The Minnesota Vikings were one of the best stories of the 2024 NFL season. Minnesota was the forgotten team in the NFC North heading into the regular season. Nobody expected big things from the Vikings, especially after JJ McCarthy's devastating season-ending injury during the preseason.
Despite low expectations, Minnesota became one of the best teams in the NFC led by journeyman QB Sam Darnold. The former third-overall pick resurrected his career in Minnesota, setting career highs in nearly all statistical categories. Just a few weeks ago, the Vikings had a realistic chance of securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC and getting a first-round bye. Instead, the Vikings suffered an ugly loss against the Lions. That put them on a road trip to face the Rams, where they suffered another brutal loss.
Now the Vikings have to pick up the pieces and figure out where to go from here. One of the first steps will be determining which players on expiring contracts that Minnesota should re-sign.
The Vikings are projected to have roughly $70 million in cap space to work with in 2025. That should give them plenty of space to re-sign a few veterans and make some new additions as well.
Now the question becomes: who do the Vikings need to bring back in 2025?
Below, we will explore three of the best Vikings players on expiring contracts who Minnesota should re-sign before 2025 NFL free agency begins.
Vikings need to keep Cam Akers to provide some stability at running back

The Vikings got exactly what they wanted out of Aaron Jones during the 2024 season. Jones signed a one-year deal with the Vikings last spring and immediately became the RB1 in Minnesota.
Jones had an incredible season in Minnesota. He had 255 carries (a career high) for 1,138 yards and five touchdowns. Jones also added some yards in the receiving game as well.
Jones was a great story, but it is easy to imagine that he won't return to Minnesota. He will turn 31 during the 2025 season and is already on the books with a $3.2 million cap hit because of the structure of his 2024 contract. Minnesota could kick that can down the road and re-sign Jones for another season. However, that seems unlikely given that the 2025 NFL Draft features a healthy crop of running backs. Minnesota seems more likely to select a young back for the future instead of running it back with Jones.
Cam Akers is the next man up for the Viking at running back. The Vikings have twice traded for Akers over the past few seasons, which suggests they really seem to like him. Akers was very much the backup to Aaron Jones in 2024, only putting up 64 carries for 297 yards and one touchdown with the Vikings.
Akers will turn 26 before the start of the 2025 season. He still has some tread left on his tires and is young enough to keep around for another season or two.
The financials are what make Akers a priority. Minnesota could easily retain Akers for roughly $1 million per season. This is a bargain for a backup running back that Minnesota may be tempted to trade for again anyways.
The Vikings can do much worse than Dalton Risner at right guard
Building a strong offensive line should be one of Minnesota's biggest priorities during the offseason.
It is currently unknown whether the Vikings will have QB Sam Darnold back for the 2025 season. If he does leave Minnesota, then JJ McCarthy will take over as the team's starting quarterback. The Vikings will want to have a strong o-line that already has some chemistry if they decide to throw McCarthy out for what would basically be his rookie season.
That's where Dalton Risner comes in. Risner spent his second season in Minnesota in 2024, starting at right guard. He already has chemistry with center Garrett Bradbury and right tackle Brian O'Neill, an advantage he has over every other guard in the NFL.
The Vikings should seriously consider bringing Risner back in 2025. Risner can likely be had for a slight raise over his ~$2.4 million contract from this season. At that price, how can you say no?
Camryn Bynum is a no-brainer for the Vikings to re-sign

I decided to save the most obvious decision for last.
Camryn Bynum is a no-brainer for the Vikings — they have no choice but to re-sign him. Bynum is a three-year starter at free safety for the Vikings and has blossomed into an excellent players. Bynum finished the 2024 regular season with 96 total tackles and three interceptions.
Minnesota's defensive scheme under Brian Flores puts a lot of pressure on its safeties. Flores loves to put a ton of players in the box, which he uses to either bluff or send a lot of pressure. When he does blitz, Flores is counting on his safeties and cornerbacks to hold up in coverage in case the rush does not get home.
If Minnesota keeps that scheme in 2025, they'll need someone like Bynum to be a leader in their secondary.
Over the Cap estimates that Bynum could command a contract of roughly $6 million per season during free agency. This would put him in the same category as Raiders safety Marcus Epps or Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins. Bynum is younger than both of those players, so I would expect he could get more than $6 million per season.