFA |
Travis Bell | IDL | ERFA |
Lucky Jackson | WR | ERFA |