The Minnesota Vikings entered last offseason determined to improve upon a 14-3 record in 2024 that ultimately ended in a 27-9 wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. That led to an aggressive offseason spending spree in which the Vikings spent $262,532,500 on free agents, the second-highest total in the league.

Of course, Minnesota not only failed to improve on its 2024 season but also missed the postseason entirely in 2025. Much of the blame was pointed at the quarterback position, but the money allocated to outside free agents didn't pay off.

For this series, we'll review the free agent acquisitions the Vikings made in 2025. Not every player was a bust, but few lived up to their offseason billing. Combined with instability at quarterback, the season was likely doomed from the start.

One of the Vikings' most intriguing moves was signing Javon Hargrave. The team expected the 32-year-old defensive tackle to team up with Jonathan Allen to provide an improved interior pass rush.

Contract: Two years/ $30 million

Games: 16 (15 starts)

PFF Grade: 68.0 on 537 snaps, eighth-highest among Vikings defenders (min. 200 snaps)

Key Stats: 3.5 official stats, 31 pressures, 20 stops, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery

Challenged by the coaching staff leading into the Vikings' Week 9 matchup in Detroit, Hargrave rose to the challenge alongside Allen. While I think Allen, too, had a solid game against the Lions, this did feel like a true breakout performance by Hargrave in both the eye test and advanced metrics.

Hargrave's 81.6 PFF grade against the Lions was his third-highest of the season. He registered two pressures and a season-high five stops. The urgency to bring in an interior force like Hargrave stemmed from Minnesota's five-game losing streak to Detroit dating back to 2022. That paid off in Week 9.

Unfortunately, Hargrave's impact was inconsistent in 2025. There were moments during the year when he impacted games, including Week 1 at Chicago and Week 14 against Washington.

Other times, he wasn't as impactful. He had PFF grades of 30.4 against the Falcons in Week 2 and 34.8 against the Eagles in Week 7. Those were two winnable games where the defense struggled overall. Hargrave wasn't alone in his struggles, but his lack of production was felt.

That inconsistency eventually led to limited playing time. He played fewer than 30 snaps in six games and played 256 fewer snaps than fellow starting lineman Jalen Redmond. Hargrave only played 76 more snaps than Levi Drake Rodriguez, a rotational defensive lineman drafted in the seventh round in 2024.

Hargrave has a $21.4975 million cap hit in 2026. Will the Vikings be willing to pay that for a player who underachieved too many times in 2025? His age is also a possible detriment, as he turned 33 last week.

However, Emily Leiker of the Star Tribune expects Minnesota to restructure Hargrave's contract.

"I think they're probably going to rework Hargrave regardless," she said on Purple Insider. "I don't think they'll get rid of him, but I think they'll have to rework [his contract]."

Another year in Brian Flores' system could help Hargrave play more consistently in 2026. Perhaps that can help Hargrave, even if he is a veteran. If he can provide more reliable production in both the run and pass, that should help him play more impactful snaps in 2026.

It wasn't a total disaster for Hargrave in 2025, but his fluctuation in production was frustrating. Is that a price worth paying for a player whose impact fluctuated week to week? Or will they pivot toward a younger, cheaper solution along the interior?

Grade: C