NFL Free Agency Offers “Juggernauts” for Vikings Roster Vacancy
With the retirement of C.J. Ham, the Vikings have a vacancy at fullback. Whether or not it gets filled remains to be seen. Dipping into NFL free agency would mean a chance of landing a rugged replacement.
The word arrives courtesy of Ted Nguyen, a film analyst and writer for The Athletic. He observes that Baltimore’s Patrick Ricard and Buffalo’s Reggie Gilliam are moving toward the open market. Nguyen quips, “No one is talking about this FA class of fullbacks but there are a couple of juggernauts at the top.”
NFL Free Agency, A Vikings Vacancy, & The Juggernaut FBs
A lot of the time, NFL teams finagle things so as to not need a fullback.
Quite often, that means having just a single runner on the field. Wanting more muscle for the run could involve adding tight ends to the end of the o-line. Or, perhaps, a tight end could be kicked into the backfield, being given a running start to wallop a defender while leading the runner down the field.
Getting really frisky means tasking a defensive tackle or backup o-lineman with playing fullback. In Minnesota, Blake Brandel stands out for his versatility. He has played tight end before. Could he be a fullback, too?
Playing fullback is somewhat of a dying art, but smart teams (think the San Francisco 49ers with Kyle Juszczyk) figure out a way to incorporate unique players.
For Minnesota, Patrick Ricard should offer at least some appeal. He’s a hulking 6’3″ and 300 pounds, meaning he’s closer to a lineman than a standard playmaker. Would Minnesota’s passer — whoever it ends up being — stand a little taller knowing that Ricard is out there to do blitz pickup?
Ricard’s career has taken place in Baltimore. The 67 career targets have gone for 49 catches, 323 yards, and 7 touchdowns. He has been an All Pro for three straight seasons and has been sent to the Pro Bowl six times. His most recent deal came in at less than $3 million for a single season.
Meanwhile, Reggie Gilliam grabs attention not for his unusual size (6’0″ and 244 pounds) but for finishing off as the top fullback on PFF in 2025 (among other reasons).
Standing out above all other grades on the analytics website is that Gilliam pulled down a sizzling 89.5 pass blocking grade. Last season, Mr. Ham — someone with good athleticism and silky mitts — got tasked with helping to keep the passer from getting suplexed. Gilliam could be signed to do likewise.
The latest contract for Gilliam came in at just a single season and $2 million.
As things stand, the Vikings’ cap space isn’t ample. Nevertheless, there’s a path toward a respectable amount of cap space. An educated guess puts the Minnesota Vikings down at roughly $25 to $30 million in open room to add veteran talent to the roster in March.
Scrounging up a few bucks for a rugged runner could be a nice adjustment for a Vikings team that’s too dependent on the passing attack. Jordan Mason is more known for his physicality but he has the capacity to be a gliding, decisive runner, too. He’s not Dalvin Cook, but Mason has some wiggle.
Leaning into the muscle side of Mason could mean giving him a partner who can intimidate defenders, clearing running lanes along the way.
Free agency gets rolling on Monday, March 9th with legal tampering. Watch to see what happens at fullback.
