The Minnesota Vikings have arguably the biggest decision to make in NFL free agency. A decision that could have massive ripple effects throughout the landscape. And that’s with quarterback Kirk Cousins. The void years in his deal mean he’s set to be a free agent and they cannot use the franchise tag on him. So, it’s either deal or no deal. 

We’ve got the latest NFL news and rumors on that, and we’ll also take a look at the rest of the roster, depth chart, contracts, and salary cap. From there we can make some predictions for 2024 NFL free agency for both Vikings fans and fantasy gamers alike!

*The salary cap numbers referenced in this article come courtesy of our friends over at Spotrac.com*

Fantasy Football Depth Chart: Minnesota Vikings

Quarterback

Kirk Cousins

Nick Mullens

Joshua Dobbs

Jaren Hall

Running Back

Ty Chandler

Alexander Mattison

Cam Akers

Kene Nwangwu

Wide Receiver

Justin Jefferson

Brandon Powell

Malik Knowles

 

Wide Receiver

Jordan Addison

Jalen Nailor

  

Wide Receiver

KJ Osborn

Lucky Jackson

  

Tight End

T.J. Hockenson

Josh Oliver

Johnny Mundt

Nick Muse

Fullback

C.J. Ham

   


 White = unrestricted free agent

Green = role is safe

Yellow = role could be in jeopardy

Red = could be traded or released

PROJECTED 2024 SALARIES: ~$223M

ESTIMATED 2024 CAP SPACE: ~$28M

 

Quarterback

Kirk Cousins: This is the big one here, folks. Cousins is easily the best quarterback set to become a free agent. So, he’ll be a hot commodity if he hits the market. The latest rumors are that Cousins wants his contract guaranteed like it was last time but the Vikings are hesitant to do so coming off a torn Achilles. 

The thing is some of these QB desperate teams could be willing to give him a fully guaranteed deal just to make it happen. I personally would bet on him remaining a Vikings but the other teams in the mix based on the odds are the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, and Las Vegas Raiders.  

Nick Mullens: I can assure you that, if Kirk Cousins isn’t the answer, they aren’t just going to start Nick Mullens. Not during this window when they have Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, and Jordan Addison. He might be in the mix for backup duty, or he could be released for $1.8 million in savings.

Joshua Dobbs: Trading for Dobbs was a valiant effort to try to resuscitate the season but just didn’t quite pan out. He’s an unrestricted free agent and there’s a chance that maybe he returns a late comp pick if someone signs him, who knows.

Jaren Hall: With this pick the Vikings were hoping to catch “lightning in a bottle” like the 49ers seem to have with Brock Purdy. But the reality is the hit rate for fifth round QBs is near zero. And it’s a bit of an indictment that the starter went down with a major injury, and he couldn’t really sneak his way into many snaps.

VIKINGS QB FREE AGENCY TAKE: This is either going to be a situation whether they bring Cousins back and do very little or they need to do something big. Outside of trading up for a rookie QB they like, these are the best QB options that could be available in free agency (or via a rumored trade). 

POSSIBLE SPLIT END OPTIONS: Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Baker Mayfield, Justin Fields, Mac Jones, Ryan Tannehill, Gardner Minshew, Sam Darnold, Drew Lock

 

Running Back

Alexander Mattison: When Alexander Mattison signed his two-year deal last year, it seemed pretty clear that Dalvin Cook was gone and Mattison was staying for his shot to start. Well, he got it but, after struggling with some injuries, Ty Chandler came in and looked pretty darn good. 

In fact, even before Mattison returned, head coach Kevin O’Connell made it clear that Chandler would retain a “featured” part of the role moving forward. To me that makes the future look a little bleak as Chandler has the upper hand going into 2024. And they could both be in trouble if the team adds another back. 

Ty Chandler: At this stage we like Ty Chandler more than Alexander Mattison for the reasons stated above. It seems highly unlikely that Mattison puts Chandler back in the bottle at this point. On the flip side, it is possible Chandler takes over the starting role completely. 

More likely is that there is some kind of split, but we’d certainly take that over the alternative of the Vikings bringing in a high-end RB. I’d much rather have Chandler than Mattison in dynasty, but the safe play here might be to cash out on both now.

Cam Akers: Cam Akers is a restricted free agent, but they would need to tender him at $2.8 million. Coming off his second Achilles tear, I’m rooting for him to play again but he’s likely going to hit unrestricted free agency here.

Kene Nwangwu: Nwangwu is one of the better kick returners in the league - All Pro caliber when healthy, in fact. I expect him back in those capacities in 2024.

C.J. Ham: With the Rams, Kevin O’Connell pretty exclusively used 11 personnel with three WRs. So I was a bit surprised to see him incorporate a fullback into the offense here. But Ham played nearly 20% of the snaps on offense and he’s under contract for the next two years so, barring a big change, I assume he’ll be back.

