The Vikings’ Unexpected Foe in Free Agency
The Packers, perhaps, would have made sense. So, too, could the Saints slide into the role of the villain, or even the Broncos now that Sean Payton is Denver’s head coach.
But the Colts?
The Vikings’ unexpected foe in free agency was quietly a part of the competition for Minnesota. Daniel Jones was a coveted player inside TCO Performance Center but opted to head to the AFC team. Meanwhile, the Vikings scooped up center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries from Indy, further demonstrating how closely these teams were contending with each other. Oh, and let’s not forget that safety Camryn Bynum is now patrolling the deep area of the field for the AFC South team.
The Vikings’ Unexpected Foe in Free Agency
Losing Mr. Jones stings even if there was the upside of seeing him factor into the compensatory picks formula.
Tom Pelissero offered the news: “Former #Giants QB Daniel Jones plans to sign with the #Colts on a one-year deal, sources tell me and @RapSheet. The #Vikings wanted to retain Jones, who finished last season on their practice squad. Instead, he’ll compete with Anthony Richardson in Indy.”
The word on OTC is that Daniel Jones is playing on a single-season deal coming in at $14,000,000. Too rich for a Vikings team that’s looking for J.J. McCarthy to be the starter.
And then one thinks of the linemen: Kelly and Fries.
Consider the more expensive of the two. Right guard Will Fries is playing on a five-year deal that’s tipping the scales at $87,720,000. Huge money for a guard who still has a lot to prove, especially since he lost a lot of last season due to injury.
Part of the equation, though, was needing to outbid Indianapolis for the promising guard. Consider what Albert Breer had to say: “There was a lot of action on Fries—the Colts were trying to bring him back, and the Patriots, Giants, Seahawks and Cardinals were also involved.”
Obviously, throwing so many teams into the mix contributed to the price reaching a super high number, but there’s the familiar foe: the Colts.
And then there’s Ryan Kelly, someone who was drafted by the Colts back in the 2016 NFL Draft. Prying him away after nine seasons of service for Indy is no small feat.
Bynum looked like a long shot to stick around in Minnesota, especially after the value deal for Theo Jackson. If Minnesota did have interest, then it was squashed by the Colts’ four-year contract that’s coming in at $60,000,000.
Last season, the unexpected competition seemed to involve Houston and Minnesota. The Vikings brought in former Texans such as Jonathan Greenard, Blake Cashman, and Shaq Griffin. Meanwhile, Danielle Hunter brought his services down to Texas.
Of course, the simple observation that teams need to compete against each other to land coveted free agents isn’t exactly a major revelation. The point is simply that there were several points of contact between the pair of teams that don’t often get paired together. The Vikings and Colts battled in March.
Former Viking Laquon Treadwell is also on the Colts’ roster. Oh, and recent corner add Isaiah Rodgers? He got his career going with the Colts before spending the past two seasons in Philly.
The two teams aren’t scheduled to play each other in the 2025 season.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.