Building for 2024: Vikings Sign 10 Players to Futures Contracts
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings have already begun building for the 2024 season.
24 hours after they saw their playoff hopes officially dashed against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, the Vikings signed a total of 10 players to reserve/future contracts to begin their offseason.
Vikings Sign 10 Players to Futures Contracts
Here is a look at the 10 players who Minnesota retained on these contracts:
- WR Trishton Jackson
- WR N’Keal Harry
- RB DeWayne McBride
- CB Joejuan Williams
- CB Jaylin Williams
- LB Abraham Beauplan
- OT Coy Cronk
- IOL Henry Byrd
- IOL Tyrese Robinson
- WR Thayer Thomas
Each of these 10 players were on the Vikings’ practice squad when the regular season concluded, and as such, they would have gone to free agency in March if Minnesota didn’t sign them to these contracts. Notably, these practice squad players were not signed on futures contracts:
- DL Junior Aho
- OLB Austin Bryant
- TE Troy Fumagalli
- RB Myles Gaskin
- OLB Quincy Roche
A good chunk of the 10 players that Minnesota retained played a pretty substantial role with the team in 2023. Joejuan Williams, who was getting starting reps on the defense at the beginning of training camp, filled in down the stretch of the season when both Mekhi Blackmon and Byron Murphy were dealing with injuries. Undrafted rookie CB Jaylin Williams also saw defensive snaps in both games against the Lions.
On the offensive side, both Trishton Jackson and N’Keal Harry spent some time at wide receiver when the Vikings were dealing with injuries to Justin Jefferson and K.J. Osborn. Fans will remember that Jackson was responsible for a pivotal two-point conversion catch during Minnesota’s comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8.
Finally, 2023 seventh-round pick DeWayne McBride also received a futures contract. Unfortunately, the Vikings final draft pick was unable to see any time on the field during the regular season. The running back did appear in all three preseason games, totaling 20 carries for 70 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
This is just the start of what looks to be a very busy offseason in Minnesota. The team is slated to have a huge numnber of players enter free agency in March, and they have a whopping nine draft selections in April.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.