VIKINGS RB FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Vikings have two options here. They can either go after a high-end RB in the draft or free agency. Or they can just add someone to the back end of the depth chart. Since they need to pay a QB, I don’t foresee them going after guys like Saquon Barkley or Josh Jacobs (but maybe they do if they decide to go with a cheap QB option). 

If they add someone for depth, I’d go for someone with some size that could complement Chandler and Mattison. Special teams is a plus. They have a couple of options signed to reserve/futures deals in Ty Chandler and DeWayne McBride so they might already have that sorted. But the more fun options are these guys towards the top.

POSSIBLE SPLIT END OPTIONS: Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Ezekiel Elliott, JK Dobbins, AJ Dillon.

 

Wide Receiver

Justin Jefferson: The only question with Justin Jefferson is when to make him the highest paid wide receiver in the league. And if there is a way to do so without destroying the team’s cap space. But he’s locked in as their WR1.

Jordan Addison: KJ Osborn started the season operating ahead of Jordan Addison. When Jefferson got hurt, they both played a ton. Then Osborn got hurt and Addison was the top dog. And, when everyone returned down the stretch, now Addison was playing over Osborn in snaps. The WR2 job is Addison’s and he’s not giving it back. That makes him a fairly decent bet in fantasy football. 

KJ Osborn: As we just mentioned above, KJ Osborn essentially lost his WR2 status for the Vikings down the stretch. He’ll hit unrestricted free agency we’re he will probably land elsewhere with a bigger role. If no one wants him, maybe he signs for cheap to come back as the WR3 for the Vikings. 

Brandon Powell: When Jefferson got hurt, it was Powell that stepped up on the outside for this team. And he was serviceable in that role but nothing special. Powell also returned every punt for the team in 2023. He’s an unrestricted free agent so, if they don’t bring him back, they will need to find someone for those services at the very least.

Jalen Nailor: Nailor has generated some buzz at times, but he was unable to stay healthy in 2023. He’s on a cheap deal for 2024 and I don’t see them adding enough to force him out but, if that were that case, he can be cut with almost a million in savings with less than $100K dead cap. If things really break right for him however, he could be in the mix for that WR3 role. 

Malik Knowles: Malik Knowles is an interesting prospect because he has split end size at 6’3” 200+ pounds but he also returned kicks in college. He did not however return punts and, with Kene Nwangwu on the squad and Powell a free agent, that’s the skill they need more. But he’ll be at camp and battling for a roster spot. 

Lucky Jackson: Jackson was elevated from the practice squad when Jalen Nailor went to the IR. Like any players elevated from the practice squad, he has next to no dead cap tied to his deal, so he’ll be scrapping to make the backend of this roster with everyone else in 2024.

VIKINGS WR FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Vikings have top top tier WRs, and they have a high-end tight end. So, they don’t need to go crazy here. And, as I mentioned, they’ve used fullback C.J. Ham a decent amount which limits the snaps for the third WR. But Kevin O’Connell’s offense ideally does run a lot of 11 personnel. So, they could be in the market for a decent WR3. They also might need someone to return punts if Brandon Powell is gone.

POSSIBLE SPLIT END OPTIONS: Curtis Samuel, Kendrick Bourne, Van Jefferson, Tyler Boyd, Jamal Agnew, Ray-Ray McCloud, Brandon Powell

 

Tight End

T.J. Hockenson: It’s a real shame that Hockenson got hurt and it’s an even bigger shame that it was so late in the season it could affect his start to 2024. But he’s a 26-year-old stud so, in bigger picture terms, they have their starting tight end. 

Josh Oliver: They paid Josh Oliver a lot of money to be the TE2. And I would have bet my bottom dollar that, had T.J. Hockenson gone down, he would have been the pass catching TE option to step up. But that wasn’t really the case as Johnny Mundt ran more routes than Oliver down the stretch with Hock out. Go figure. Oliver is under contract, so he’ll be the blocking tight end again. 

Johnny Mundt: Mundt was a blocking tight end for O’Connell back in the Rams days but, as we just mentioned, he slid into a route running role when Hockenson went down. If Hock is expected to miss early time, they are probably going to need to do better than Mundt. He's an unrestricted free agent but O’Connell clearly likes him so maybe he’s back in some capacity. 

Nick Muse: Muse was elevated down the stretch but primarily played special teams. They could keep him easily as he’s an exclusive rights free agent, but he doesn’t have much fantasy upside as a primary special-teamer.

VIKINGS TE FREE AGENCY TAKE: This is all going to depend on how Hockenson’s recovery is coming along. They have an inline tight end in Josh Oliver so they would really just need to supplement the pass work. Here are some options for that that wouldn’t break the bank. There are also some cut candidates like the Lions Anthony Firsker or the Colts Kylen Granson that would fit the bill.

POSSIBLE SPLIT END OPTIONS: Mike Gesicki, Jesper Horstead, Ross Dwelley, Anthony Firkser (cut candidate), Kylen Granson (cut candidate), Tanner Hudson (RFA), Shane Zylstra (RFA)

NFL Free Agency Previews

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