The Minnesota Vikings open the 2025 NFL regular season at the Chicago Bears on Sept. 8 at Soldier Field (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC).
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has collected one of the NFL's most talented top-to-bottom rosters, in part because he and coach Kevin O'Connell committed to second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy and his cost-controlled rookie contract. With McCarthy occupying only $4.97 million in salary cap space, the team added five new starters to its offensive and defensive lines and also traded for running back Jordan Mason. The roster isn't cheap, however. In fact, the Vikings have committed $351 million in cash toward 2025 salaries, according to Roster Management System -- the most in the NFL.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here is a projection for the Vikings:
QUARTERBACKS (3): J.J. McCarthy, Sam Howell, Max Brosmer
After allowing 2024 starter Sam Darnold to depart via free agency, losing out on the bidding for Daniel Jones and passing on the chance to sign Aaron Rodgers, the Vikings gave McCarthy every first-team snap of the offseason and training camp. The results were mixed, as to be expected for a 22-year-old first-time starter who missed his rookie season with a torn meniscus. Depth behind him is also untested. Final decisions are likely to be based on who can best be passed through waivers and onto the practice squad.
RUNNING BACKS (4): Aaron Jones Sr., Jordan Mason, Zavier Scott, C.J. Ham
Jones and Mason will get the vast majority of carries, probably nearly a 50-50 split. So the third position will be depth or injury replacement only. Scott far outperformed Ty Chandler, a 2022 fifth-round draft pick who had multiple opportunities to establish a bigger role over the years. It's also possible the Vikings will comb the waiver wires for other No. 3 options.
WIDE RECEIVERS (5): Justin Jefferson, Jalen Nailor, Tai Felton, Tim Jones, Myles Price
The Vikings have spent the past few days looking for ways to bolster this group, following injuries to Nailor and Rondale Moore as well as Jordan Addison's three-game suspension stemming from a 2024 DUI citation. Adam Thielen, currently with the Panthers, is a possibility. Nailor started nine games last season and has a huge opportunity in the final year of his contract, but his training camp was marred by drops and a hand injury that has put his Week 1 status in doubt.
TIGHT ENDS (3): T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, Ben Yurosek
The Vikings signed Oliver to an extension this spring to ensure the primacy of their "12" personnel packages, which should increase in frequency during McCarthy's first season as the starter. Together, Oliver and Hockenson will receive $20.5 million in cash this season. Yurosek's path to a roster spot was cleared in part by a back injury that has sidelined sixth-round draft pick Gavin Bartholomew since the spring.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Christian Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Brian O'Neill, Justin Skule, Blake Brandel, Michael Jurgens, Walter Rouse
Darrisaw's continuing recovery from a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee prevented the Vikings from getting any live-speed reps with the entirety of their rebuilt starting line. Skule will start at left tackle in Week 1 if Darrisaw isn't fully recovered. Jackson, the No. 24 overall pick of the draft, will be a Week 1 starter. Jurgens is a key backup, considering Kelly's history of injuries.
DEFENSIVE LINE (6): Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Jalen Redmond, Elijah Williams, Levi Drake Rodriguez
The free agent signings of Allen and Hargrave make this position the deepest on the Vikings roster, and prompted the team to trade veteran Harrison Phillips -- who started every game for the past three seasons -- to the New York Jets this week. Ingram-Dawkins is an intriguing rookie with the size and skills to play both outside and inside. Another lineman, Taki Taimani, could also stake claim to a roster spot.
LINEBACKERS (9): Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Gabriel Murphy, Bo Richter, Ivan Pace Jr., Blake Cashman, Eric Wilson, Kobe King
This group might appear bloated considering Greenard and Van Ginkel each played more than 80% of the team's defensive snaps last season. Cashman played 79%. But Turner is likely to play more often this season, while Richter, Wilson and perhaps King will be key special teams players.
CORNERBACKS (6): Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, Jeff Okudah, Mekhi Blackmon, Zemaiah Vaughn, Dwight McGlothern
Cornerback might be the team's shakiest in terms of depth. Rodgers is set to make a big leap from journeyman backup to full-time starter, while Okudah has struggled to stay healthy at his previous stops. That makes cornerback a prime spot for potential outside acquisition(s) prior to Week 1.
SAFETIES (5): Harrison Smith, Joshua Metellus, Theo Jackson, Jay Ward, Tavierre Thomas
The unanswered question of training camp, by design, is whether Metellus will continue in his multi-positional role with Jackson stepping into the starting lineup, or if the Vikings will return to a two-safety scheme to give them more personnel flexibility. Metellus was limited in camp by ankle and shoulder injuries, while Smith missed a week because of an illness and was also given a series of veteran rest days, so there weren't many instances of the projected starting defense on the field together.
SPECIALISTS (3): K Will Reichard, P Ryan Wright, LS Andrew DePaola
Wright holds off rookie Oscar Chapman to retain punting duties, at least for now. Chapman is the Vikings' international exemption and thus could remain on the practice squad without counting against one of the 16 allowable spots.