The Minnesota Vikings have worked to find solutions with some of their more critical pending free agents over the past week. They have agreed to move Aaron Jones and Byron Murphy, Jr.’s void dates to March 12, the day before the new league year starts. Had they not moved the void years, the dead money from Jones and Murphy’s contracts would have been on Minnesota’s books for 2025.
Moving the void dates gives Minnesota time to negotiate new deals with two players vital to last year’s 14-win team. Jones led the Vikings with 1,546 yards from scrimmage, giving them consistency and leadership at the running back position that had been lacking for years. Murphy tied for third in the NFL with six interceptions, and his 73.5 coverage grade from PFF led Minnesota’s defensive backs with at least 100 snaps.
Bringing Jones and Murphy back is vital because of what they bring to the field and the uncertainty of the depth behind them. The Vikings had to trade for Cam Akers for the second consecutive season last year because Ty Chandler fell out of favor with the coaching staff. Although Kevin O’Connell said he “loves” Akers, the running back will be 26 in 2025 and has suffered two Achilles tears in his career. Akers’ lack of burst contributed to a 38.5% success rate, well below Jones, whose 49.8% rate is about league average.
In the secondary, Josh Metellus is the only major contributor from 2024 who is under contract next year. The Vikings signed veteran defensive backs Stephon Gilmore, Fabian Moreau, and Bobby McCain after Khyree Jackson tragically passed away and Mekhi Blackmon suffered a season-ending knee injury. That forced 29-year-old Shaq Griffin into the starting lineup all year. Even though Griffin and Gilmore played well as starters, they will be another year older, possibly a little slower, and more susceptible to injury.
Brian Flores has a complex scheme, so continuity will be vital. In their first three games under Flores in 2023, Minnesota’s defense struggled to get off the field. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers exposed them in the second half of their season opener. In their next two games, Minnesota allowed over 400 yards and fell to 0-3 despite averaging 406 yards of offense.
However, Minnesota’s defense firmed up in Week 4. They allowed 21 points or more just three times in the next nine weeks. The Vikings went 6-4 after the defensive turnaround before Kirk Cousins‘ injury became insurmountable on offense.
Fortunately, the Vikings should have the cap space to retain Jones and Murphy. PFF ranks Jones as the 20th-best free-agent prospect. But because he is 30, PFF projects him to receive a two-year, $14 million contract with $8 million guaranteed. Murphy is only 27, but they projected him to sign a three-year, $52 million deal with $34.5 million guaranteed.
Does pushing the void date back on their contracts guarantee that the Vikings agree to terms on new contracts with Jones and Murphy? No.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has moved players’ void years back multiple times since the Vikings hired him in 2022. In 2023, he pushed the void date back on defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson. However, he signed a four-year, $57 million deal with the Cleveland Browns early in free agency. That left Minnesota with a gap at defensive tackle, which they haven’t filled in the two years since he left.
Last year, the Vikings did the same with edge rusher Marcus Davenport. Still, he didn’t sign a new contract with Minnesota. Instead, he signed a one-year, $6.5 million deal with the Detroit Lions. That again left the Vikings with a need at a crucial position. However, they upgraded by signing Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel.
What makes Jones and Murphy’s situations different? The Vikings would have liked to bring Tomlinson back, but Cleveland priced them out. Minnesota had too much dead cap after cutting Adam Thielen, Eric Kendricks, and Dalvin Cook in 2023.
Ironically, because they didn’t have much money, they signed Davenport to a one-year, $13 million prove-it deal. The former first-round pick constantly flashed potential, but injuries had hamstrung his career. That was no different in Minnesota. He appeared in four games, starting in three. Davenport showed why he was a first-round pick, getting two sacks in limited action. However, ankle injuries kept him out of the season’s final 10 games, likely making the Vikings hesitant to bring him back at a discounted rate.
Entering the 2025 offseason, the Vikings have over $61 million in salary cap space, per Spotrac. That’s partly because Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter’s contracts are off the books, who accounted for over $43 million in dead cap last year. That gives the Vikings more room and flexibility to acquire free agents than Adofo-Mensah had in his first three seasons on the job.
Although Adofo-Mensah will likely stay true to his approach of “winning in the margins” and avoiding overspending, he has the luxury of throwing some money at positions of need instead of scraping the bottom of the barrel. In a pass-first league, cornerback is one of the most critical positions on the field. Murphy is in the middle of his prime, and his knowledge of Flores’ system makes him a known commodity worthy of an extension.
Jones, 30, may not have many years left to produce at a high level. Still, he brings leadership and reliability to an offense with J.J. McCarthy, a first-year starter, under center. Even if the Vikings draft a running back high, Jones could be productive splitting carries. His 306 touches in 2024 were a career-high, so he hasn’t taken as many hits as many other high-level 30-year-old running backs.
The Vikings have given themselves time to bring back two of their more important players from 2024. History has shown this doesn’t guarantee that Adofo-Mensah will retain the players. Still, this is the first time he has the money to re-sign players worth re-signing.
