Vikings Can Still Heavily Bolster a Weak Spot
The Vikings may have lost Cam Bynum to the Indianapolis Colts in Free Agency earlier this year, but they feel very confident in what Theo Jackson can provide in lieu of Bynum. The Vikings will also likely be losing Harrison Smith to retirement after this season (bet you’ve heard that one before), and outside of the aforementioned Theo Jackson and Josh Metellus, not much is going on at safety looking past 2025.
The roster beyond Jackson and Metellus consists of Jay Ward, Bubba Bolden, and Mishael Powell. All due respect to these gentlemen, but none of these names really jump off the page to anyone. Luckily for these Vikings, there are plenty of options available at the safety position left from free agency.
Vikings’ Options for Safety Depth Remain Aplenty
One of those options (that probably won’t be making a reunion with the Vikings) is Jayron Kearse, who began his career in the Twin Cities before playing for the Lions and Cowboys. Kearse is now north of 30 years old, as are a couple of the other best-available free agent safeties.
Duron Harmon, Micah Hyde, Tony Jefferson, and Adrian Phillips all remain without commitments for their 2025 season. Yes, it is less likely the Vikings will sign an aging (or already finely aged) safety, given that Harrison Smith is giving into father time any season now, but if the Vikings did go this route, it would be likely that whichever safety is signed would be more of a mentor to the younger guys in the room and less of an actual feature in the defense.
It’s unlikely that those names would want to take on a smaller role at this point in their career, but if there were any organization that could convince them to come and have a nice final chapter or two to their professional football story, it would be this purple team with this current regime in place.
If Minnesota doesn’t want to go the more “elderly” route, there are some dudes on the correct side of 30 available. Jamal Adams, Keanu Neal, Mike Edwards, and Jordan Whitehead lead that group. All four of those names are not rookie-age, but they are at a point where the Vikings could get 3-5 quality years out of any one of them if they are used correctly within the defense.
Jamal Adams, of course, looks to be the most tempting name. He was a sure-fire prospect in the 2017 NFL Draft, yet after his trade to the Seahawks from the Jets, he pretty much fell off the face of the Earth, which landed him in Nashville with the Tennessee Titans, and then with the Detroit Lions for a month from December 1st, 2024 to January 1st, 2025.
In what seems like the theme of Minnesota’s offseason, the team has plenty of options regarding this topic. They can roll into camp with their current safety room and feel just fine about it, and if they all fall flat on their face, the names mentioned will be available for the Vikings to come calling in a time of need.
