3 Vikings Arriving at a Crossroads
With the final four games coming up, there are some Vikings arriving at a crossroads.
More specifically, there are some who are at a point where Minnesota is forced into making a difficult decision. But while there has already been discussion of the potential cut candidates, the trio of players under consideration here are ones who are seeing their contracts end.
3 Vikings Arriving at a Crossroads
Player #1 — Ivan Pace Jr., Linebacker
Soon enough, a decision needs to get made.
The 24-year-old linebacker packs power in his shoulder pads. He’s at his best when he’s allowed to attack; he’s at his worst when he’s tasked with covering talented pass catchers. Much preferable, folks, to allow Mr. Pace to chase down the passer than task him with disrupting the pass catcher.
The question at this stage is if the Vikings can afford him. He’ll reasonably want a pay raise coming off his very modest UDFA contract. He fully deserves meatier money even if he lacks leverage as an upcoming RFA. The issue in Minnesota is that money isn’t ample.
Another sneaky factor? The Vikings don’t have a ton of youth to build around on defense. Possible that finding some sort of middle ground solution is the best path forward, but a trade appears to be the most likely route.
Player #2 — Jalen Nailor, Wide Receiver
Jalen Nailor is sitting on modest statistics: 23 catches, 348 yards, and 2 touchdowns. In a different situation, Nailor’s numbers could be much more impressive. The receiver can play.
He’s buried behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, neither of whom are anywhere close to being fully unlocked in what has been a very poor offense. Good chance Nailor opts to skedaddle in search of better pay and better production.
The 6th-Round selection from the 2022 NFL Draft is the lone player to have exceeded expectations from within the cluster of ten players (though UDFA add Ryan Wright has been excellent). The Vikings could use him but have been hesitant to pay any WR3 since Jefferson, Addison, and T.J. Hockenson demand so much money.
Seeing Nailor land in a spot like Buffalo, Denver, Kansas City, or other promising teams before then doing quite well in the ’26 season won’t be shocking at all.
Player #3 — C.J. Ham, Fullback
Bring the veteran back.
He can bench press blitzers, creating extra time for J.J. McCarthy to complete passes. So, too, can he keep being a bulldozer in the running game to help Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason gain ground. Oh, and maybe he works with a promising rookie in 2026.
Bringing it all together is the reality of him being an excellent leader, someone who does awesome off-field work, and then he’s a valued special teams helper, too.
The 32-year-old thumper can still be part of the winning formula in Minnesota. His days of demanding strong contracts — his current cap charge exceeds $3.5 million — are likely over. His job as a Viking shouldn’t be.
