3 Vikings Are About to Start Their Final Purple Ride
Very rarely does a player get to play their entire career having only played for a single organization for an extended amount of seasons, and the case is no different for this short list of current Minnesota Vikings.
Even some of the greatest Vikings in the franchise’s history have all played for different teams; Adrian Peterson and Randy Moss both played for numerous other teams. Paul Krause played in Washington. Fran Tarkenton’s two Vikings stints sandwiched some time he spent with the New York Giants. Not everyone can be Harrison Smith, who not only will have played for Minnesota his entire career, but the Hitman has chosen to do so in recent years.
So, who are these gentlemen, and why are they probably on their way out of the Twin Cities after the 2025 season?
FB C.J. Ham – Obsoletion of the Position, Cap Restraints
It’s often said, “The cap is a myth.” Whichever belief system you subscribe to, the Vikings are (on paper as it stands) lurking in troubled waters when it comes to the amount of money in the piggy bank in 2026.
Yes, they are almost $20 million under for 2025, as well as currently $51 million under in 2027, but right now, they are also $52 million over the cap ceiling in 2026. Minnesota native C.J. Ham is in the final year of his deal in 2025, and for a team that will be having to cut some costs to remain cap compliant in a year, a player at an obsolete position is in a vulnerable spot when discussions come to the chopping block.
Business, unfortunately, has to be business sometimes, and this would be an example of that; C.J. Ham has been an absolute force for good in the state of Minnesota. He and his wife Stephanie created the “Ham Family Scholarship Fund” in 2022 to assist students of color in Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin.
C.J. also runs football camps for local youth, on top of supporting the Thielen Foundation, founded by former Vikings teammate and Minnesota Sports Legend Adam Thielen. Ham was a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee in 2024.
LB Brian Asamoah – Just Didn’t Pan Out
Brian Asamoah II was a part of the absolutely dreadful 2022 NFL Draft Class for these Vikings, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first with the team. In a class lowlighted by busts Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth Jr., Asamoah was the 66th overall selection of the event.
Asamoah, unfortunately, has been passed on the depth chart at middle-linebacker by just about every semi-notable acquisition that the team has made at the position, and after three seasons, no notable improvement has been reported or displayed by the man since his arrival in Minnesota.
It is of note that he has played 61% of the Vikings’ special teams snaps over each of the last two seasons, so if he has anything to cling to to remain in royal purple, it’s potentially the Vikings appreciating his work in that phase of the game. However, it still wouldn’t even be a surprise if Brian Asamoah II didn’t even make the team’s final 53-man roster when the 2025 NFL regular season comes around.
WR Jalen Nailor – Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen
By far and away, Jalen Nailor had a career year in 2024 with Sam Darnold at QB and his own role increasing as the team’s WR3, but the Vikings will need to evaluate if he played well enough to deserve a second contract or if his production would just be matched or even bested by someone like rookie WR Tai Felton.
There’s not only Tai Felton to worry about, but the Vikings also signed WR Rondale Moore this past March, adding another player that Nailor will have to prove himself better than to keep his WR3 stature.
There is a real possibility that Nailor falls to WR5 before the 2025 season even kicks off, but in his defense, he has been with Kevin O’Connell since they both got to Minnesota in 2022, therefore, he has the most familiarity with the offense and all indications are that the coaching staff and front office are fans of “Speedy” Nailor.
Dallas Turner Made Me Daydream
