Minnesota Vikings Boost Their Roster with Key Signings

The Minnesota Vikings bolstered both their defensive and offensive fronts on Tuesday by signing free agent defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and guard Will Fries. The team revealed Allen’s signing in the morning but did not share specific contract details. However, Allen’s representative, Blake Baratz of Team IFA, informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the former star from the Washington Commanders agreed to a three-year, $60 million contract. Later, the Vikings secured a five-year, $88 million agreement with Fries, as reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, landing one of the premier available interior offensive linemen.

Allen was let go by the Commanders on Friday after they couldn’t find a trade partner for the two-time Pro Bowl player. Entering what would have been the final year of his deal, Allen carried a $15.5 million base salary with no guaranteed money left. He missed nine games in 2024 due to a torn left pectoral muscle but returned to play in the last two regular-season games and three playoff matches, tallying 3 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, and 7 quarterback hits.

Fries’ 2024 campaign was similarly cut short by a severe leg fracture during the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 5 matchup, necessitating emergency surgery. Despite the setback, Fries had emerged as a highly promising young interior lineman—an essential asset in a league dominated by formidable interior pass rushers. At 30, Allen made the Pro Bowl in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, combining for 16.5 sacks. Over his eight seasons with Washington, he racked up 42 sacks in 108 starts.

Fries, at 26, was initially drafted as a seventh-round choice in 2021, expected to be a developmental player vying for a roster position. Yet by the middle of his second year, Fries had progressed to starting in Indianapolis’ lineup, securing a spot as the starting right guard for the Colts throughout the 2023 season.