Carson Wentz will be back with the Vikings in 2026.
Minnesota announced on Thursday that the club has agreed to a one-year deal with Wentz, keeping him in the quarterbacks room for for a second consecutive year.
Wentz will join recent free agent signee Kyler Murray and 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy for the chance to compete with the Vikings.
Multiple reports note Wentz had options, as the Chiefs and Jets had shown interest in the veteran QB. But the former first-round pick elected to stick with Minnesota.
Wentz, 33, started five games for the Vikings last season in place of an injured J.J. McCarthy. Minnesota went 2-3 in those games, with Wentz also playing through a shoulder dislocation before eventually having season-ending surgery.
Wentz completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 1,216 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions last year.
This will be the first time Wentz has played for the same team for consecutive seasons since his final year with Philadelphia in 2020. Since then, Wentz has played for the Colts, Commanders, Rams, Chiefs, and Vikings — starting at least one game for each.
The No. 2 overall pick of the 2016 draft, Wentz has appeared in 103 games with 99 starts in his career, going 49-49-1. He’s completed 62,8 percent of his career passes for 23,626 yards with 159 touchdowns and 72 interceptions.
The Vikings have signed Bills restricted free agent Ryan Van Demark to an offer sheet. The Bills have five days to match what KSTP reports is a one-year, $4.3 million deal.
The original-round tender on the former undrafted free agent was $3.52 million.
The Bills will not receive compensation if they decline to match Minnesota’s offer.
Van Demark, who turns 28 this month, played 154 snaps at right tackle and 43 at left tackle in 17 games last season, with four starts.
In three seasons, he saw action in 43 games with six starts.
In Minnesota, Van Demark would serve as a swing tackle behind left tackle Christian Darrisaw and right tackle Brian O’Neill.
The Vikings have agreed to terms with punter Johnny Hekker, the team announced Tuesday.
Hekker, 36, spent last season with the Titans, who signed Tommy Townsend last week.
He played in all 17 games and punted 78 times for a 46.8-yard average and a 40.3-yard net. Hekker had seven touchbacks and landed 22 punts inside the 20-yard line.
Ryan Wright punted for the Vikings last season, averaging 49.0 yards on 65 punts with a 45.4-yard net.
Hekker got his NFL start as an undrafted free agent with the Rams in 2012. He stayed with the team for 10 seasons and earned Pro Bowl nods following the 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Hekker punted for Carolina from 2022-24.
The Saints are adding a running back.
According to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football, the team has signed Ty Chandler.
Chandler, 27, just completed his rookie contract with the Vikings. A fifth-round pick in the 2022 draft, Chandler missed most of the 2025 season due to a knee injury. He appeared in just three games, taking 17 carries for 4 yards and catching three passes for 11 yards.
In 40 career games with four starts, Chandler has tallied 710 rushing yards with three touchdowns plus 30 receptions for 212 yards.
Cornerback Nahshon Wright’s play with the Bears during the 2025 season landed him a contract with the Jets and it earned him the most performance-based pay in the league for last year as well.
The NFL announced that Wright earned more than $1.44 million in performance-based pay. The bonus more than doubles Wright’s base salary for the season.
Wright signed with the Bears after being released by the Vikings last April. He was named to the Pro Bowl after recording 80 tackles, five interceptions, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries during the regular season.
The performance-based pay fund is part of the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement to compensate all players based on a formula encompassing their playing time and salary. It paid out more than $542 million for the 2025 season.
Browns safety Ronnie Hickman earned over $1.293 million for second place and tackle Elijah Wilkinson earned over $1.272 million for his work with the Falcons. Wilkinson has since signed with the Cardinals.
Panthers safety Nick Scott, former Commanders guard Chris Paul, Ravens guard Andrew Vorhees, Vikings defensive end Jalen Redmond, Steelers guard Mason McCormick, Chiefs defensive back Chamarri Conner, and Patriots safety Craig Woodson make up the rest of the top 10 recipients of performance-based pay for 2025.
