Are The Minnesota Vikings In Trouble?

As a Minnesota Vikings fan, I am getting an uneasy feeling about my team's future, though I'll admit some free agency moves have helped ease some of those fears.

The NFL "legal tampering" period opened today at 11 am central time Monday, and the combination of news that has already come out and news that hasn't come out has me feeling a little worried about how the 2024 season will go.

Coming into Monday, there were two big free agents of concern the Vikings could lose. Updating this story from when I first wrote it, Kirk Cousins has agreed to a deal with the Atlanta Falcons, but Danielle Hunter is still on the board as a free agent.

The Vikings have added some interesting free agents, but I can't say I am suddenly at ease - especially at the team's most important position. Let's explore all of this.

The Vikings quarterback situation is in question more than before

Kirk is leaving for Atlanta and Joshua Dobbs (who is also a free agent) probably won't be brought back. By the end of Monday, that left the Vikings with Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens on the roster. Ooof.

READ MORE: Kirk Cousins agrees to massive 4-year deal with Atlanta Falcons

Through Most of Monday, that left some real questions as to who would play the position in 2024. A couple of the biggest "gap quarterback" free agents had been locked up, cutting into options to replace Kirk, even if it is on a temporary basis.

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Baker Mayfield agreed to a new contract with the Bucs and Russel Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly agreed on a deal for the 2024 season. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't super hyped up about either of those two guys joining the Vikings, but they were probably the best two names available at the position.

We learned overnight that the Vikings would pick up Sam Darnold, passing on the other free agent options among the likes of Drew Lock, Jameis Winston, Carson Wentz, Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, Ryan Tannehill, and Tyrod Taylor. Some of those guys have since signed deals with new teams, as announced on Tuesday.

Am I excited about Darnold (or any of the other possible options)? Not really.

With the 11th pick overall, the Vikings are also currently out of the running for one of the top quarterback picks if they don't find a way to move up. The setup feels a lot like when Christian Ponder was taken at #12 overall in the 2011 Draft to find a new starter after the end of the Brett Favre era in Minnesota - and we all know how that went. Granted they have Darnold on the roster now, but he's not the future of the team, even if he becomes the starter and plays well in 2024.

Now that teams know the Vikings are in a position of need for a quarterback, that means that trading up to get into the top 10 in the draft gets tougher. Teams can force the team to "pay" even more for a higher pick, knowing they are desperate for a solution at signal-caller.

While I haven't been the biggest Kirk Cousins fan over the years, he has been someone who has run Kevin O'Connell's offense pretty well and put up impressive stats. Seeing how things went when he was lost to injury (besides those couple of exciting Josh Dobbs games), fans got a taste of what it was like having a sub-Kirk quarterback running the offense - and it wasn't great.

I'm hoping the Vikings are able to find a way to move up and not only get a competent quarterback, but someone that could be a team-leading starter for years to come. Additionally, here's hoping that if they don't land a day-one starter in the Draft that Darnold isn't a complete mess.

Danielle Hunter is likely leaving the Vikings after this move

While it pains me that Hunter is likely gone this year, the Vikings have been using the early parts of free agency to do a lot on defense. They have added former Texans defender Jonathan Greenard, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, and linebacker Blake Cashman.

All of these additions are decent depth moves that cushion the loss of Jordan Hicks in free agency and the likely departure of Danielle Hunter.

The move to add Greenard seems like the most direct move to replace Hunter as they offered him a 4-year, $76 million deal.

I'd hate to see Hunter go, but I don't feel as concerned about the defense as I do about the quarterback situation.

One other fan-favorite situation to watch is what the team does with Harrison Smith. His contract isn't up, but the team may opt to move away from the expensive aging vet, even if he is a fan favorite. It could be a situation kind of like Adam Thielen. Stay tuned.

What are other additions or changes?

It looks like Greg Joseph is departing as the team signed John Parker Romo at kicker. Joseph remains unsigned as of this update.

Aside from the defensive additions, the new kicker and Sam Darnold, the Vikings also picked up running back Aaron Jones after the Packers released him. Green Bay picked up Josh Jacobs, allowing the Packers to move on from Jones.

With the team moving away from Alexander Mattison, the Vikings are trying their hand at a guy who has a bit of an injury history and is getting "up there" in age for his position, but still shows flashes of being a solid back.

Who else is a free agent from the 2023 Vikings roster?

Seeing some of these names might hurt a little more than others, but here's a rundown of the unrestricted free agents that could find a new team during the free agency period: