![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/USATSI_27369074.jpg\")
Oct 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) warms up before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOct 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) warms up before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The Minnesota Vikings have many newcomers under contract, and more will arrive in the draft and as UDFAs, as well as perhaps a couple of veteran free agents later in the offseason.<\/p>\n
As the roster stands right now, there will be some camp competitions for starting jobs and roles in the rotation.<\/p>\n
Note: Running back<\/a> was a consideration, but Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones should be expected to form a committee rather than actually competing for a single job. <\/p>\n Quarterback \u2014 Kyler Murray vs. The Field<\/p>\n The Vikings signed Kyler Murray to upgrade the quarterback room and the two-time Pro Bowler is certainly the favorite to start in Week 1 based on his track record and talent. However, as he hasn\u2019t been named the starter and reporters tried to push the narrative of a competition when Murray to Minnesota became a reality, an upset is still possible. <\/p>\n J.J. McCarthy<\/a> had a disappointing first real season in 2025, but he wouldn\u2019t be the first quarterback in NFL history to make a jump in the offseason and work on his weaknesses. He\u2019s also the player in the room whom the club has invested the most resources in. <\/p>\n McCarthy and Murray have a higher ceiling, but if neither is producing well throughout the spring and the summer, Kevin O\u2019Connell could still turn to steady veteran Carson Wentz<\/a>. <\/p>\n WR3 \u2014 Tai Felton vs. TBD<\/p>\n At wide receiver, the Vikings have lost Jalen Nailor to the Las Vegas Raiders, leaving the hierarchy open behind the top duo of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. <\/p>\n Currently, the top candidate is last year\u2019s third-rounder Tai Felton, who entered the league as a raw pass-catcher. The Vikings have gone this route in the past, relying on depth players after some in-house development. Both K.J. Osborn and Nailor had a comparable rise following a slow season. <\/p>\n However, it\u2019s unlikely the Vikings would enter the season without another addition via the draft or free agency. Felton\u2019s competitor might not be under contract yet. <\/p>\n Center \u2014 Blake Brandel vs. Michael Jurgens vs. Mr. X<\/p>\n Center Ryan Kelly was hired last offseason to be the center for two seasons, but he called it a career after his first one because of several head injuries. The Vikings haven\u2019t signed any of the available centers, likely entering the draft with backups Michael Jurgens and Blake Brandel. A rookie could be added to the mix in a class that features multiple intriguing Day 2 candidates for center-needy teams. <\/p>\n Even if a rookie is on the way, it can\u2019t be ruled out that either Jurgens or Brandel will claim the starting job. Brandel is an experienced NFL player, but doesn\u2019t have many reps at center under his belt. Jurgens is the opposite. <\/p>\n Interior Defensive Line \u2014 Everyone Except Jalen Redmond<\/p>\n Along the defensive line, the franchise released veterans Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave after their first season with the team. Jalen Redmond<\/a> is the new top interior defender, but who\u2019ll play next to him?<\/p>\n Defensive coordinator Brian Flores could promote from within, elevating Levi Drake Rodriguez and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, who were drafted in the last two years. Last year\u2019s undrafted rookie Elijah Williams or 2024 contributor Taki Taimani are back and the Vikings hired CFL defender Jaylon Hutchings<\/a>. <\/p>\n More talent could arrive in the draft or in free agency and they will all compete for snaps. <\/p>\n Safety \u2014 Jay Ward vs. Theo Jackson<\/p>\n The safety position is a mystery at this point, as Harrison Smith\u2019s future remains in question. He\u2019s unsigned and hasn\u2019t made a decision about his retirement. <\/p>\n That leaves starter Joshua Metellus and rotational players Jay Ward and Theo Jackson, who both played roles last year. Earlier in the season, Jackson played more snaps and towards the end, it was Ward who got Flores\u2019 trust. <\/p>\n Dillon Thieneman is a mock draft darling for the Vikings. A rookie, Smith\u2019s potential return, or another free agent could shake things up. Either way, Ward and Jackson will compete with each other. <\/p>\n Editor\u2019s Note: Information from\u00a0PFF<\/a>,\u00a0Over The Cap<\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0Sports Reference<\/a>\u00a0helped with this article.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Oct 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) warms up before the game against…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":842121,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2073],"tags":[7,233,259,2529,6,234],"class_list":{"0":"post-842120","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-minnesota-vikings","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-minnesota","10":"tag-minnesota-vikings","11":"tag-minnesotavikings","12":"tag-nfl","13":"tag-vikings"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116315701672295640","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842120","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=842120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/842121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=842120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=842120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=842120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/USATSI_22243543.jpg\")
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) warms up before playing against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Jan. 7, 2024.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/purpleptsd.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/USATSI_27712042.jpg\")
Nov 30, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Max Brosmer (12), protected by Justin Skule (67) and Blake Brandel (64), makes a call during the first half against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/USATSI_26905473.jpg\")
Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) throws the ball under pressure from Minnesota Vikings safety Jay Ward (24) during the first quarter of an NFL pre-season game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Aug. 22, 2025.<\/p>\n