The Vikings’ 3 Best Additions of the Offseason
In some ways, shrinking things down to the Vikings’ 3 best additions is a tricky task. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has had a bold offseason that has filled Minnesotans — and Vikings fans more broadly — with quite a bit of optimism.
Previously, Theo Jackson has been the subject of this kind of discussion. The safety is being omitted to avoid too much repetition. Instead, there’s some discussion of a trio of new adds (in no particular order), players who seem likely to make the Minnesota Vikings a better football team. The overarching idea bringing all of the selections together is a shared emphasis on getting great value, a core tenet of the way that Mr. Adofo-Mensah builds his football team.
The Vikings’ 3 Best Additions of the ’25 Offseason
Add #1 — Trading for Running Back Jordan Mason
So far, sinking late-round draft capital into running backs — Ty Chandler & DeWayne McBride — hasn’t worked. What about shipping out a late-round pick in a trade?
Jordan Mason, 26 in May, is coming off a breakout season for the 49ers. He stepped in for the injured Christian McCaffrey, carrying the ball 153 times while picking up 789 yards and 3 touchdowns. The 5.2 yards-per-carry average is sizzling stuff, the kind of efficiency that may actually prompt Kevin O’Connell to stick with the run.
Aaron Jones remains as the RB1. The hope is that the new RB2, Mr. Mason, can complement the top option. Jones is a well-respected veteran who can do a ton of damage as a pass catcher. Mason seems like he’ll be an efficient thumper, someone who packs a wallop behind his pads.
Give J.J. McCarthy a vicious run game. Doing so will make life a whole lot easier for the kid QB.
Add #2 — Signing Defensive Tackle Javon Hargrave
All about cost, folks.
The stud defensive tackle arrived on a relative bargain deal. He’s costing just $30 million across a pair of seasons (in the NFL, making $15 million annually can be considered modest, a wild reality for the overwhelming majority of humanity).
The defender stands at 6’2″ and weighs 305 pounds. Drafted back in 2016 at No. 89, the veteran has nine years of NFL experience and 130 games played. He only played in a trio of games last season, an unfortunate reality given that he was dealing with an injury. The previous pair of seasons (2022 & 2023) involved piling up a total of 18 sacks.
Splitting the middle in 2025 — putting up 9 sacks while (ideally) generating pressure with great frequency — would mean Mr. Hargrave is more than earning his deal with the Vikings.
Oh, and one more bonus: since Javon Hargrave was cut by his previous employer, the defensive tackle didn’t factor into the compensatory pick formula. Again, all about value.
Add #3 — Trading for Quarterback Sam Howell
All about cost, or lack thereof.
The Vikings traded No. 142 — a high 5th — to the Seahawks. Coming back to the Vikings was No. 172 — a low 5th — and Sam Howell. Not too bad, right?
The passer stands at 6’1″ and weighs 220 pounds. He was picked in the 2022 NFL Draft at No. 144 by the Commanders. He has played in twenty games, starting eighteen. For his career, Howell has completed 62.6% of his passes for 4,139 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions.
Keep in mind, however, that most of those statistics arrived for the Commanders, a team that used to be a disaster before the remarkable turnaround led by Dan Quinn, Jayden Daniels, and several others.
As a backup, Mr. Howell is a nice add. He’s costing just $1.1 million on the cap.
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 Twitter and Bluesky (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.