Monday, May 18, 2026

Minnesota Vikings Roster: How Did They Get Here?

Here’s a look at how the players got to the roster of the Minnesota Vikings. 

Draft: First Round
Justin Jefferson (2020)
Christian Darrisaw (2021)
Jordan Addison (2023)
J.J. McCarthy (2024)
Dallas Turner (2024)
Donovan Jackson (2025)
Caleb Banks (2026)

Draft: Second Round
Brian O’Neill (2018)
Jake Golday (2026)

Draft: Third Round
Tai Felton (2025)
Domonique Orange (2026)
Caleb Tiernan (2026)
Jakobe Thomas (2026)

Draft: Fourth Round
Jay Ward (2023)

Draft: Fifth Round
Ty Chandler (2022)
Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (2015)
Max Bredeson (2026)
Chuck Demmings (2026)

Draft: Sixth Round
Josh Metellus (2020)
Blake Brandel (2020)
Walter Rouse (2024)
Will Reichard (2024)
Demond Claiborne (2026)

Draft: Seventh Round
Michael Jurgens (2024)
Levi Drake Rodriguez (2024)
Gavin Bortholomew (2025)
Gavin Gerhardt (2026)

Undrafted Free Agent
Ivan Pace Jr. (2023)
Jeshaun Jones (2024)
Dwight McGlothern (2024)
Bo Richter (2024)
Taki Taimani (2024)
Max Brosmer (2025)
Chaz Chambliss (2025)
Dontae Fleming (2025)
Joe Huber (2025)
Myles Price (2025)
Elijiah Williams (2025)
Ben Yurosek (2025)
Bryson Nesbit (2025)
Zemaiah Vaugh (2025)
Marcus Allen (2026)
Da’Veawn Armstead (2026)
Dillon Bell (2026)
Tyreek Chappell (2026)
Monkell Goodwine (2026)
Shaleak Knotts (2026)
Keli Lawson (2026)
Tristan Leigh (2026)
Delby Lemieux (2026)
Kejon Owens (2026)
Tomas Rimac (2026)
Marcus Sanders, Jr. (2026)
Cam’Ron Stewart (2026)
Jacob Thomas (2026)
Brett Thorson (2026)
Arden Walker (2026)
Lyke Wysong (2026)
Smith Vilbert (2026)
Bangally Kamara (2026)
Terrill Davis (2026)

Trade
T.J. Hockenson (2022)
Jordan Mason (2025)

Unrestricted Free Agent
Josh Oliver (2023)
Byron Murphy Jr. (2023)
Andrew Van Ginkel (2024)
Blake Cashman (2024)
Isaiah Rodgers (2025)
Will Fries (2025)
Tavierre Thomas (2025)
Eric Wilson (2025)
James Pierre (2026)
Johnny Hekker (2026)
Eric Johnson II (2026)
Jauan Jennings (2026)

Restricted Free Agent
Ryan Van Demark (2026) 

Street Free Agent
Andrew DePaola (2020)
Theo Jackson (2022)
Henry Byrd (2023)
Aaron Jones Sr. (2024)
Jalen Redmond (2024)
Zavier Scott (2024)
Carson Wentz (2025)
Joaquin Davis (2025)
Caleb Etienne (2025)
Vershon Lee (2025)
Kahlef Hailassie (2025)
Jacob Roberts (2026)
Josh Ross (2026)
Kyler Murray (2026)



Sunday, May 17, 2026

Minnesota Vikings Roster: By Age

Here’s a look at the Minnesota Vikings roster broken down by age. 

21
Marcus Sanders Jr. 

22
Demond Claiborne
Jake Golday
Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
Domonique Orange
Jakobe Thomas
Marcus Allen
Dillon Bell
Shaleak Knotts
Keli Lawson
Delby Lemieux
Cam’Ron Stewart
Jacob Thomas
Luke Wysong

23
Caleb Banks
Gavin Bartholomew
Max Bredeson
Chaz Chambliss
Joaquin Davis
Chuck Demmings
Tai Felton
Donovan Jackson
J.J. McCarthy
Bryson Nesbit
Caleb Tiernan
Dallas Turner
Elijiah Williams
Da’Veawn Armstead
Tyreek Chappell
Monkell Goodwine
Tristan Leigh
Tomas Rimac
Arden Walker

24
Jordan Addison
Caleb Etienne
Dontae Fleming
Joe Huber
Vershon Lee
Dwight McGlothern
Myles Price
Jacob Roberts
Zemaiah Vaughn
Ben Yurosek
Gavin Gerhardt
Kejon Owens
Bangally Kamara
Terrill Davis

25
Max Brosmer
Kahlef Hailassie 
Ivan Pace Jr.
Will Reichard
Bo Richter
Levi Drake Rodriguez 
Walter Rouse
Jay Ward
Smith Vilbert

