Full list of Minnesota Vikings free agents in 2024

Highlights

• The Minnesota Vikings struggled in 2023 due to injuries and an inability to close out tight games, finishing with a 7-10 record.
• The 2024 offseason brings uncertainty with key players hitting free agency, including quarterback Kirk Cousins and edge rusher Danielle Hunter.
• Minnesota must now decide between rebuilding or retaining talent to compete in the NFC North, as they face salary cap challenges.

The Minnesota Vikings got off to a rough start in 2023, starting 1-4 despite all five games being one-score affairs. They began to right the ship with three straight wins after that, but in Week 8, starting quarterback Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles against the Green Bay Packers.

The team went on to finish the season 7-10, tied for last in the NFC North. The quarterback situation never got settled after Cousins went down, and other injuries to key players like Justin Jefferson sunk the Vikings’ ship before it had a real chance to sail.

Heading into 2024, the franchise is set to lose some of its best players to free agency, including Cousins and edge rusher Danielle Hunter. With roughly $38.5 million in projected cap room, according to Spotrac, Minnesota has some wiggle room, but they’ll need to bring in a lot of talent to compete with the Packers and Detroit Lions, each of whom won a playoff game last season.

Will the Vikings be able to retain Cousins, Hunter and others during this pivotal offseason for the organization, or will Minnesota experience a free agent mass exodus?

2024 Minnesota Vikings free agents

The team’s best defender and starting quarterback are set to hit the market

If the Cousins era is set to come to an end, the Vikings may elect to undergo a full-blown rebuild. Jefferson will be due for a market-setting extension soon and could fetch a haul on the trade market if the team does elect to tear it down.

Of course, Minnesota could also decide to run it back with a roster that went 13-4 and won the division in 2022, though they’ll need to perform some salary-cap gymnastics to retain everyone. Below is a complete list of all the Vikings’ free agents this offseason.

Kirk Cousins, QB

Cousins has spent six seasons with the Vikings, and 2023 was gearing up to be his best one. In just eight games played, Cousins threw 18 touchdowns and only five interceptions, good for a 103.8 passer rating.

If the Vikings are deadset on competing in 2024, they’ll have to re-sign Cousins to have any chance at keeping pace in the division. Backup quarterback Josh Dobbs is also set to be a free agent after Minnesota acquired him from the Arizona Cardinals in the middle of the 2023 season. On the whole, the Vikings are wildly unsettled at the game’s most important position.

If Cousins tests free agency, he’ll be the best quarterback on the market in some time. Any team with a talented roster and in need of a veteran quarterback – the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Las Vegas Raiders have repeatedly popped up in rumors surrounding the veteran signal caller – would be hard-pressed to find a better option than Cousins this offseason.

Coming off an Achilles injury and entering his late-30s, expect Cousins to sign a short-term, high AAV deal with whichever suitor wins his sweepstakes.

Danielle Hunter, DE

The longtime pass-rusher had another banner season in 2023, earning his fourth career Pro Bowl nod on the back of his 16.5 sacks and league-leading 23 tackles for loss.

There are few 4-3 pass-rushers with as much versatility as Hunter, who can line up as a true edge rusher in the dirt, as an outside linebacker over a tackle, or as an interior defensive lineman over a center or guard. That kind of flexibility will help Hunter appeal to a variety of teams, regardless of the systems or fronts their defense prefers.

2024 will be his age-30 season, and Hunter should still have a few years in his prime left. With double-digit sacks in five seasons already, Hunter should have no problems eclipsing the $20 million per year threshold on his next deal.

Though remaining in Minnesota remains a possibility, his past contract disputes with the organization render it unlikely. Hunter will probably look for a situation akin to the Lions – a Super Bowl contender with an elite defensive lineman already in place.

K.J. Osborn, WR

Osborn has been the number three receiver in Minnesota for the past three seasons, catching somewhere between 48 and 60 passes, 540 and 655 yards, and three and seven touchdowns every year since 2021.

He received extra opportunities this year when Justin Jefferson went down with a hamstring injury in Week 5, though he failed to make the most of the extra offensive attention (Cousins’ own injury certainly didn’t help matters).

The Vikings already have first-rounder Jordan Addison on the roster – who had an excellent rookie season – and elite options at tight end (T.J. Hockenson) and receiver (Jefferson). Given their limited cap space, they don’t have much room to negotiate a contract with a superfluous talent like Osborn.

Teams that need a veteran receiver who can thrive in limited usage should look to Osborn as a complementary option this offseason. The Cincinnati Bengals – who may trade Tee Higgins after franchise tagging the star receiver – could be a good landing spot with Ja’Marr Chase already in tow.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted. All salary cap info via Spotrac.