For the Minnesota Vikings, the 2025 season was a failure. The team did not make the playoffs, and while finishing on a high note was a positive, they had the potential to make a deep playoff run.
Overall, it was a disappointing year for the Vikings, but even in a lost season, there can be plenty of positive surprises. Will Reichard's consistency, Jalen Redmond's continued ascension, and Jalen Nailor's grabbing hold of the No. 3 WR job were all feel-good stories that took fans by surprise.
However, one was a far bigger shock than the rest, and that was Eric Wilson's dominating performance in his return to Minnesota.
Eric Wilson was the biggest surprise of 2025 for the Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings signed Wilson back in March to a one-year, $ 2.6 million deal. It was a fun story as he returned to the team that first gave him a chance in the league and to one where he put together some pretty solid seasons between 2018 and 2020.
He had bounced around the league since then, lastly being a backup with the Green Bay Packers, who ended up starting 12 games in 2024 due to injuries. So when the signing was announced, a lot of Vikings fans were surprised, and many also believed he wasn't a sure bet to make the team.
Ivan Pace, the undrafted phenom from 2023, was slated to start next to Blake Cashman for Minnesota this season. The Vikings had also used a sixth-round pick on former Penn State inside linebacker Kobe King in the 2025 NFL Draft, and still had their former third-round pick Brian Asmoah hanging around on the roster.
It was pretty clear the Vikings would only keep four inside linebackers, and that Wilson would have to earn his spot on the roster. He did that, and then some.
As it would turn out, Wilson was a perfect fit and had a shocking career resurgence in Brian Flores's defense. It only took him a couple of weeks to jump past Pace on the depth chart as it became clear that while Pace was very good at getting into the backfield, he was very bad at tackling ball carriers. Wilson, on the other hand, was dominant.
Flores's attacking style served him well as he went on to have career highs in sacks, forced fumbles, tackles for loss, and quarterback hits. He played at a borderline All-Pro level and was a standout on a defense that already had studs like Blake Cashman, Jonathan Greenard, and Andrew Van Ginkel on it.
Not a single person can say they predicted the 115 tackle, 6.5 sack season that Eric Wilson would put together in 2025. He was so good and such a playmaker that it could be argued he was the best player on a defense that carried the team all season long.
The question that now lingers is whether the team be able to bring him back, or did he play himself into one last big contract that the Vikings won't be able to match?