Everything that happened in Day 1 of free agency

The Vikings brought back a familiar face and added a top-notch pass protector

© Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

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By Matthew Coller

Free agency is here! Let’s look at all the events of the first day of the “legal tampering” period and what’s to come…

Sam Darnold signed with the Seahawks

The Sam Darnold era in Minnesota is officially over. The quarterback who led the Vikings to a 14-3 record last season signed with Seattle for three years, $110 million.

The move gives Darnold an opportunity to be “the guy” rather than looking over his shoulder in Minnesota. His exit now allows the Vikings to smoothly move on to JJ McCarthy, who they took 10th overall in last year’s draft.

Darnold’s contract is reflective of Baker Mayfield’s deal with the Bucs last offseason, which was for three years and $100 million. With $55 million guaranteed, the Seahawks gave themselves some wiggle room in terms of the salary cap in order to rebuild parts of that roster that were taken down already this offseason, especially with receiver DK Metcalf being traded to the Steelers. While Seattle needs work, they are a stable and consistent organization with a GM who has built multiple playoff teams. Considering the fan base and stadium, it should be a good landing spot.

Vikings fans should forever appreciate Darnold’s time in Minnesota. He took a team that was expected to win seven games and doubled that total, providing a ton of memorable moments, particularly the game-winning drive against Arizona, his five-touchdown game versus Kirk Cousins’s Falcons and his game-winning bomb to Justin Jefferson against Seattle. It didn’t end the way that everyone wanted but Darnold also showed the power of Kevin O’Connell’s ability to coach quarterbacks and provided a template for McCarthy to learn from during his recovery.

McCarthy taking the reins represents the first time since Teddy Bridgewater that the Vikings have felt truly settled at quarterback. Even during the Cousins era it seemed that every year there were offseason questions about extensions or possible trades. They can now build the team over the coming years with the aim at maximizing his talents and utilizing his rookie quarterback contract. There is uncertainty and pressure surrounding McCarthy but the Vikings are better off aiming for the stars with their young QB rather than trying to work around another big deal with a good-yet-flawed veteran at the helm.

Vikings re-sign Byron Murphy Jr.

It was very clear heading into the offseason that Murphy Jr. was a priority for the Vikings, though when he reached the start of free agency without a contract it was much more murky about whether he would return. Late on Monday night, he agreed to a three-year, $66 million deal, putting him only behind Jalen Ramsey and Patrick Surtain II in terms of average annual value. However, his deal’s $35 million guaranteed put him closer to the ballpark of players who also signed on Monday like Charvarius Ward, Paulson Adebo and Carlton Davis.

Last year Murphy Jr. picked off six passes, the most among corners, which made him a candidate to get overpaid but his game has been much more than just INTs since Brian Flores arrived. Last year he ranked 18th in PFF grade and 15th in QB rating allowed. He was in the top 20 in terms of yards per completion allowed as well. Murphy Jr. isn’t the type of “shutdown” corner that Xavier Rhodes once was for the Vikings but the NFL has been trending heavily toward zone and position-flexible corners for several years now. Only a handful of corners played man coverage more than 40% of the time last year.

Murphy Jr.’s age (27), fit with the organization combined with his improvement from year to year makes the deal a solid one for the Vikings, even if the numbers feel like they are on the high side. With the Vikings cap situation, they could afford to make a big investment in a player they clearly really like having around.

The Vikings signed C Ryan Kelly

Over many years, Kelly has been one of the best players at his position in the NFL. He has made the Pro Bowl four times and graded consistently among the top 10 centers. Last year he was banged up and only played 601 snaps but still graded as the seventh best pass blocking center and gave up just 11 QB pressures in 324 pass blocking snaps.

Brandon Thorn of the O-line analysis Substack “Trench Warfare” ranked Kelly as his sixth best free agent linemen. He wrote:

“Kelly is entering free agency as the longest tenured Colt with 121 career starts, multiple Pro Bowl selections and a perennial team captain badge. He missed seven games last season due to neck/knee injuries, which was the most time he’s missed since 2017. He was solid when on the field and was even better in 2023 when he was healthier. Kelly is past his prime. He doesn’t have as sturdy of an anchor or as much power as he once had but still has a spring in his step to reach shades and intersect targets at the second-level. He brings renowned competitive toughness, leadership qualities and processing skills to the pivot. Despite being closer to the end than the beginning and carrying some durability questions, Kelly’s on-field play is still at a top 10-12 level at his position, which should fetch a short-term contract as a starter somewhere this off-season.”

This would presumably mean that the Vikings will move on from long-time center Garrett Bradbury, who ranked 40th of 44 centers that played at least 200 snaps in pass blocking grade. Bradbury would make sense in Seattle where they are set to play a Kubiak-style scheme with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak at the helm.

While the upgrade in pass protection is understandable, the Vikings never found a way to support Bradbury with quality guard play during the entire time he was with the team. He was constantly playing alongside sixth-round tackles being moved to guard or journeyman backups who had never started full seasons before and that certainly impacted his results. Still, if the Vikings are going to play an offensive system that requires pass blockers to hang on for dear life while they throw downfield, then he isn’t going to be the best fit for that.

There may be a small possibility that Kelly could play guard but he has played nearly 8,000 career snaps and all of them have been at center.

Cam Bynum left for Indianapolis

The free agent safety signed with the Colts on a deal worth $60 million over four years. Once the Vikings re-signed Theo Jackson to an extension with starter-ish money, it seemed inevitable that Bynum was going to have opportunities elsewhere. As much as he was a key part of the Vikings’ defense and had a tremendous locker room presence and strong health record, $15 million per year is steep for a deep safety who ranked 54th, 14th and 36th by PFF over the last three seasons.

The Vikings signed Eagles CB Isaiah Rodgers

An under-the-radar addition in the midst of bigger name cornerbacks landing large contracts, Rodgers has played four seasons in the NFL and totaled 1,339 snaps as a rotational outside cornerback. During that time he has been targeted 118 times and allowed an 86.6 QB rating against on those targets. His career high in snaps for a season is 525 (2021) and he was on the field for 329 snaps for the Super Bowl-winning Eagles last season.

At 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, Rodgers is not an imposing figure but he grades well by PFF in run defense and as a cover corner with grades of 71.8, 81.5 and 74.0 is over the last three years as a part-timer.

The cost for Rodgers’s services is only two years, $15 million.

The Vikings hosted Jonathan Allen

Washington cut the veteran pass rusher, giving the Vikings a chance to have a swing at someone who could create pressure on the interior. Over the last two seasons, Allen’s grades have dipped from being one of the elite all-around players at his position to being more reflective of a situational pass rusher. He was 44th out of 124 defensive tackles in pass-rush win rate and 53rd in pass rush grade. That would be an upgrade from what the Vikings have but not an enormous improvement worthy of a huge pay day.