Vikings Decision Predicted to ‘Harm the Franchise’s Future’

Not much is going on around the NFL right now, so it’s an apt time to look back on some past decisions teams such as the Minnesota Vikings have made over the years, applaud them for good decisions and hold them accountable for bad ones. The Vikings have been pretty solid as of late, but no team is perfect, and that includes the Vikings.

The Minnesota Vikings had a strong season in 2024-25 and were No. 2 in the NFC North with 14 games won and three lost. Now, heading into their 2025-26 season, Minnesota is poised to have another big year, but they might regret a few of their past decisions.

There’s one particular player that the Vikings let walk, and that may come back to bite them. That player ended up with a team in the AFC, so at least it wasn’t in the same conference, but that move could still hurt them in the long run.

Vikings Could Regret Move

The Vikings could regret breaking up with one key player. In a feature published Saturday, July 5, in The Viking Age, Anthony Miller discusses one veteran player the team may have given up on “too soon.”

That player is Camryn Bynum, who signed with the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent. He’s on a four-year, $60 million contract, so he truly got a great deal with the Colts.

“While the Colts spent a significant amount of money on Bynum, it could ultimately prove to be a missed opportunity for the Vikings,” Miller warns, adding  that the move “will only harm the franchise’s future.”

The Vikings selected Bynum as a fourth-round pick during the 2021 NFL draft, and he was a big part of the team from his rookie year. He was a starter in 2022 and has gotten only better since then. In 2024, he earned a career-high three interceptions.

Miller’s biggest worry is Minnesota’s “lack of addressing the safety position during the offseason.” He notes that the team “did re-sign team legend Harrison Smith to a one-year deal, but Minnesota needs to find a successor for him.” Also, they have Josh Metellus, but that might not be enough.

Minnesota Needs to Plan for the Future

Since Smith may not have more than one year left in him, that could leave the Vikings looking for a solid safety next season, with Miller noting that “the Vikings will have to address it next offseason, and they might not have many options. They won’t have as much cap room to work with and could end up turning to a rookie to start, which could be disastrous.”

“The hope is the Vikings have a plan for 2026 because right now,” Miller adds, “it doesn’t feel like a bright future in the secondary.”

While the Vikings don’t have to get too emo on their safety situation, it is a good point that right now, they haven’t really built themself up for the future with this position. Hopefully that will change before the 2026-27 season starts, and thankfully, they’ll have time to work something out. But, it’s certainly possible that they’ll start to miss Bynum.