The demise of the Minnesota Vikings‘ season was a leaky interior offensive line that left Sam Darnold scrambling for his life in a playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The good news is Minnesota has ample money to spend in free agency, holding $55.7 million in cap space for the 2025 season, the fifth-most in the NFL.
Minnesota Star Tribune beat reporter Ben Goessling expects the Vikings to put that money to good use and pursue top-of-the-market linemen to fix the offensive front, including Kansas City Chiefs star Trey Smith.
“I think they’ll be pretty aggressive for players like that. I think they are going to be aggressive at guard. He’s probably at the top of the guard market, which will be expensive. But I think they are going to make a big priority of going after a guard,” Goessling said on February 5 on the “Access Vikings” podcast. “And I think they would be interested in getting a guy like [Trey Smith] in here. So I would expect they’d be involved if he makes it to the market, which he might, because the Chiefs have other guys to sign.”
Vikings Eyeing Top-of-the-Market Guard Trey Smith
GettyKansas City Chiefs offensive guard Trey Smith.
While the question of whether J.J. McCarthy or Darnold will be the team’s starting quarterback for the 2025 season remains, what may be more important is the linemen in front of the Vikings’ starting quarterback.
Darnold put forth a Pro Bowl-caliber season, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns to the tune of a 102.5 passer rating, the sixth-best mark in the league.
However, Darnold crumbled against defenses that relentlessly sent pressure. The Vikings could have better prepared, working in more quick passes to alleviate the pressure, but the offensive line was the root of the problem.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) projects Smith to sign a four-year, $82 million deal worth $20.5 million annually. He allowed a career-best 31 pressures during the 2024 season and has yet to surrender ahead of the Super Bowl.
Smith would be a good start to solving the problem, but he may not be the best solution.
He would be a valuable asset at right guard, but the Vikings could go another direction and sign several lower-tier guards to fortify the entire interior.
Vikings Must Weigh Rehaul of O-Line With Landing Trey Smith
Smith is the No. 2-ranked free agent and in a league of his own when it comes to guard play.
However, the next tier in free agency has many options with varying floors/ceilings and risk/rewards.
Will Fries, Teven Jenkins are a pair of 26-year-old guards who can be future building blocks on the interior, both projected to garner deals worth north of $12 million a season.
Kevin Zeitler is a veteran guard who turned in a Pro Bowl season with the Detroit Lions and could come to Minnesota on a one-year deal worth roughly $6 million.
There are also riskier options like James Daniels, coming off an Achilles tear, or Mekhi Becton, who moved to guard last season, that could be targeted for shorter trial runs before investing fully in the interior.
Overall, the Vikings could land a pair of guards for the price of Smith and the sum of improving two spots on the offensive line could be more than slotting in a single premiere free agent in Smith.
Regardless, Goessling’s pulse on the Vikings’ intentions in free agency is a sign to expect an overhaul on the offensive interior and that they will not be spendthrift in free agency.
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