26
Henry Byrd
Christian Darrisaw
Justin Jefferson
Jeshaun Jones
Michael Jurgens
Jordan Mason
Josh Ross
Zavier Scott
Taki Taimani

27
Tyler Batty
Theo Jackson
Eric Johnson II
Jalen Redmond

28
Will Fries
T.J. Hockenson
Joshua Metellus
Byron Murphy Jr.
Kyler Murray
Isaiah Rodgers
Ryan Van Demark

28
Blake Brandel
Blake Cashman
Josh Oliver
James Pierre
Jauan Jennings

30
Brian O’Neill
Tavierre Thomas
Andrew Van Ginkel

31
Aaron Jones Sr.
Eric Wilson

33
Carson Wentz

36
Johnny Hekker

38
Andrew DePaola


Saturday, May 16, 2026

Minnesota Vikings Roster: By College

Here’s a look at the Minnesota Vikings roster broken down by the college the players attended. 

Air Force
Bo Richter

Alabama
Dallas Turner
Will Reichard

Arizona 
Luke Wysong

Arkansas 
Dwight McGlothern

BYU
Tyler Batty
Caleb Etienne

Central Florida
Keli Lawson

Cincinnati
Ivan Pace Jr.
Eric Wilson
Jake Golday
Gavin Gerhardt

Clemson
Tristan Leigh

Colorado
Arden Walker

Connecticut
Ryan Van Demark

Dartmouth
Delby Lemieux

Ferris State
Tavierre Thomas

Florida
Caleb Banks

Florida Atlantic
James Pierre

Florida International 
Kejon Owens

Georgia
Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
Chaz Chambliss
Ben Yurosek
Dillon Bell
Brett Thorson

Georgia Southern
Marcus Sanders Jr. 

Georgia Tech
Jordan Mason

Indiana
Myles Price 

Iowa
T.J. Hockenson

Iowa State
Domonique Orange

James Madison
Jacob Thomas

Kansas
Bangally Kamara

LSU
Justin Jefferson
Jay Ward

Maine
Zavier Scott

Maryland
Tai Felton
Jeshaun Jones
Shaleak Knotts

Miami
Jakobe Thomas

Michigan 
Josh Metellus
J.J. McCarthy
Max Bredeson
Josh Ross

Minnesota
Blake Cashman
Max Brosmer

Missouri State
Eric Johnson II

Morgan State
Elijah Williams

North Carolina
Bryson Nesbit
Marcus Allen
Smith Vilbert

North Carolina Central
Joaquin Davis

North Dakota State
Carson Wentz

North Texas
Da’Veawn Armstead

Northwestern
Caleb Tiernan

Ohio State
Donovan Jackson

Oklahoma
Jalen Redmond
Walter Rouse
Kyler Murray

Oklahoma State 
Terrill Davis

Oregon
Taki Taimani

Oregon State
Blake Brandel
Johnny Hekker

Penn State
Will Fries

Pittsburgh
Brian O’Neill
Gavin Bartholomew

Princeton
Henry Byrd

Rutgers
Andrew DePaola

San Jose State
Josh Oliver

South Carolina
Monkell Goodwine
Vershon Lee

Stephen F Austin
Chuck Demmings

Temple
Cam’Ron Stewart

Tennessee
Theo Jackson
Jauan Jennings 

Texas-El Paso
Aaron Jones

Texas A&M
Tyreek Chappell

Texas A&M-Commerce
Levi Drake Rodriguez

Tulane
Dontae Fleming 

UMass-Amherst
Isaiah Rodgers

USC
Jordan Addison

Utah
Zemaiah Vaughn

Virginia Tech
Christian Darrisaw
Tomas Rimac

Wake Forest
Michael Jurgens
Demond Claiborne
Jacob Roberts

Washington
Byron Murphy Jr. 

Western Kentucky
Kahlef Hailassie

Wisconsin
Andrew Van Ginkel
Joe Huber

Friday, May 15, 2026

Minnesota Vikings 2026 Schedule

The “who” and “where” of the Minnesota Vikings 2026 schedule has been known since the end of the 2025 season. With the NFL’s release yesterday of the full 2026 Schedule, the “when” of the Vikings schedule is finally known. 

