6 Vikings Headed to the Pro Bowl
Only three players represented the Vikings at the Pro Bowl games last year: pass rusher Danielle Hunter, long snapper Andrew DePaola, and fullback C.J. Ham. The latter was a reserve for Kyle Juszczyk, who skipped the Pro Bowl as he was preparing for the Super Bowl. This year’s Vikings hope to go a similar route.
6 Vikings Headed to the Pro Bowl
When the team has a 14-2 record, obviously, there will be some Pro Bowlers. Six Vikings are listed on the Pro Bowl roster, and numerous others are listed as reserves.
1. Sam Darnold
The quarterback arrived in the Twin Cities as a patchover, a bridge between Kirk Cousins and J.J. McCarthy. Ten months later, the journeyman bust was voted to the Pro Bowl, and he surely deserves it.
Sam Darnold has thrown for 4,153 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also added 202 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
In fact, he has played so well that the original plan of letting him walk after one season to start the new era with McCarthy could be in jeopardy. Darnold has been one of the top signal-callers in all of football.
2. Justin Jefferson
After a one-year hiatus, Justin Jefferson makes his return to the Pro Bowl games. One could make the argument that he should’ve been a Pro Bowler last year, too, recording over 1,000 yards in only ten games, but he got a delayed fourth invitation.
This year, Jefferson has recorded 100 catches for 1,479 yards and 10 touchdowns. He extended his resume by clinching a few more records, and it feels like he’s reaching some milestone weekly. The Vikings extended his contract last offseason, and he hasn’t slowed down one bit.
3. Andrew Van Ginkel
Pass rusher Hunter departed, and folks were concerned when they saw the empty OLB room entering free agency. But here we are, celebrating his two successors getting Pro Bowl nods.
Andrew Van Ginkel reunited with his former head coach, Brian Flores, and the tandem should never break up again. In his first year in the Twin Cities, Van Ginkel has recorded 11.5 sacks. His two interception return touchdowns surely helped with the vote, too.
In addition to his pass-rushing skills, Van Ginkel is as versatile as an outside linebacker can be.
4. Jonathan Greenard
Van Ginkel’s running mate, Jonathan Greenard, was the pricey free-agent signing of 2024, and he has been outstanding, tabulating 11 sacks and 54 tackles in his first year in purple.
He’s not used in as many different ways as Van Ginkel; his job is to disrupt the play. And that’s what he does. Greenard is second in quarterback pressures and first in quarterback hurries while also playing solid run defense.
5. Byron Murphy
Cornerback Byron Murphy joined the club in 2023 to be the new CB1. His play was up and down, but his absence late in the season showed his worth. This year, he has developed into one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL, resulting in six interceptions.
The defender is in the second year of his two-year contract, and the Vikings need to make sure it won’t be his last in purple.
6. Andrew DePaola
Fans don’t really care about the long snapper unless he’s making a mistake. Many don’t even know who their long snapper is. In Minnesota, however, Andrew DePaola is well-loved and will head to his third-straight Pro Bowl.
It’s quite fantastic that it’s not even a question anymore: The veteran is the best at what he does, and he was rewarded once again.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt