3 Vikings who won’t be back in 2025 after humbling at hands of Rams

The Minnesota Vikings were riding high into the final game of the regular season. The Detroit Lions battered them in that critical divisional matchup. It didn't look like they'd quite recovered from the humbling when they faced off with the Los Angeles Rams in the wild card round.

Whether it was the Rams having something extra in the tank because they were playing for their city or the Vikings just not being prepared for the rigors of the playoffs, things went poorly for Minnesota on Monday.

Now that the season is over, the Vikings have some difficult decisions to make, especially on the free agent front. That's why fans shouldn't expect to see these three players back in Minnesota for the 2025 season.

3. Aaron Jones

The Vikings have several priority free agents to take care of, namely Byron Murphy and Cam Bynum. They're going to have to tighten their belt elsewhere to keep those guys and, frankly, the position to do it in might be running back.

Aaron Jones had a hell of a resurgent year in Minnesota. He rushed for 1,138 yards and five touchdowns while adding 408 yards and two touchdowns receiving. However, he only had 49 yards on 13 carries in the playoff loss.

In a perfect world, the Vikings would look to bring Jones back after that showing. Unfortunately, this is definitely not a perfect world. Jones will look to take advantage of the wildly successful seasons running backs in new scenery had this year. Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Jones all proved what a gifted running back can do in the right situation. The price tag for such backs isn't going to keep dropping and Jones has every reason to get as much as he can out of his next contract. He is 30 years old, after all.

That's the issue though. The Vikings shouldn't fall into the trap of investing in a 30-year-old running back. This year's NFL Draft is loaded with running back talent. Tons of value will be available at that position even late into the draft. If Jones wants to take a team-friendly deal, more power to him. Otherwise, Minnesota will have to move on without him.

2. Harrison Smith

Harrison Smith opted to continue playing in 2024 because he wanted to play for Brian Flores. For most of the year, that decision looked wise as the safety and his teammates won games and had fun doing it.

Unfortunately, the season came to a sudden halt with a loss to the Rams in the wild card round. Sentiment around Minnesota was that they might be watching Smith play his last game in purple.

Retirement seemed a real possibility last year when Smith restructured his deal to remain with the Vikings. He took a significant pay cut to do so.

Smith had three interceptions and 10 pass defenses in 16 regular-season starts. He racked up 87 tackles. Obviously, he can still play. But this time around, he'll be faced with the prospect of playing at 36 years old. The Vikings have their own financial motivations to complicate the idea of his return.

For now, it seems safe to assume Smith will either retire or be cut loose by the Vikings. They have his replacement already ready to go. Joshua Metellus, who was second on the team with 103 tackles in a hybrid role, looks ready to step into those giant shoes.

1. Sam Darnold

Yeah, this one was obvious, even if Darold hadn't put in such a poor showing in the last two games for the Vikings. His departure was all but ensured when Minnesota invested a first-round pick in J.J. McCarthy.

If Darnold had played well enough in the playoffs, the Vikings wouldn't keep him because of the size of his price tag. Since Darnold fell flat on his face, Minnesota has reason not to keep him because of his play

There may still be room for a Darnold debate even after his performance on Monday. It'll be harder to argue that he's worth the kind of money he can command on the free agent market. Then again, his value has undoubtedly gone down. Enough to turn him into a value signing for the Vikings? Eh, probably not.

The fact is, McCarthy is the Vikings future until proven otherwise. He's coming off an injury, so there may be concern about his ability to hit the ground running in 2025. There will be other, cheaper free agent stop gaps Minnesota can turn to in that scenario, including Daniel Jones.