3 Vikings who should be back in 2025 with J.J. McCarthy, 3 who shouldn’t

While the Minnesota Vikings still have plenty of business to tend to as it pertains to this current NFL season, many conversations surrounding this team these days revolve around the upcoming offseason.

Most of those involve quarterback Sam Darnold, who was effectively only brought in to serve as a bridge before the team handed the reins to J.J. McCarthy, whom the Vikings selected with the 10th overall pick in this past April's NFL draft.

Darnold's role changed, of course, when McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury during the preseason. And he's now put Minnesota in an awkward spot, as he's been one of the best signal-callers in the league through the first 15 weeks of this season, leading the team to a 12-2 record while completing 67.6% of his passes for 3,530 yards with 29 touchdowns, all of which are career bests, as is his 104.9 passer rating.

That said, however, most still believe the Vikings will let Darnold walk in free agency and stick with the original plan of handing the team to McCarthy, who's expected to be fully healthy for the 2025 campaign.

That's not set in stone by any means, but with Darnold likely commanding at least $40 million per season, Minnesota will likely stick with the cheaper option, one which they obviously believe can perform just as well.

But we're not here for the Darnold vs. McCarthy argument. For the purposes of this piece, we're going to assume that McCarthy will be the Vikings' QB1 in Week 1 next September. And our focus here will be on some pending free agents currently on the Minnesota roster and whether they'll be back to join McCarthy for the '25 campaign.

While the vast majority of these pending free agents, at least the ones who've produced the most, are on the defensive side of the football, a list that includes Byron Murphy, Stephon Gilmore, Shaquill Griffin, Patrick Jones II, and Camryn Bynum, we're going to stick to the offensive side of things here, starting with the most obvious player the Vikings need to bring back.

Should be back: Aaron Jones, RB

This should be a no-brainer at this point.

Like Darnold, who's been a steal at $10 million, running back Aaron Jones has been a bargain for the Vikings this season at $7 million.

Through Minnesota's first 14 games, the former Packer has rushed for 979 yards with five touchdowns, averaging a solid 4.6 yards per carry, and has added another 322 yards and two scores as a receiver.

Not only are his 1,301 total yards from scrimmage the most on the team, but they're also the ninth-most of any player in the NFL this season. The Vikes will have to shell out a few more bucks to retain his services, but it'll be worth it.

Shouldn't be back: Cam Robinson, T

While Cam Robinson was a solid get for the Vikings ahead of the trade deadline, the only reason he was brought in was to replace Christian Darrisaw, who suffered a season-ending knee injury of his own back in Week 8.

With Darrisaw expected to be ready for the 2025 season, Robinson, who'll likely command somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million per season on his next deal, will be gone.

Should be back: Cam Akers, RB

Whether the Vikings opt to bring back Aaron Jones or not, they should still re-sign Cam Akers this offseason.

Since returning to Minnesota after starting the year with the Houston Texans, the fifth-year veteran has been a solid RB2, rushing for 211 yards and a touchdown on 51 carries.

Akers shouldn't command too much more than the $1.175 million he's making this season, so the Vikings won't have to break the bank to bring him back. He's very comfortable with the offense and provides great insurance and depth if something happens to Jones or whomever the Vikes have as the regular starter.

Shouldn't be back: Dalton Risner, G

Despite the Vikings re-signing guard Dalton Risner to a one-year deal this past May, there was talk that the 29-year-old could be cut or traded during training camp.

Neither of those obviously came to fruition, and he ultimately hit injured reserve in late August, seemingly due to the new rule that allows a team to place two players on IR as part of its final cuts while reserving the right to designate them for return later in the year.

Risner was activated ahead of the Vikings' Week 9 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, and while he's shown flashes at times, his 62.0 overall PFF grade ranks just 48th among 75 eligible guards. Easily replaceable in the draft, he won't be back.

Should be back: Daniel Jones, QB

Assuming McCarthy is given the keys to the castle, the Vikings will need a more substantial backup than Nick Mullens or Brett Rypien.

As such, they should just go ahead and keep Daniel Jones for another year, if not longer. Sitting down for a season obviously worked wonders for Darnold, who spent 2023 as QB2 of the San Francisco 49ers behind Brock Purdy.

Jones may very well find a starting job somewhere. But if that's not an option for him, going through what Darnold went through last year could do him some good. And if McCarthy struggles or gets injured again, having Jones as a backup option isn't the worst idea in the world.

Shouldn't be back: Johnny Mundt, TE

While tight end Johnny Mundt stepped up nicely behind Josh Oliver with T.J. Hockenson out for the first few months of the season, his touches have dropped significantly in recent weeks, which makes all the sense in the world.

Having a solid third-string tight end is nice, but Mundt is making $2 million this season, which is far too much. The Vikings could easily draft a tight end in the later rounds and get the same production for cheaper.