The Vikings’ Best Bargains in 2025

Camryn Bynum is out — he’s an Indianapolis Colt — and Theo Jackson is in, if one assumes the Vikings don’t sign a safety like Justin Simmons this summer.

Jackson’s teammates and coaches have showered praise on him this offseason, a hungry defensive back who’s always made splashy plays when given a chance on the field.

Minnesota trusts with a starter’s job, and any defensive starter playing for $3 million (not on a rookie contract) is a bargain.

1. Josh Metellus (S)

Average Annual Salary: $4 million

This one should be caveated because Metellus will likely snatch a contract extension in the next three months. Still, at $4 million annually, he’s the Vikings’ top value player, especially because he can play any defensive spot on the field in a pinch. He’s the Denny Hocking for the Vikings — for those fans who double as Twins fans from two decades ago.

If Metellus’ deal is not extended, his $4 million is by far the best value contract on the books.

Will Ragatz wrote about Metellus this week: “The two-year, $8 million extension Metellus signed two years ago came when he had mostly been a core special teams player in his first three seasons. Once he emerged with an incredible 2023 campaign where he stuffed the stat sheet and showed off remarkable versatility, that deal became a huge bargain for Minnesota.”

“Metellus didn’t rack up stats in quite the same way last year, but he had another strong season as an every-down player who lines up all over the field for Flores. There’s little reason to suspect that something won’t get worked out between the Vikings and the 27-year-old Metellus, who was a sixth-round pick out of Michigan back in 2020.”

It’s worth noting that the Vikings will likely lock in a deal with Metellus before too long. This thing isn’t heading toward a cliffhanger.

Ragatz added, “They have a history of taking care of their key players and rewarding them with extensions — most recently Andrew Van Ginkel earlier this offseason.”

“It’s probably just a matter of time until the two sides find common ground on a new deal. Metellus was already one of the Vikings’ most important defenders, and his long-term value is boosted further by Camryn Bynum’s departure and the possibility of Harrison Smith retiring after this year.”

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