ClutchPoints
The Minnesota Vikings’ 2025 depth chart, unsurprisingly, looks significantly different from what it was a year ago. The most notable change comes from the top, with J.J. McCarthy taking over at quarterback, but the team has several other striking transitions.
Minnesota did not add much in terms of free agency or the draft, but its internal turnover rate was uniquely high. The Vikings took a “quality over quantity” approach in the offseason, notably adding veterans Ryan Kelly, Jonathan Allen and Jordan Mason.
However, they also suffered the losses of Camryn Bynum, Patrick Jones II, Sam Darnold, Cam Robinson and Jonathan Bullard, among others. As a result, they return just 14 starters; seven each on offense and defense.
As volatile as the Vikings’ 2025 depth chart already is, it could experience further changes in the coming weeks. Several veterans, including Aaron Jones, Jalen Nailor and Isaiah Rodgers, will be pushed for their roles in the starting lineup. Starting slot receiver Jordan Addison’s three-game suspension adds another wrinkle, forcing Kevin O’Connell to tinker with the rotation more than desired.
The Vikings are coming off their second playoff appearance in the last three years, but have not won a postseason game since 2019. Despite going 14-3 and falling one game shy of the No. 1 seed in 2024, the book remains out on Minnesota entering the 2025 season. With so much at stake for multiple players on the roster, expect the team’s current depth chart to be nearly unrecognizable by midseason.
The Vikings were delighted with the production they received from Darnold in 2024, but Aaron Jones was just as much of a surprise. Although he has a much better long-term track record than Darnold, nobody expected much when Minnesota signed a 29-year-old Jones in free agency.
The veteran running back responded with authority, posting a career-high 1,138 rushing yards in his first year in O’Connell’s offense. Jones appeared in all 17 games for just the second time in his career. His consistency shockingly put him in lockstep with Justin Jefferson as the team’s most impactful offensive player of the year.
There is no doubting Jones’ success in O’Connell’s offense, but the Vikings cannot expect a repeat of that performance in 2025. Ahead of his age-30 season, Jones is coming off the highest-usage year of his career. In previous similar situations, running backs have “disappointed” the following season and not lived up to the expectations they set for themselves the year before.
Clearly aware of the historical drop-off rate of running backs over the age of 28, the Vikings sought ample insurance in the offseason. Minnesota acquired 2024 breakout star Jordan Mason in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers and subsequently gave him a two-year deal.
Jones is still listed atop the Vikings’ unofficial depth chart, but with a substantially looser grip than he had a year ago. Mason, who proved himself capable of thriving in a featured role with 789 rushing yards on 5.2 yards per carry...
