Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings have poured resources into the trenches since free agency began on Monday / Imagn Images
Almost two months ago, the Minnesota Vikings’ most glaring weakness was impossible to ignore. In their lifeless 27-9 loss to the LA Rams in the wild card round of the playoffs, the 14-win Vikings were manhandled in the trenches. They allowed nine sacks, many of them coming against the interior of the offensive line, and generated very little push from their own interior defensive line.
Kevin O’Connell watched the film of that game over and over. He knew what Minnesota needed to do this offseason. So did Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and everyone else inside TCO Performance Center.
On Monday, a plan two months — and really, three years — in the making was set into motion. The first step was to let Sam Darnold leave in free agency. The Vikings marveled at what Darnold was able to accomplish as their starting quarterback in 2024, but they weren’t at all interested in approaching the three-year, $100.5 million contract he received from the Seattle Seahawks. This team-building plan requires the ultimate competitive advantage — a starting QB on a rookie deal. That’s why they drafted J.J. McCarthy tenth overall last year.
Then came the time to pour their cap space into the trenches.
It started on Monday evening with the signing of center Ryan Kelly to a two-year, $18 million deal. On Tuesday morning, everything really started to come together. Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen agreed to sign a three-year, $60 million deal. Then Will Fries, Kelly’s Colts teammate who was one of the top guards on the market, agreed to a five-year, $88 million deal. And if that wasn’t enough, the Vikings added another standout defensive tackle in Javon Hargrave, who they’re reportedly planning to sign once his release from the 49ers is official on Wednesday.
Kelly has made four Pro Bowls in his career. Allen and Hargrave have each made two. Fries turns 27 next month and was one of the best guards in the league early last season before suffering a fractured tibia. Combined, the four will provide a truly massive boost to the interior of both of the Vikings’ lines.
On the offensive side, the Vikings have built a line that is 80 percent complete with Pro Bowl-caliber players. Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill were already in place at the tackle spots, and now Kelly and Fries come over with four years of built-in chemistry to hold down the center and right guard spots, respectively. The only remaining question is at left guard, where Blake Brandel is an option — and there’s plenty of time to add competition. It’s a line that, on paper, should excel in both pass protection and run blocking. The talent and experience in that group will do wonders for McCarthy as he ascends to the starting role.
Defensively, the Vikings are downright scary now that they’ve added two proven interior pass rushers to complement their elite duo of outside linebackers. Over just the last two offseasons, the Vikings have signed Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Allen, and Hargrave. They’ve also got Harrison Phillips in the middle for early downs, and second-year OLB Dallas Turner is a candidate to have a breakout season. And then you think about what the front will do for the playmakers at the second level — Blake Cashman, Ivan Pace Jr., Josh Metellus, Byron Murphy Jr., and more. Allen, Hargrave, and Phillips is easily the best defensive tackle room the Vikings have had since Kevin and Pat Williams led the way in the late 2000s.
There are some concerns here with age and injury histories, to be fair. Kelly is 32, and his seven missed games last season are the fewest among this group of newcomers. Hargrave is 32 and played in just three games before a torn triceps ended his season. Allen is 30 and missed nine games with a torn pec, though he was able to return before the year ended. Fries played in five games before his season ended.
But those factors are, to some extent, why the Vikings were able to land all of these very good football players. Adofo-Mensah is buying the dip and banking on Minnesota’s training staff being able to put these guys in the best possible positions to stay healthy throughout the year.
And if that happens, watch out. This is going to be a new-look Vikings team in 2025 — one that can no longer be pushed around in the trenches. They’ve gone out and loaded up with big, nasty linemen who are known for doing the pushing.
Stay up to date on all things Vikings by bookmarking Minnesota Vikings On SI, subscribing to our YouTube channel, and signing up to receive our free Vikings newsletter.
Published 32 Minutes Ago|Modified 11:09 AM EDT
