At a Position of Need, a Former Brian Flores Guy Will Be Available

The 2025 Vikings will look a lot differently than the previous team. Quarterback Sam Darnold might hand the keys to last year’s draft pick, J.J. McCarthy; the top four cornerbacks are ready to hit free agency in March, and with them, the safety duo Harrison Smith and Cam Bynum.

At a Position of Need, a Former Brian Flores Guy Will Be Available

Unless the club can convince Smith to extend his career once again or Bynum re-signs, the Vikings need a new alpha in the safety room.

That man could be Jevon Holland, Miami’s former second-round pick. The defender will turn 25 a week before free agency and has developed into one of the better players at his position.

There’s no doubt about it: the Vikings will be interested in a player of his caliber who is about to enter his prime, especially on a position of need.

A sweetener is the fact that Holland was a draft pick of Brian Flores in 2021, and connections like that always go a long way in making a deal happen. The first obstacle seems to be out of the way. According to Cameron Wolfe (NFL Network), the Dolphins are not expected to use the franchise tag to keep him in their building.

“The Dolphins do not plan to tag Jevon Holland, and it sounds like, as of now, they will allow him to test the free agent market,” Wolfe reported. “Not a surprise, given their cap situation. They have a lot of needs elsewhere and not as much money to spend it on. Holland is listed as the top safety on a lot of people’s boards, and he’s gonna get the chance to test that market and see where he can cash in big time.”

“This is a guy who is a three-time captain in Miami, an explosive playmaker. Last year and a half, he’s been banged up, hasn’t played his best ball, but somebody is gonna get a guy under 25, still ready to bring that playmaking ability.”

Flores has lured multiple old friends to the Twin Cities. Andrew Van Ginkel exploded into stardom after the reunion with the defensive wizard, cornerback Stephon Gilmore handled one cornerback slot, and Bobby McCain was a depth safety.

Minnesota’s coordinator had a strange exit from Miami, and some players have developed some serious hatred for the coach. Holland, however, has continued to be his fan. In 2023, a year after being fired from the Dolphins when the Vikings hired him to be their new defensive coordinator, Holland published a couple of posts on the website formerly called Twitter, showing his excitement.

He wrote, “Flo was a part of the reason I got drafted, making my lifelong dream come true. I got nothing but love for him!”

One problem will be Holland’s expected asking price. Pro Football Focus predicted his next contract to be a four-year deal worth $19.5 million per year. That would rank him second among safeties in annual value, behind only Antoine Winfield Jr.

Holland will be a name to watch for the Vikings when free agency opens on March 10.

Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.

Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt