The Minnesota Vikings have constructed most of their 90-man roster heading into training camp. Still, they could make free-agent acquisitions or a trade to get another cornerback. But with free agency and the draft behind us, they’ve assembled most of the 2025 squad.
It was another strong free-agent period for the Vikings in March. For the second consecutive year, they capitalized on money freed up from moving on from Kirk Cousins. Although Minnesota had to eat his $28.5 million cap hit in 2024, his contract is off the books for 2025 and beyond. That allowed the team to strategically structure contracts that allowed them to land Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Blake Cashman, among others, last year.
With Cousins completely off the books this year, the Vikings attacked free agency again. They signed defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave to give themselves an interior pass rush that has been lacking for several seasons. On the offensive side, they also stocked up the interior offensive line with guard Will Fries and center Ryan Kelly.
Even with an active free agency, the Vikings retained key contributors. They re-signed Aaron Jones and Pro Bowl cornerback Byron Murphy, Jr. So even though Minnesota added Jordan Mason and cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, they retained the core of the team that won 14 games last year.
Together, the moves gave the Vikings flexibility heading into the draft. They still needed depth on the offensive and defensive lines, at receiver, and in the secondary, but Minnesota could enter the draft and take the best player available.
Ultimately, the Vikings drafted Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson, who they’ll expect to win the starting left guard position out of camp. In the third round, they selected Maryland wide receiver Tai Felton, who will fight for the third wide receiver spot with Jalen Nailor. That gives 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy a great supporting cast as he enters his first year as the team’s starting quarterback. It also allows him the best opportunity to realize his full potential without the struggles of a porous offensive line or lack of weapons.
The opportunity to build the roster up as constructed started when the Vikings parted ways with Kirk Cousins. After serving as the team’s quarterback from 2018 to 2023, Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drew a line in the sand when Cousins hit free agency.
It was a tough decision. As Minnesota’s quarterback, Cousins had thrown for 23,265 yards and 171 touchdowns in six seasons. He had gone 50-37-1 as a starter in Minnesota but broke free of .500 by going 13-4 in 2022, his first year under O’Connell. Cousins was 37-33-1 in his other five seasons with the team.
The mediocre record wasn’t all Cousins’ fault. Former head coach Mike Zimmer never warmed to the general manager Rick Spielman’s decision to sign Cousins to a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million deal in 2018. Minnesota’s defense was never the same after it had to part ways with cornerstone players like Xavier Rhodes, Linval Joseph, and Everson Griffen in free agency.
Minnesota was on a three-game winning streak when Cousins went down with a torn Achilles in 2023, but they were still only 4-4. The Vikings began the season 0-3 despite Cousins throwing for 1,075 yards and nine touchdowns in the first three games. The team lost seven fumbles, and a bizarre goal-line drop by T.J. Hockenson in Week 3 resulted in an interception, sealing Minnesota’s fate.
Although Cousins always put up great stats and seemed to have the locker room’s respect, it felt like the Vikings could only go so far with him at quarterback. He was the final piece to a Super Bowl-ready roster in 2018, but they missed the playoffs that year. One year later, the Vikings upset the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card game before the San Francisco 49ers manhandled them with defense and the run game.
They wouldn’t win another playoff game under Cousins.
It felt as if everything around Cousins needed to be perfect to maximize his play — and his contract. While it may not have been his fault that the team couldn’t draft requisite depth and future starters, they could only address so many holes in free agency. It may not have been Cousins’ fault that the offensive line wasn’t always the best. Still, he held onto the ball too long at times and would allow the pressure to get to him. Even the fortunes of the 2022 season took several late-game heroics.
Under Sam Darnold in 2024, the Vikings were the inverse of the Cousins-led squads. The team survived the quarterback’s midseason slump with wins over the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even though Darnold was poor in losses to the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams to end the season, the Vikings were confident that their roster had staying power.
Instead of clinging to the success Darnold brought individually in 2024, they looked at the three-year run of quarterback success with O’Connell at the helm. That allowed them to move on from Darnold, who signed a three-year, $100 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason.
The money saved went into the free-agent class. Even if the spotlight were on Darnold’s failures in the season’s final two weeks, the Vikings would build a team that could pivot and contend with the league’s best teams even if their quarterback was struggling.
Minnesota took a risk in moving on from Cousins 13 months ago. In doing so, they have built a great roster to surround McCarthy. If he becomes who the Vikings believe he can be, they will contend for the Super Bowl.
The Vikings signed Cousins in 2018 as the final piece of their Super Bowl puzzle. Moving on from Cousins could be what turns them into contenders.