Minnesota Vikings 2026 Schedule

Week 1:  vs Green Bay Packers
Week 2:  @ Chicago Bears
Week 3:  @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
Week 4:  vs Miami Dolphins 
Week 5:  @ New Orleans Saints 
Week 6:  Bye
Week 7:  vs Indianapolis Colts 
Week 8:  @ Detroit Lions
Week 9:  vs Buffalo Bills (MNF)
Week 10: @ Green Bay Packers 
Week 11: @ San Francisco 49ers - Mexico City (SNF)
Week 12: vs Atlanta Falcons
Week 13: vs Carolina Panthers
Week 14: @ New England Patriots (TNF)
Week 15: vs Detroit Lions (SNF)
Week 16: vs Washington Commanders
Week 17: @ New York Jets
Week 18: vs Chicago Bears

Schedule issues:
1. Spending consecutive weeks in the UK last year, with travel from Dublin to London in the middle, should’ve made the Vikings exempt from the international game idiocy for several years. I don’t care that Mexico City is in the same time zone as Minnesota. Five international games in five years is bullshit. 

2. For the fourth consecutive year the Vikings have to travel to one of the coasts for a Thursday night game. Three days is never enough rest between games. For four consecutive years, the Vikings have been forced to hand one of those days to travel. Again, bullshit. 

Some schedule highlights:
1. The Vikings kick off and wrap up the schedule with home games against division foes. 

2. Over the final eight weeks, the Vikings play only two division foes. 

3. Four Prime Time games is a nice start. Seeing as the Vikings will be ripping up the league this season, they’ll likely have a late-season game, or two, bumped to a Prime Time slot. 

4. Other than traveling (again) to the coast for a Thursday night game and an international game (again), it isn’t a bad schedule. It’s definitely a better schedule than the bullshit of last season. 



Thursday, May 14, 2026

Second Round Signing Tracker

The 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement removed the drama from contract negotiations with the players selected in the draft. Most of the details of a rookie contract are dictated by where the player was selected. In recent years, the only drama with these “easy” negotiations have come from the players in the second round. That’s because players, or their agents, have been trying to get some of the contract guarantees that go to the first round picks. 

2026 NFL Draft - Second Round Signing Tracker

1.   San Francisco 49ers: De’Zhaun Stribling, WR, San Francisco 49ers - Signed
2.   Arizona Cardinals: Chase Bisontis, G, Texas A&M - Signed
3.   Buffalo Bills: T.J. Parker, Edge, Clemson - Signed
4.   Houston Texans: Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State - Signed
5.   New York Giants: Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee - Signed
6.   Las Vegas Raiders: Treydan Stukes, DB, Arizona - Signed
7.   Cleveland Browns: Denzel Boston, WR, Washington - Signed
8.   Kansas City Chiefs: R Mason Thomas, Edge, Oklahoma
9.   Cincinnati Bengals: Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M
10. New Orleans Saints: Christen Miller, DT, Georgia - Signed
11. Miami Dolphins: Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
12. Detroit Lions: Derrick Moore, Edge, Michigan - Signed
13. Baltimore Ravens: Zion Young, Edge, Missouri
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Josiah Trotter, Missouri
15. Pittsburgh Steelers: Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama
16. Atlanta Falcons: Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
17. Carolina Panthers: Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech
18. New York Jets: D’Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana - Signed
19. Minnesota Vikings: Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati
20. Green Bay Packers: Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina 
21. Indianapolis Colts: C.J. Allen, LB, Georgia - Signed
22. Philadelphia Eagles: Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt
23. New England Patriots: Gabe Jacas, Edge, Illinois
24. Jacksonville Jaguars: Nate Boerkircher, TE, Texas A&M
25. Chicago Bears: Logan Jones, C, Iowa
26. Cleveland Browns: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
27. Houston Texans: Marlin Klein, TE, Michigan
28. Tennessee Titans: Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
29. Los Angeles Rams: Max Klare, TE, Ohio State
30. Buffalo Bills: Donald Igbinosun, CB, Ohio State - Signed
31. Los Angeles Chargers: Jake Slaughter, C, Florida - Signed
32. Seattle Seahawks: Bud Clark, S, TCU - Signed

With 14 of 32 players signed, the second round is pacing the first round. That’s a significant improvement over recent years. I those years, perhaps a couple second round picks were signed at this point in the offseason. 

All that really matters is that Jake Golday signs soon. 



Wednesday, May 13, 2026

And Then There Were Nine

Last week brought reports that the Minnesota Vikings had requested interviews with six external candidates for their vacant general manager position.

The Six:

Terrance Gray - Buffalo Bills Assistant General Manager
Dave Ziegler - Tennessee Titans Assistant General Manager
RJ Gillen - San Francisco 49ers Assistant General Manager
Chad Alexander - Los Angeles Chargers Assistant General Manager
John McKay - Los Angeles Rams General Manager
Nolan Teasley - Seattle Seahawks Assistant General Manager

Interviews with the candidates reportedly started on Monday. It was great to see things starting to roll. Then came reports yesterday that the Vikings decided six external candidates wasn’t enough. NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported that the Vikings had requested interviews with three more external candidates.

