After last offseason's spending surge, the Minnesota Vikings will naturally have a more tepid approach in free agency this offseason. There is some work to do to get under the salary cap, but that should not be a big issue.
This time around, the Vikings can focus on some specific areas via free agency. A quarterback to compete with J.J. McCarthy is sure to be somewhere on the radar, along with possibly a running back, a center, and some pieces in the secondary.
An obvious related free agency question is who will be prioritized to re-sign, and who won't be. Some may be able to simply find greener pastures elsewhere, staking the decision out of the Vikings' hands.
Expect Jalen Nailor to have huge role in shaping the 2026 offseason for the Minnesota Vikings
ESPN.com recently rounded up its NFL beat writers and asked them to name the free agent who will shape the team they cover's offseason the most.
Vikings' beat writer Kevin Seifert chose wide receiver Jalen Nailor.
"Nailor has spent the past two seasons as the Vikings' No. 3 receiver, and the assumption has long been that Nailor would depart as a free agent rather than bloat their cap structure at the position.
Justin Jefferson is due to earn an average of $35 million in each of the next three seasons, and No. 2 receiverJordan Addison-- a first-round pick in 2023 -- is now eligible for a contract extension.
But Addison being arrested Jan. 12 and charged with misdemeanor trespassing, although the charges were later dropped, is a reminder that letting Nailor leave is not without risk. In his three-year career, Addison has missed three games because of an NFL suspension, two games because of injury and a quarter of another game as discipline for missing a walk-through practice."
While Addison has been cleared of wrongdoing attached to the latest thing that put his name in the news, the incident was still a bad look and another mark on his docket of off-field mistakes.
It's also certainly some level of concern for the Vikings, as they weigh whether or not to pick up his fifth-year option this spring or subsequently sign him to a contract extension.
Trading Addison is definitely a possibility this offseason, and there should be multiple teams with interest in him. But making that move comes with the question of who would take over as the No. 2 wide receiver, and that would be quite a jump for Tai Felton after he had a minimal role as a rookie.
Nailor would be the natural internal option to be the WR2 if the Vikings part ways with Addison. He was also the one Vikings' pass catcher who did not struggle to have rapport with J.J. McCarthy this season, and that feels important in the big picture.
Nailor may be able to find an unquestioned WR2 role elsewhere. If the Vikings can offer him that, and compete financially with other offers he may get, retaining him may not be all that difficult.
Beyond the semantics of the move itself, re-signing Nailor would serve as an indicator of what the internal view of Addison's long-term future in Minnesota is. Which is to say, Vikings fans should be ready for news of a trade sending Addison elsewhere if Nailor is re-signed and gets a notable contract.