According to Over the Cap, only eight NFL teams have more available cap space in 2024 than the Minnesota Vikings. This is one of the primary benefits of a rookie quarterback contract and a revamped roster designed around youth and short-term spending.
The Vikings dished out a hefty chunk of money at the beginning of free agency. They added Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Aaron Jones, Blake Cashman and Shaq Griffin, among others, while balancing the ramifications of the signings on potential compensatory picks.
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Still, the Vikings have holes to fill and about $26 million to spend if they choose to.
Whom could they target among the remaining free agents? Here are 10 names to consider:
Hunter Renfrow, WR
The Vikings’ depth chart at wide receiver is thin behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Brandon Powell can separate in one-on-one coverage. Jalen Nailor, meanwhile, has impressed coaches and teammates when healthy. Trent Sherfield Sr. has the run-blocking potential coach Kevin O’Connell likely wants from that spot. None of the three is a no-brainer, though.
If O’Connell’s run game remains similar to that of the last couple of years, Renfrow isn’t the requisite big body needed at WR3. But he can win in one-on-one coverage and could easily master the team’s choice-route concepts from the slot.
Minnesota might be better off adding defensive depth, but leaning further into its pass-first identity could lead to Renfrow.
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Adoree’ Jackson, CB
The Vikings added to their cornerbacks group this offseason. Griffin, who will turn 29 in July, has played more than 5,000 career NFL snaps. He is the expected starter at one of the outside cornerback spots.
When the Vikings are playing nickel personnel (five defensive backs), the opposite outside cornerback is far less certain. Mekhi Blackmon, Akayleb Evans and Khyree Jackson will all vie for the spot. If they cannot handle the responsibility, Byron Murphy Jr. could shift to the outside.
Adding another cornerback could hinder the development of the youngsters, but if defensive coordinator Brian Flores opts for proven production, Jackson would make perfect sense. He is a first-round pick who has posted above-average coverage grades in six of his seven NFL seasons, according to Pro Football Focus. Fortifying the secondary with Griffin, Murphy and Jackson could lead to a massive improvement in coverage.
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J.C. Jackson, CB
This move would serve a similar purpose to Adoree’ Jackson. J.C. could play man coverage on the outside in a system with similar verbiage and responsibilities to the New England Patriots defense in which he thrived from 2018 to 2021. Jackson earned second-team All-Pro honors with the Patriots in 2021. The Los Angeles Chargers traded for him the next year and tried to integrate him into a rules-heavy, off-coverage-based defense — and Jackson completely fell off.
Jackson is still just 28. Who is to say Flores — who overlapped with Jackson in New England in 2018 — couldn’t squeeze a few more years of high-end production out of him, covering up for some of the team’s unproven young options?
Cam Akers, RB
Minnesota does not need another running back. The aforementioned Jones will receive a heavy workload, and the Vikings plan to integrate Ty Chandler more than they have in the past couple of years. The Vikings also view Myles Gaskin as a serviceable option, and DeWayne McBride is still present as a developmental role player.
That said, Akers, whom the Vikings traded for in September, would add insurance in the event of injury to Jones or Chandler. Akers is still rehabbing from a torn Achilles, suffered in a November game against the Atlanta Falcons. His explosiveness might come in time, but his personality and understanding of O’Connell’s system make him an interesting low-cost option.
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Russell Gage, WR
Gage missed the 2023 season with a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. The injury could spur him to sign a one-year contract worth less than Renfrow would ask for.
And the 28-year-old Gage has been quietly effective. He averaged nearly 70 receptions and 780 yards in 2020 and 2021 for the Falcons.
Jefferson would likely embrace the addition of another LSU product. Gage is not an elite run blocker, so there would still be a void in that regard. The presence of another experienced pass catcher, though, would allow Minnesota to breathe easier in the event of a serious injury to one of its stars.
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Xavien Howard, CB
The Miami Dolphins cut Howard in March, freeing up nearly $20 million in cap space. Howard will soon turn 31 and has played more than 6,000 snaps since 2016, which speaks to the tread on his tires. Last year, he played the smallest percentage of defensive snaps of his career.
Complicating matters is a court filing earlier this month that alleges Howard sent a sexually explicit photo of a woman to her underage son “for the purpose of manipulation and/or revenge.” Howard did, however, play for Flores in Miami.
Emmanuel Ogbah, Edge
Ogbah’s best two NFL seasons came under Flores in Miami. He recorded 66 pressures in 2020 and 61 the next year. That production helped Ogbah earn a four-year, $65 million extension. The Dolphins released him this spring, offloading his contract to cover for their tight cap situation.
Ogbah increased his pressure rate from 2021 to 2023, and although he will turn 31 in November, at least one NFL team is likely to value his services as a starting edge rusher. The Vikings feel like a solid fit if a current starter suffers an injury in training camp, or if Ogbah believes so strongly in Flores that he’s willing to take less to play for Minnesota.
Jerry Jacobs, CB
Jacobs visited the Vikings in May. He has yet to sign with an NFL team. Jacobs is only 26, and he played for the Detroit Lions the last three seasons.
His addition would make what will already be a competitive camp among cornerbacks even more interesting. His man-coverage skills would also diversify the Vikings’ defensive options.
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Tyus Bowser, edge
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has not shied away from adding players with extensive injury histories. Bowser has only played nine games since 2022. A torn Achilles tendon and fluid in his knee have hindered his availability.
In the five previous seasons, though, he was a trusty pass rusher. In 2021, he ranked 45th among 173 qualified pass rushers in pressure rate.
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The Vikings have more depth at edge rusher than in years past with Greenard, Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Jihad Ward and Patrick Jones II. But why not take another flier for training camp?
Jamal Agnew, WR
If the Vikings stick with Powell as their No. 3 receiver, they could reinforce their group of potential returners. Health permitting, Kene Nwangwu is capable of handling the kick-return role.
Still, Agnew’s history of return success — both with punts and kicks — offers some intrigue. He ranked fifth last year in kick return average (26.1 yards) and has two career kick-return touchdowns.
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(Top photo of Hunter Renfrow: Steve Marcus / Getty Images)
