{"id":770141,"date":"2026-02-23T01:33:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T01:33:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/770141\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T01:33:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T01:33:33","slug":"the-vikings-have-19-free-agents-heres-who-matters-most","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/770141\/","title":{"rendered":"The Vikings Have 19 Free Agents \u2014 Here\u2019s Who Matters Most"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fullback C.J. Ham retired<\/a> from the NFL a couple of weeks ago, shrinking the Minnesota Vikings\u2019 list of internal free agents from an even 20 to 19. And with free agency<\/a> just two weeks away, here\u2019s a look at who the club should prioritize in ascending order.<\/p>\n

Minnesota\u2019s list is big, yet the real pressure sits on a few names at the top.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s actually a very quiet internal free agency for Minnesota compared to recent years, mainly because former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah\u2019s four draft classes turned out so poorly. So, that\u2019s a perk, right? Sarcasm.<\/p>\n

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The Short List That Is Minnesota\u2019s Free Agency<\/p>\n

Counting down the Vikings\u2019 top free agents of 2026.<\/p>\n

\"Ben<\/p>\n

Minnesota Vikings tight end Ben Sims (89) celebrates with fans along the sideline after the final whistle, sharing the moment with traveling supporters following a road matchup. On Dec 14, 2025, Sims greeted Vikings fans at AT&T Stadium after Minnesota\u2019s contest against the Dallas Cowboys, highlighting the young tight end\u2019s growing presence within the offense and special teams. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n

Nos. 19 thru 14<\/p>\n

19 \u2014 Matt Nelson (LT)
18 \u2014 Brett Rypien (QB)
17 \u2014 John Wolford (QB)
16 \u2014 Tavierre Thomas (CB)
15 \u2014 Carson Wentz (QB)
14 \u2014 Ben Sims (TE)<\/p>\n

Nelson: Do you know who Matt Nelson is? Exactly.<\/p>\n

Rypien: This guy was the Vikings\u2019 QB2 fix for about two months of the 2025 offseason. Now, he\u2019s a footnote.<\/p>\n

Wolford: Wolford served as the emergency plan behind J.J. McCarthy and Max Brosmer<\/a> last year. He might\u2019ve even played better than Brosmer if given a chance. Regardless, with the Vikings emphasizing a deep quarterback room in 2026, Wolford is expendable.<\/p>\n

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Wentz: The veteran passer did his damndest to keep the enterprise afloat during McCarthy\u2019s absence, but Wentz was just too on-and-off to be considered a QB2 solution going forward. Perhaps a QB3 job title would look great on him.<\/p>\n

Sims: If Minnesota makes all the release rumors about T.J. Hockenson<\/a> come true, it will need TE depth. And that\u2019s Sims.<\/p>\n

Thomas: A penalty machine at times in 2025, Thomas stabilized down the stretch of 2025.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Nos. 13 thru 9<\/p>\n

13 \u2014 Taki Taimani (DT)
12 \u2014 Zavier Scott (RB)
11 \u2014 Jeff Okudah (CB)
10 \u2014 Ty Chandler (RB)
9 \u2014 Fabian Moreau (CB)<\/p>\n

Taimani: The Vikings suddenly have a crowded DT room. It\u2019s so rare in recent years for the club to employ DTs with nose tackle size. Perhaps keeping Taimani aboard for his size (6\u20191\u2033 and 330 pounds) would be wise.<\/p>\n

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Scott: Minnesota gave Scott a whiff at RB2 and RB3 jobs in 2025. The man was serivceable. He should be retained on the practice squad at the very least.<\/p>\n

Okudah: The former third overall pick experienced a horrid year in 2025, between poor play and two concussions. As a CB4, he might be intriguing. Brian Flores<\/a> seems to like him.<\/p>\n

Chandler: This Adofo-Mensah draft pick scripted a game from heaven in 2023 at the Cincinnati Bengals. And then that was about it. Unbelievably, Chandler will turn 28 this offseason. His career is on the back nine, believe it or not.<\/p>\n

Moreau: Moreau did not get enough credit from Vikings fans last year. He held down the fort at CB3, banking a sweet 54.2 passer-rating-against. If your phone buzzes in March and says, \u201cThe Vikings have re-signed Fabian Moreau,\u201d you should smile. The guy can ball.<\/p>\n

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Nos. 8 thru 5<\/p>\n

8 \u2014 Ryan Wright (P)
7 \u2014 Bo Richter (EDGE)
6 \u2014 Justin Skule (LT)
5 \u2014 Ivan Pace Jr. (LB)
4 \u2014 Harrison Smith (S)<\/p>\n

Wright: The Vikings\u2019 punter was a machine as a rookie, returned to earth in 2023 and 2024, and resurged in 2025. He\u2019ll likely be the punter again in 2026. Kicker Will Reichard<\/a> also trusts him as his holder. Sign us up for more.<\/p>\n

