4 Minnesota Vikings who deserve to be back in 2024 and 4 that do not

The Minnesota Vikings have had a crazy 2023 season. They have win streaks, they've had losing streaks, they've lost key players to injury, and they've had issues turning the ball over.

Despite the craziness and everything that has gone against the Vikings, they are still alive in the NFC playoff picture, even after their most recent defeat.

A reason for Minnesota still having hope as we approach January is they are a resilient group who have had some key performances from players who have given the team reason to bring them back for another stint.

These players are all free agents at the end of the season, and maybe at one point, the Vikings had considered moving on from them. But for their play this year, they have all shown that they deserve to be brought back for another contract.

Minnesota is also in the thick of the playoff picture and not securely in a playoff spot because many players haven't played well this season.

These players have failed the Vikings time and time again and have proven that they don't deserve to be back, even at a discounted rate.

So let's look at four Minnesota players who deserve to be back with the team in 2024 and four who do not.

Deserves To Be Back: D.J. Wonnum - OLB

His recent injury puts a new wrinkle into this, but D.J. Wonnum has shown he deserves to get a second contract from the Vikings.

The guy has proven to be a perfect fit in Brian Flores's defense and has put together his most complete season under his tutelage.

Wonnum has always been a good pass rusher, with 15 sacks in his first three seasons. The issue was his run defense was basically non-existent.

That has changed this season, and Wonnum has nearly doubled his career-high in tackles with two games to spare.

It sucks he won't be able to add to those numbers after blowing out his quad, but the fact he became a complete defender was an impressive feat.

Wonnum was also on pace to smash his career-high in sacks, but the injury will prevent that from happening.

The Vikings are thin at edge rusher and it will be curious to see whether the Vikings decide to invest in Wonnum, Danielle Hunter, or both.

Hunter has longevity and consistency, but Wonnum has youth on his side.

It'll be interesting to see what they end up doing, but Wonnum's play this season and overall development shows he deserves to be brought back for another tenure with Minnesota.