5 Minnesota Vikings who don't deserve another season in 2024

Player No. 2

Alexander Mattison - RB

Alexander Mattison finally got his chance to be a starting running back in the NFL. After years of getting leftover scraps from Dalvin Cook, Mattison was re-signed by the team to be the man, and he failed miserably in that role.

Mattison was awful as a lead-back. He ran the ball 180 times for 700 yards and no rushing touchdowns. How does a starting back in today's NFL not get a single rushing touchdown with 180 carries?

It's something that rarely happens in the NFL, and until 2023, it had never happened in the history of the Vikings. Mattison also had three fumbles on the year, was sketchy as a receiver, and, at one point in the season, led the entire league in drops.

Mattison has always lacked vision, and that showed up this season as he failed to find the holes or show enough wiggle to avoid defenders and pick up yardage when it wasn't there.

Mattison proved he's better off as a complementary back, and that is the role he needs to go back to. He doesn't deserve to be back as the primary ball carrier, as the Vikings can find a similar back in the mid-rounds of the draft or off the street in free agency.

However, he likely will be because the Vikings aren't going to save much by cutting him and will also face a pretty hefty amount of dead money.