\"Ben<\/p>\n

Minnesota Vikings tight end Ben Sims (89) interacts with fans near the stands after the game, acknowledging supporters who made the trip for a late-season road contest. On Dec 14, 2025, Sims celebrated with Minnesota followers at AT&T Stadium following the Vikings\u2019 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, capturing a postgame moment between players and fans after a competitive afternoon. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n

Richter: Behind Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner next season, Minnesota will need an OLB4. Why not Richter to battle for the job?<\/p>\n

Skule: Christian Darrisaw\u2019s ACL recovery is as mysterious as it is scary. Brian O\u2019Neill<\/a> is also starting to get \u201cup there\u201d in age. The Vikings need dependable OT depth; Skule is accordingly a priority.<\/p>\n

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Pace Jr.: Flores benched Pace Jr. for poor tackling in 2025. Is he eternally doomed? Purple fans just watched a season where Sam Darnold felt eternally doomed for ruining the Vikings\u2019 2024 season with two dastardly quarterback performances. He later redeemed himself in Seattle to the tune of a Super Bowl. Like Darnold, perhaps a few poor games from Pace Jr. won\u2019t define his career forever.<\/p>\n

Smith: With every day that passes and Smith has not announced his retirement, the odds climb on his return for Year No. 15. Why not come back with Flores still in the mix and use Smith as a situation safety? No one would be mad about it.<\/p>\n

Nos. 3 thru 1<\/p>\n

3 \u2014 Jalen Nailor (WR)
2 \u2014 Eric Wilson (LB)
1 \u2014 Jalen Redmond<\/p>\n

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Nailor: Some reports say Nailor\u2019s next contract will fetch $5 million per season. Some reports say $12 million. The Vikings have the cash for Nailor at $5 million; they do not have the cash for Nailor at $12 million. It\u2019s pretty simple.<\/p>\n

\"Eric<\/p>\n

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson (55) reacts after a defensive play, celebrating with visible energy during an early-season matchup at home. On Sep 14, 2025, Wilson responded to a successful stop at U.S. Bank Stadium as Minnesota faced the Atlanta Falcons, contributing to the defensive effort while working in a rotational role within the Vikings\u2019 linebacker group. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n

Wilson: Wilson will turn 32 in September. He\u2019s not the long-term fix at ILB. But wouldn\u2019t it be criminal to let him leave after his 2025 campaign damn near earned the man a Pro Bowl appearance<\/a>? The Vikings should do both \u2014 re-sign Wilson for a year or two and draft a rookie ILB in the middle rounds of April\u2019s draft. Flores should be able to scout the best option.<\/p>\n

Redmond: Minnesota owns Redmond\u2019s rights of free agency. Behind Justin Jefferson last season, Redmond was arguably the Vikings\u2019 best player. He\u2019ll be back, and he deserves it. He\u2019s one of the coolest Vikings stories of the last decade. From UFL obscurity to NFL stardom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fullback C.J. Ham retired from the NFL a couple of weeks ago, shrinking the Minnesota Vikings\u2019 list of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":770142,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2073],"tags":[6512,254,14446,18620,3972,6696,9215,1763,1508,256,257,10652,9274,51147,7,21433,3544,1519,3973,38851,8782,8465,8041,2780,23991,58,9737,36052,3218,233,259,2529,6,23891,1878,237,9250,1732,28541,28797,234,23890,38858],"class_list":{"0":"post-770141","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-minnesota-vikings","8":"tag-andrew-van-ginkel","9":"tag-atlanta-falcons","10":"tag-ben-sims","11":"tag-bo-richter","12":"tag-brett-rypien","13":"tag-brian-flores","14":"tag-c-j-ham","15":"tag-carson-wentz","16":"tag-christian-darrisaw","17":"tag-cincinnati-bengals","18":"tag-dallas-cowboys","19":"tag-dallas-turner","20":"tag-eric-wilson","21":"tag-fabian-moreau","22":"tag-football","23":"tag-harrison-smith","24":"tag-ivan-pace-jr","25":"tag-j-j-mccarthy","26":"tag-jalen-nailor","27":"tag-jalen-redmond","28":"tag-jeff-okudah","29":"tag-john-wolford","30":"tag-jonathan-greenard","31":"tag-justin-jefferson","32":"tag-justin-skule","33":"tag-los-angeles-rams","34":"tag-mandatory-credit","35":"tag-matt-nelson","36":"tag-max-brosmer","37":"tag-minnesota","38":"tag-minnesota-vikings","39":"tag-minnesotavikings","40":"tag-nfl","41":"tag-ryan-wright","42":"tag-sam-darnold","43":"tag-seattle","44":"tag-t-j-hockenson","45":"tag-taki-taimani","46":"tag-tavierre-thomas","47":"tag-ty-chandler","48":"tag-vikings","49":"tag-will-reichard","50":"tag-zavier-scott"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=770141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770141\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/770142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=770141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=770141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=770141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}