Very Soon, The Vikings Can Start Mining a New Collection of Football Talent
Very soon, the Vikings will get the chance to go after the UFL’s top players (if there’s a desire to do so).
The UFL has been playing football for the past little bit, leading to some content on PurplePTSD and Vikings Territory discussing the former Vikings players (edge rusher Kenny Willekes, corner Cameron Dantzler, and quarterback Kellen Mond). Once May flips over into June, the time is nigh for UFL players. The league’s official website indicates that the middle of June is when the championship game occurs, so NFL teams could swoop in afterwards to onboard new talent.
The Vikings & The Top UFL Talent
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s goal is to build the best roster possible.
Being known as the best at signing free agents is great, but it’s not the real goal. Neither is being the best at drafting, trading, nor adding UDFAs. All of those things are good and worthy of a GM’s aspirations. They’re all subservient to the broader objective, however: assemble a collection of football players capable of pushing a team to the Super Bowl.
Does the UFL have a place within that strategy? It does if it becomes a place to unearth good football players.
Last June, the Vikings brought Jalen Redmond to town after the defensive lineman did some good things in the other professional league. How did that decision turn out?
Pretty good, all things considered.
No, we’re not talking about the second-coming of Aaron Donald, but Redmond proved to be a strong rotational defensive tackle for the Brian Flores defense. The young defender played in thirteen games while starting a pair (notably taking over for the underperforming Jerry Tillery). Redmond offered up 18 tackles, 1 sack, 1 QB hit, 6 tackles for loss, and 2 passes defended. Going into 2025, the Vikings are looking at Mr. Redmond as an upside DT4 who is playing on a single-season deal for just $960,000.
Keep in mind, as well, that Lucky Jackson has been hanging around in Eagan for a bit after a successful showing in the XFL.
The receiver hasn’t done as much as Redmond, but he has been on the active roster for a trio of games while otherwise helping on the practice squad. His career has involved seeing limited game action, picking up 3 snaps on offense and 32 on specials.
The point, folks, is simply that past offseasons under the same Vikings leadership have involved dipping into the spring football leagues to bring in some standout talent. The approach has paid off, at least to a certain extent. Are we about to see something similar occur in June of 2025?
Consider, for instance, some of the roster’s more uncertain spots (mostly among the depth options). More specifically, corner, running back, tight end, edge rusher, and punt returner. Any chance one of those spots gets some added competition in the form of a player(s) who shined in the UFL?
Just poke around the rosters of the top teams. Would someone like running back Deon Jackson make sense? The leading rusher for the DC Defenders has 71 attempts for 357 yards and 3 scores, working out to an average of 5.0 yards per carry. Toss on the simple facts that he’s 26, stands at 6’0″ while weighing 218 pounds, and ran a 4.41 forty. Oh, and he has played in the NFL for the Colts, Browns, Giants, and Jets. Worth a shot?
Currently, the edge rushers consist of a clear top trio — Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, as well as Dallas Turner — alongside a cluster of unproven, young talent. Any room for a veteran UFL player? If so, then maybe Derick Roberson makes sense to consider, a defender who played for the Titans and Texans. He stands at 6’3″ and 250 pounds. For the Defenders, Roberson has 5.5 sacks and 9 tackles for loss.
Folks, these are just a pair of examples from a single UFL team and we’re offering just the most basic details. The point is merely to suggest that the Vikings have travelled down this path previously and have been rewarded for doing so. Seeing them pluck a player or two out of the spring league won’t be surprising.
Something to watch for in the coming weeks.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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.
