The Vikings’ top players must re-sign in 2025 NFL free agency

The Minnesota Vikings were one of the best stories of the 2024 NFL season. Minnesota was the forgotten team in the NFC North heading into the regular season. No one expected great things from the Vikings, especially after that JJ McCarthy’s devastating season-ending injury during the preseason.

Despite low expectations, Minnesota has become one of the best teams in the NFC led by journeyman QB Sam Darnold. The former third overall pick revived his career in Minnesota, setting career highs in nearly every statistical category. Just a few weeks ago, the Vikings had a realistic chance to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC and earn a first-round bye. Instead, the The Vikings suffered an ugly loss against the Lions. That put them on a road to face the Rams, where they suffered another brutal loss.

Now the Vikings have to pick up the pieces and figure out where to go from here. One of the first steps will be determining which expiring players Minnesota needs to re-sign.

They are vikings He is projected to have about $70 million in cap space who they’ll be working with in 2025. That should give them plenty of room to re-sign a few veterans and bring in some new additions.

Now the question is: Who should the Vikings bring back in 2025?

Below, we’ll explore the top three expiring Vikings players Minnesota should re-sign before 2025 NFL free agency begins.

The Vikings must hold on Cam Akers to provide some stability at running back

The Vikings got exactly what they wanted from Aaron Jones during the 2024 season. Jones signed a one-year deal with the Vikings last spring and immediately became Minnesota’s RB1.

Jones had an incredible season in Minnesota. He had 255 carries (a career high) for 1,138 yards and five touchdowns. Jones also added a couple of yards in the receiving game.

Jones was a great story, but it’s easy to imagine he won’t return to Minnesota. He will turn 31 during the 2025 season and is already on the books with a $3.2 million cap hit due to the structure of his 2024 contract. Minnesota could kick that can and re-sign Jones for another season. However, that seems unlikely given that the 2025 NFL Draft has a healthy crop of running backs. Minnesota seems more likely to draft a young quarterback for the future instead of running it with Jones.

Cam Akers is the next man up for the Vikings at running back. The The Vikings have traded for Akers twice in the last few seasonswhich suggests they really like it. Akers was largely the backup to Aaron Jones in 2024, hauling in just 64 carries for 297 yards and one touchdown with the Vikings.

Akers will turn 26 before the start of the 2025 season. He still has some tread on his tires and is young enough to stick around for another season or two.

Finances are what make Akers a priority. Minnesota could easily keep Akers for approximately $1 million per season. This is a bargain for a backup that Minnesota might be tempted to trade for again anyway.

The Vikings can do a lot worse than Dalton Risner at right guard

Building a strong offensive line should be one of Minnesota’s top priorities during the offseason.

It is currently unknown if the Vikings will bring back QB Sam Darnold for the 2025 season. If he does leave Minnesota, JJ McCarthy will take over as the team’s starting quarterback. The Vikings will want to have a strong line that already has some chemistry if they decide to move McCarthy out for what would essentially be his rookie season.

That’s where Dalton Risner comes in. Risner spent his second season in Minnesota in 2024, starting at right guard. He already has chemistry with center Garrett Bradbury and right tackle Brian O’Neal, an advantage he has over every other running back in the NFL.

The Vikings should seriously consider bringing Risner back in 2025. Risner could likely get a small raise over his roughly $2.4 million contract from this season. At that price, how can you say no?

Camryn Bynum is not easy for the Vikings to re-sign

I decided to save the most obvious decision for last.

Camryn Bynum is a no-brainer for the Vikings – they have no choice but to re-sign him. Bynum is a three-year starter at free safety for the Vikings and has blossomed into an excellent player. Bynum finished the 2024 regular season with 96 total tackles and three interceptions.

Minnesota’s defensive scheme under Brian Flores puts a lot of pressure on his security. Flores likes to put a bunch of players in the box, which he uses either to bluff or to press hard. When blitzing, Flores counts on his safeties and cornerbacks to hold in coverage in case the rush doesn’t get home.

If Minnesota keeps that scheme going in 2025, they’ll need someone like Bynum to be a leader in their secondary.

Over the Cap estimates that Bynum could have a contract of about 6 million dollars per season during free mediation. This would put him in the same category as Raiders safety Marcus Epps or Seahawks safety Raishavn Jenkins. Bynum is younger than both of these players, so I would expect him to be able to command more than $6 million per season.