The Clock May Be Ticking for These 3 Vikings
Every single season, some random slew of players for any given team are heading into their final year with whichever franchise you want to draw out of a hat. Of course, this is especially true for players further down the depth chart.
Yes, it may be safe to assume that 2027 ERFA Caleb Etienne will likely be playing in his final season with the Vikings. Is it way too early to determine that? Yes. But do you see my point? Also, yes.
Today, we’ll be focusing on the “bigger” names on the Vikings that are likely heading into their final season with the team. For some, it’s age-related. For others, it’s role-related. The fact is that players must go as they come, and these three gentlemen with the aforementioned “bigger” names are likely to be shown the door heading into the 2027 season.
QB Carson Wentz
This is an easy one, but hey, I said “bigger” names, right?
Carson Wentz of North Dakota State football fame is going into his second year with his boyhood favorite team in 2026. Earlier this offseason, he signed the dotted line on a 1-year/$3 million deal to stay put in the Twin Cities.
Many would assume he will be the stereotypical veteran QB3 in a room with two signal callers under 30 in Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy. Others may theorize that he could even unseat McCarthy for the backup job if we go along with the popular belief that Murray will be QB1 for Minnesota this season.
With all of that being said, it’s safe to predict that 2026 will be his final year with the Vikings. Things could change, and Kevin O’Connell could just love the guy, but Minnesota’s future in the QB room is so up in the air that anything is possible at this point.
RB Aaron Jones
If I were a gambling man, I would’ve bet that Aaron Jones’ final season in Minnesota would’ve been 2025. As it turns out, I am a gambling man, and I would’ve lost my money on that bet.
Aaron Jones and the Vikings mutually agreed to a revised contract in 2026, paying the veteran back $5.5 million this year. This was a pay cut, as he was originally due a little over $4 million more on the contract extension he signed after the 2024 season.
This will be Jones’ third season in the purple, and his second sharing the backfield with Jordan Mason. If we’re lucky, their days may be numbered when it comes to their snap counts. Wake Forest’s Demond Claiborne is the new kid on the block and aims to be the future of the Vikings’ running back room.
LS Andrew DePaola
This is obviously a retirement prediction. DePaola, who turns 39 in July, has more than earned his time off.
Since he came to the Vikings in 2020, DePaola has gotten two All-Pro First-Team and two All-Pro Second-Team honors. He was also nominated to three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2022 to 2024, for whatever that’s worth nowadays.
As we know with Harrison Smith, it’s not the easiest thing to predict Vikings retirements ahead of time. However, I fear no challenge, and that’s exactly what I’ll do here.
See you next year.
