The biggest roster questions facing the Vikings' new general manager
The next GM will inherit a good roster right now but what about the future?
By Matthew Coller
The Minnesota Vikings announced after the draft that they would be starting their search for a general manager. We don’t yet know who the candidates will be but we do know the questions that the next GM will be facing. Let’s have a look at the most pressing roster choices that are on the way…
Will the Vikings make a significant post-June 1 addition?
With Jonathan Greenard’s extra $12 million in cap space already banked and Jonathan Allen’s space about to hit, will the new general manager put his stamp on things right away?
There is a surprising amount of talent remaining in free agency, possibly because teams are putting focus signing players after the data passes in which it would cost them in terms of the compensatory formula. Or maybe it was just a weird year for free agency.
Either way, you can make a pretty impressive list of possible helpers for the Vikings, starting with receiver Jauan Jennings, who visited last week. Other top names include: WR DeAndre Hopkins, DE Cam Jordan, OLB Kyle Van Noy, DE Dante Fowler, LB Bobby Okereke, DT DaQuan Jones, CB Tre White, CB Marshon Lattimore, CB Trevon Diggs, S Taylor Rapp, S Donovan Wilson, S Jabrill Peppers
We have talked a lot about how Rob Brzezinski did not make grandiose all-in types of moves during free agency that would have hurt the cap situation long term. Any signing that the Vikings are going to make now would likely be of the one-year variety that could help them in 2026 but not have any significant impact down the road.
With a team that has a lot of talent and Kyler Murray on the squad at $1.3 million, it could be very well worth the investment to grab another veteran or two. Will the new general manager see it that way? Or will they ride out the summer rather than making moves right away?
Will there be 53-man roster or post-camp surprises?
During Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s time with the Vikings, they were often active at the end of training camp, for better or worse. Sometimes the moves ended up working out really well, like when they added Stephon Gilmore in 2024 or signed Dalton Risner. Sometimes the moves ended up blowing up in their face, like when they traded for Jalen Reagor or traded away Harrison Phillips or acquired Adam Thielen at an exorbitant price.
Before Adofo-Mensah took over, Rick Spielman made some of his strangest moves right before the season, the most memorable of which was trading for a kicker/punter Kaare Vedvick and then sending a fourth-round pick for TE Chris Herndon.
Will that trend continue?
New General Manager X will have to decide whether they want to stick with what they have or try to make last-minute changes. One of the trickle-down effects of those late-summer moves is that younger players often got bumped out in order to make room for the vets. Again, that’s been hit or miss. The Vikings might not see themselves in a position to be in development mode right now, so they could opt for more veteran additions. But we won’t know until the new GM is in place.
Extensions for veteran players
Where things get very interesting for the incoming decision maker is with contract extensions.
Some of the most difficult choices will be with key veteran players…
Brian O’Neill — Still an elite right tackle and team captain. But elite right tackles are making $25+ million these days and Christian Darrisaw starts to become quite expensive after 2026.
Andrew Van Ginkel — The most unique defensive player in the NFL, AVG is tough to replace. But he was banged up last year and is 31 years old.
Blake Cashman — Another player who is entering his 30s and would be very hard to replace.
Aaron Jones — The Vikings reworked his deal to stick around another year. They are likely to let this one play out until next offseason.
TJ Hockenson — There were rumors the Vikings could draft Kenyon Sadiq to replace Hockenson. Since that didn’t happen, what do they do if Kyler Murray makes Hock his favorite target?
Blake Brandel — Most have Brandel as a one-year fix. What if he’s good?
Extensions for young-ish players
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Purple Insider to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.