Among the players from the team's 2025 roster who will be free agents this year, wide receiver Jalen Nailor is someone who many believe won't be returning to the Minnesota Vikings this offseason.
However, Nailor remaining with the Vikings for at least one more year might actually be more possible than most have anticipated.
PFF recently released their free agency rankings for the 2026 offseason, and for each player, they have a projected contract included.
Nailor came in at No. 113 on PFF's free-agent list, and they have projected him to land a one-year contract worth only $3.5 million. If it's only going to cost $3.5 million to sign him this offseason, then that's a deal that Minnesota will absolutely be able to afford if they want to bring him back for another year.
PFF projects Minnesota Vikings WR Jalen Nailor to only cost $3.5 million in 2026
In his fourth season with the Vikings, Nailor found a way to make a noticeable impact in 2025. In 17 games with Minnesota last year, he hauled in 29 passes for 444 yards and four touchdowns. Obviously, these aren't massive numbers, but the 2025 campaign was easily the best of his NFL career so far.
To the surprise of some, Nailor arguably had the best connection on the field with Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy last season.
In 11 games together, McCarthy had a passer rating of 98.8 when targeting Nailor last season, which was much higher than the passer ratings he had when targeting Justin Jefferson (51.0) and Jordan Addison (71.3).
So, if Minnesota wants to give McCarthy another chance to be the team's QB1 next season, finding a way to keep Nailor around would be a good idea.
Bringing the former Michigan State wide receiver back for the 2026 campaign would also be a good idea for the Vikings, considering how unreliable Addison has proven to be off the field during his career with the franchise.
If it only takes a deal worth $3.5 million to re-sign Nailor, keeping him around for another year seems like a no-brainer decision for Minnesota. But since all of this is only based on a projection, his future with the Vikings still remains up in the air.