6 Vikings Named to 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games

QB Sam Darnold, WR Justin Jefferson, CB Byron Murphy, Jr., OLB Jonathan Greenard, OLB Andrew Van Ginkel, and LS Andrew DePaola all made the initial all-star roster, the league announced Thursday.

The grouping marks Minnesota's biggest since 2009, when eight Vikings were honored: Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice, Bryant McKinnie, Steve Hutchinson, Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, and Heath Farwell.

Three of the 2024 team's six players—Darnold, Greenard, and Van Ginkel—joined the Vikings as free agents last spring and have been sensational in their first season in Purple.

This designates the first Pro Bowl nod for Darnold, Greenard, Murphy, and Van Ginkel.

Sam Darnold

Through 16 starts for Minnesota, Darnold is 343-of-504 passing for career highs of 4,153 yards and 35 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. His 106.4 passer rating is also a career best, along with his completions and a completion percentage of 68.1.

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Darnold on Sunday became the first QB in NFL history to record 14 wins in his first season with a team; he also became the Vikings fifth 4,000-yard passer all-time, joining Kirk Cousins (four times), Brett Favre, Daunte Culpepper, and Warren Moon (twice).

Entering Week 18, Darnold is tied with the Cousins (2020) for the second-most passing touchdowns in a season in franchise history, trailing only Culpepper's 39 TD passes in 2004. He also has recorded the fourth-most touchdown passes by a player in his first season with a team, trailing Matthew Stafford (41 in 2021), Tom Brady (40 in 2020), and Peyton Manning (37 in 2012).

Darnold was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September and the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 14.

Andrew DePaola

DePaola, who finished first among all long snappers in fan voting, was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl.

Most recently, DePaola executed a clean snap for Will Reichard's two made field goals (from 25 and 50 yards, respectively) against the Packers in Week 17.

He started the season extremely strong and returned to action in Week 14 without missing a beat after suffering a thumb injury against the Colts and landing on Injured Reserve.

DePaola was voted a season-long team captain for 2024, the first instance of his career.

Jonathan Greenard

Greenard so far this season has 54 tackles, 11 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, and three passes defensed.

Entering Week 18, Greenard's 11 sacks are the third-most in a player's first season with the Vikings, trailing Jared Allen's 14.5 in 2008 and Van Ginkel's 11.5. He and Van Ginkel are responsible for the 12^th occurrence in franchise history (and fourth since 2020) of multiple players reaching double-digit sack totals in a season.

Greenard was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week after his performance against his former team (Houston) in Week 3 and the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November.

Justin Jefferson

Jefferson received his fourth career Pro Bowl selection (2020-22; 2024) in his second consecutive as a Vikings team captain.

Entering Week 18, Jefferson has 100 catches for 1,479 yards and 10 touchdowns, which ties his career high for scores (2021).

Despite being defended differently and more aggressively this season, Jefferson has continued to impress pundits and foes around the league with his ability and athleticism.

Jefferson this season tied Lance Alworth (62 games) as the fastest player to reach 6,000 receiving yards in NFL history. In Week 2 against the 49ers, he recorded four catches for 133 yards and a touchdown to become the fastest player in league history to reach 30 career games with 100 receiving yards, surpassing Alworth's mark of 64.

Jefferson totaled 115 receiving yards on eight catches against the Rams in Week 8, notching his 31^st game with 100-plus yards through the air and passing Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most such games in a player's first five seasons in NFL history.

Against the Seahawks in Week 16, Jefferson racked up 10 catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns, passing Anthony Carter (478) for the fifth-most receptions in franchise history with 484. He needs seven in this week's finale to pass Steve Jordan (498) for fourth in team history and eight to become the 179^th player all-time with at least 500 career receptions.

Byron Murphy, Jr.

Murphy has impressed in his second season with Minnesota and sixth NFL campaign overall.

Through 16 games, he has 74 tackles, six interceptions, five tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and 14 passes defensed.

Murphy matched his 2023 interceptions total (3) by Week 9 against the Colts. He snagged his sixth pick in Week 14 against Atlanta and became the first Vikings cornerback to record at least six interceptions in a season since Jimmy Hitchcock logged seven in 1998.

Andrew Van Ginkel

Van Ginkel has started all 16 games of his first season in purple and sixth in the NFL.

Coming into the 2024 season off a foot injury, Van Ginkel quickly proved he hadn't lost a step. He is entering Week 18 with 46 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and five passes defensed. He also recorded interceptions returned for touchdowns against the Giants in Week 1 and Jets in Week 5.

Van Ginkel was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week after his Week 16 outing in Seattle, where he contributed five tackles, 2.0 sacks and three quarterback hits.

The NFC and AFC teams, coached again by Eli and Peyton Manning, will face off in the 2025 Pro Bowl Games presented by Verizon on Sunday, Feb. 2, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The game will be televised by ESPN and ABC.

The 2025 Pro Bowl Games presented by Verizon will again include an International NFL Flag Championship Tournament featuring top youth teams from around the world, underscoring the NFL's commitment to the global growth and accessibility of flag football ahead of the L.A. 2028 Olympic Games.

The inaugural NFL Girls Flag All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 2, at Camping World Stadium, giving top players selected from USA Today's Top 25 rankings the chance to display their skills on a national platform. The game will air on ESPN.