Vikings Were Reportedly in on RB Sweepstakes
Josh Frey
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While the Minnesota Vikings have a number of different holes to fill on their roster, a glaring need is at the running back position.
The Vikings were one of the worst rushing offenses in the NFL during the 2023 season, and they recently decided to part ways with their starting RB Alexander Mattison. This left Ty Chandler as the main RB in their offense heading into free agency.
However, it appears that the Vikings have been in the mix for running backs to this point. One such player was Tony Pollard, but the veteran has opted to sign with the Tennessee Titans, presumably replacing Derrick Henry.
Vikings Rumors: Tony Pollard Was a FA Target
Ultimately, Pollard gets a three-year contract worth $24 million with the Titans (nearly matching the contract that D’Andre Swift received with the Bears earlier today). Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the contract on Monday, tweeting, “The #Titans are giving former #Cowboys RB Tony Pollard a 3-year deal worth $24M, source said.”
Interestingly, shortly after this report, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the Vikings were a team in pursuit of Pollard on the open market. She tweeted, “The Dallas Cowboys were in on RB Tony Pollard. The Giants and Vikings had their eye on him too. He took the bigger payday with Tennessee, per sources.”
Considering Pollard put together over 1000 rushing yards in each of the past two seasons for the Cowboys, it makes sense that there were multiple suitors for him in free agency. The Vikings were apparently in the mix, but they simply weren’t willing to offer the same type of money as Tennessee.
Just because the Vikings weren’t able to get Pollard, though, does not necessarily mean that they are out of the running back market. The landscape of the NFC North has changed significantly at the position over the past few hours after Josh Jacobs signed with the Green Bay Packers and D’Andre Swift headed to the Chicago Bears.
Derrick Henry is a name to keep an eye on in free agency, and his departure from Tennessee seems even more likely now with Tony Pollard heading to the Titans. Henry is not necessarily the uber-efficient workhorse that he once was, but he is plenty capable of being a power running back in the NFL and could be a nice complementary piece to Ty Chandler’s burst.
Meanwhile, in the wake of Jacobs signing with Green Bay, the Packers have also released Aaron Jones, meaning a new face is set to hit the open market. The news was reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN. Jones struggled with injuries during the 2023 season, but his return down the stretch was a major reason for Green Bay’s turnaround towards making the playoffs.
Regardless, it appears that the Vikings are certainly interested in adding more talent to their running back room. Whether it be in free agency or the draft, look for Minnesota to be connected to plenty of RB talent in the near future.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.