Vikings Rumors: New TE in RD1, A Slobberknocker UDFA Haul, and Fresh FA Investments
As we enter the portion of the year when Vikings rumors start heating up, we’ll be highlighting some of the purple rumblings.
The “Vikings Rumor Wrangle” is a series that keeps readers informed on what’s being whispered about in Vikings Land. In this iteration, we discuss possibly making a move for a tight end really high, needing to be very aggressive when bringing in UDFAs, and Minnesota’s renewed interest in signing veteran free agents.
Vikings Rumors: 04.23.2025
Rumor #1 — The Vikings Could Go TE in the Opening Round
All things considered, an unlikely outcome but not one that would be totally unforeseen.
The team is operating with T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver at tight end. Behind the top twosome is … no one. Johnny Mundt got away in free agency and others players recently with Minnesota — Robert Tonyan, N’Keal Harry, Nick Muse — are no longer around. The GM sees the issue as a “champagne problem” since the top pair is so excellent, but he still knows there needs to be more depth.
Any chance the move is to obtain more than mere depth? Or, put differently, a TE3 who has the potential to be an excellent player? If so, then sinking No. 24 into one of the draft’s top tight ends could be the move.
Over on PFF, the draft board lists Penn State’s Tyler Warren at 12th. Go down just a bit further and sitting at 16th is Michigan’s Colston Loveland (a former teammate of J.J. McCarthy). Further down the board are other tight ends, of course, but seeing Minnesota opt for one high shouldn’t be considered an impossibility.
Rumor #2 — Minnesota Needs to Sign a League-Leading a UDFA Class
That’s the word, at least from Over the Cap.
There’s some basic math going on to make the educated guess. Start off with how many players find themselves on the Vikings’ roster. Currently, that number sits at 65. Toss on the team’s draft picks. Currently, that’s just the 4 (read more). Use the total number — 69 — to then conclude that the Vikings will therefore need to sign 21 UDFAs to get up to the offseason limit of 90 players.
The logic is sensible enough, but there are some obvious shortcomings that need to be understood before putting the 21 UDFA adds into ink. After all, the Vikings could simply snag 19 UDFAs before, for instance, doing deals with veterans such as guard Dalton Risner and quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Now, OTC itself will readily acknowledge the issue, as well. Consider one thought: “Because draft day trades and other transactions will happen, these numbers will not be the final result. They may, however, give some hints as to what teams could do during and immediately after the draft. Teams with a high numbered UDFA potential could lower this number by acquiring more picks in this draft, either by trading down or trading away future picks.”
With the Vikings specifically, there’s an assessment of where things stand: “But for Minnesota, it’s because they currently possess the fewest draft picks in the league, at only 4. It’s clear that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah looks set to build rookie depth among the undrafted ranks this season.”
By all means, expect Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to be aggressive when adding UDFAs. Just know that things can (and likely will) shuffle around a bit before the draft concludes.
Rumor #3 — The Vikings Will Soon Start Investing in More Free Agent Talent
Not a certainty, but plausible given that the draft will soon come to an end. One of the main benefits for the Vikings is that they’ll be able to sign veterans without losing compensatory picks starting next week.
Currently, the team is sitting on more than $17 million. If we want to get specific, we would say that the Vikings are sitting on $17,259,572 in open cap space (at least according to Over the Cap). Now, a few caveats exist. Soon, the draft class is going to take a bite out of the budget. Moving in the other direction, however, is the fresh influx of cap space that’s going to arrive in June.
The roster is sitting in a good spot. The free agency class was impressive, full of accomplished veterans to fortify weak spots. Safe to say that there are still needs that need filling. Some of those are going to get addressed in the draft and the UDFAs will also play a role (see above). Proven veterans, though, do have their appeal.
One wonders about the quarterback spot as a particular position that’s in need of a veteran. After all, J.J. McCarthy is young and unproven, so inserting a capable veteran into the mix would make some sense. We’ll see if other roster spots get similar treatment before training camp arrives in July.
J.J. McCarthy Gets the Green Light Treatment
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.