Ray Agnew - Detroit Lions Assistant General Manager 
Reed Burkhardt - Denver Broncos Assistant General Manager
Kyle Smith - Miami Dolphins Assistant General Manager 

Honestly, I was a little surprised that Ray Agnew and Reed Burkhardt weren’t among the original six interview requests. There’s always a need to draw connections between in both general manager and coach searches. Both of the new candidates had significant connections with the Vikings. Agnew was with the Los Angeles Rams when Kevin O’Connell was the Rams offensive coordinator. Burkhardt spent 13 years rising through the scouting ranks with the Vikings. When George Paton left the Vikings to become the Denver Broncos general manager, he took Burkhardt with him. 

The Vikings are definitely looking for a type as all nine of the external candidates are currently assistant general mangers and all nine have risen through the scouting ranks. There’s not an analytics-centric individual among them. 

Now there are nine external candidates to fill the Vikings general manager vacancy. Long-time salary cap wizard and current interim general manager Rob Brzezinski is the lone internal candidate. Unless the Vikings decision-makers suddenly decide that nine external candidates isn’t enough, there are now 10 total contenders for the job. 

For what it’s worth, Chad Alexander has been my favorite for the job from the start. With the new additions to the process, if I were to pick a top three, it might look like this.

Chad Alexander
Terrance Gray
Reed Burkhardt

While I definitely don’t want the Vikings to rush through the process. It’s too important. I can’t wait for the conclusion. A GM search in May isn’t fun. I just want to move on to actual football stuff. That’s fun. 




Tuesday, May 12, 2026

28 Is 29

Last Thursday, the Minnesota Vikings brought Adrian Peterson to spectacular TCO Performance Center to talk to the team’s rookies. The Vikings also had an additional surprise reason for bringing in the greatest running back in franchise history. Hall of Fame defensive tackle John Randle interrupted an “interview” with the wonderful news that Adrian Peterson will be inducted into the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor. #28 will be the 29th name to ring US Bank Stadium. 

Adrian Peterson is the greatest running back in Vikings franchise history. He’s in the discussion of the greatest running backs in NFL history. It wasn’t so much “if” he’d be inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor. It was really a matter of “when.” The team decided that the “when” would be now. He’ll get his spiffy purple jacket a year before he gets his spiffy gold jacket. In the next voting cycle, Peterson will be in his first year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He should be considered a lock for a bust. Before that happens, he’ll be honored by the Vikings. 

Just as Randy Moss did nine years earlier, Adrian Peterson “ripped up’ the NFL as a rookie. His 1341 yard, 13 TD first season was highlighted by an NFL record 296 rushing yards against the San Diego Chargers. His 224-yard game against the Chicago Bears three weeks earlier might’ve been even more spectacular. Peterson was an easy choice for the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was just getting started. 

Adrian Peterson Career Highlights:

2007 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
2012 NFL MVP
3x Rushing Champ
4x 1st Team All-Pro
3x 2nd Team All-Pro
7 seasons of at least 1250 yards rushing

Adrian Peterson’s remarkable 15-year career will always be remembered for his ridiculous 2012 season. His 2011 season was ended by a Week 16 knee injury against the Washington Redskins. Despite the late-season injury, he was somehow ready for the start of the 2012 season. With fewer than 20 carries in each of the first two games, the Vikings eased him into the season. In Week 7, Peterson started a 10-game rushing performance rarely seen in league history. His 2097 years was a frustrating nine yards short of break Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record. Peterson’s fantastic season on a reconstructed knee secured the league’s MVP trophy. It remains the last time the award hasn’t gone to a quarterback. With today’s NFL, that’s a streak that should continue for a while.

When Adrian Peterson was selected with the seventh pick of the 2007 NFL Draft, the league was well on its way to becoming one that’s pass-centric and quarterback-dominated. His immediate impact might’ve stalled that trend. He certainly did for the Vikings. Peterson was a beast of a back. He had to be the focus of the offense. He had an incredible football career. Now, he will be immortalized in the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor. 

At halftime of a game this season, Adrian Peterson will received that spiffy purple jacket and officially join the following franchise greats. 

Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor

Jared Allen
Matt Blair
Bill Brown
Joey Browner
Bobby Bryant
Jerry Burns
Cris Carter
Chris Doleman
Dennis Green
Carl Eller
Jim Finks
Chuck Foreman
Bud Grant
Steve Jordan
Paul Krause
Jim Marshall
Randall McDaniel
Randy Moss
Alan Page
John Randle
Korey Stringer
Scott Studwell
Ahmad Rashad
Fran Tarkenton
Mick Tingelhoff
Kevin Williams
Ron Yary 
Fred Zamberletti