4 Vikings Free Agency Winners
It was a quiet first week of free agency for the Minnesota Vikings, who barely lost and barely gained players. However, the moves or lack thereof still produced some massive winners on the squad. Here are some of them.
Blake Brandel/Michael Jurgens
The Vikings will have a new center in the upcoming season, as confirmed by Ryan Kelly’s retirement announcement. There were some intriguing candidates in free agency, but the front office didn’t bring any of them in, seemingly relying either on the draft or two in-house options.
The club opened the door for last year’s backups, Blake Brandel and Michael Jurgens, to compete for the vacant spot in training camp.
Brandel entered the league as a tackle, but has since made the move to guard. He has been a backup for most of his career, except for one season as the starting left guard in 2024. His center experience is limited to replacing Kelly during his injuries in 2025, but he did a fairly decent job, given the lack of reps there. We already know the coaching staff likes the versatile alternate; maybe he’s getting a shot.
Also around is 2024 7th-rounder Michael Jurgens. The Wake Forest product entered last season as the backup center, but he suffered an injury on his own when asked to step up and take Kelly’s place. Later in the year, he returned to the starting line and looked quite promising as well.
If no new center is acquired, it’ll be either Brandel or Jurgens snapping the ball to the QB.
Levi Drake Rodriguez
The Vikings also haven’t replaced Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, both of whom were cut and have already found new employers.
While Jalen Redmond will be the new top defensive tackle, the rotation around him is a total mystery at this point. Drafted in the same round as Jurgens, Levi Drake Rodriguez was a rotational defender in 2025 and the fourth man in the DT room. He’s the logical next man up.
Unless the Vikings sign or draft not just one but two high-profile players, Rodriguez is almost guaranteed a promotion and his snaps could skyrocket.
Justin Jefferson
The other players on the list are winners due to depth chart movement, but Justin Jefferson is obviously set as the WR1. However, he will benefit from the arrival of new passer Kyler Murray.
Last season, Jefferson barely cracked the 1,000-yard mark, showing the subpar QB play in the Twin Cities. As he’s on a Hall of Fame trajectory, he needs better play from the rostered signal-callers to keep his record-breaking pace alive.
Murray gives the Vikings a baseline of play they didn’t have last season. Either J.J. McCarthy is better than Murray, or he won’t see the field barring injury. Having a two-time Pro Bowler under center is the best bet to keep Jefferson happy and productive.
Jay Ward
Safety Jay Ward had his workload raised at the end of last season, consistently getting more snaps in Brian Flores’ unit after seemingly earning his trust.
Ward, a 2023 draft pick, is in line for a promotion. Harrison Smith is currently unsigned and might retire. The Vikings didn’t acquire a safety to take his spot, perhaps because they trust Ward. Flores’ trust and the depth chart uncertainty give him a clear path to doubling or tripling his snaps in 2026.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.