Quarterback

Two off-seasons ago, the Vikings made the decision not to retain veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins as a free agent. Cousins had been their starting quarterback for six seasons and had a regular season record of 50-37-1, while making three Pro Bowls, but he only won one post-season game over that span. With Cousins going into his age 36 season at the time and coming off of a torn achilles, they felt they had reached their ceiling with Cousins and that it was not worth it to match the 4-year, 180 million dollar deal the Atlanta Falcons gave him, one that guaranteed him 100 million guaranteed.

Instead, the Vikings used the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on quarterback JJ McCarthy. Not re-signing Cousins proved to be the right move in hindsight, but McCarthy ended up missing his whole rookie season with injury. The Vikings’ season seemed doomed, but they shocked everyone by winning 14 games with expected backup quarterback Sam Darnold, who had a breakout season with a 66.2% completion percentage, 7.92 YPA, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

Darnold was only on a one-year deal though and, rather than giving Darnold the big contract they avoided paying Cousins, they opted to stay the course with McCarthy coming back off his injury. With the money they saved by not paying Darnold, the Vikings invested in areas of need on the offensive and defensive lines. With a supporting cast that was even better than their supporting cast the year before, it was not hard to see how the Vikings could remain at least a playoff team if McCarthy lived up to the billing as the 10th overall pick.

Instead, McCarthy’s 2025 season went about as disastrously as it could have. Injuries to his ankle, head, and hand cost him a total of seven games and he was so bad when he did play that he wasn’t really missed when injured, even though replacement quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer also struggled. In total, the Vikings’ three quarterbacks combined for a passer rating of 75.3 in 2025, which ranked 30th out of 32 teams. 

Despite that, the Vikings still won 9 games and ranked 18th in schedule adjusted efficiency, as their supporting cast largely lived up to the billing. Their offense ranked just 26th in schedule adjusted efficiency because of their quarterback play, but their defense ranked 5th. It’s not hard to see how the Vikings could have been legitimate contenders in 2025 had they gotten even league average quarterback play and, going into 2026, it was not hard to see how they could have gotten right back into contention with an upgrade at quarterback if they kept the rest of their roster intact.

The Vikings found that upgrade in former Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and they got him for the league minimum because the Cardinals were still paying his full salary for 2026, releasing him in order to get out of further guarantees in 2027 that would have triggered had he been on the roster this off-season. That meant the Vikings could have kept the rest of their roster largely intact if they wanted to. Instead, the Vikings opted to shed salary and part with several veterans, which will hurt their post-season chances significantly. 

Murray is an upgrade at the quarterback position and a great value on a minimum salary, but he comes with some risks. The biggest concern with him is durability, as he has missed multiple games in four of the last five seasons, with 30 total games missed over that span. Murray has been an underwhelming passer in the past few seasons, completing 67.4% of his passes for an average of 6.60 YPA, 51 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions, so his success as a quarterback is largely dependent on his rushing ability and his athleticism. 

Murray has averaged 6.00 YPC on 532 carries with 32 touchdowns in 87 games in 7 seasons in the league, but the problem with that is it risks more injuries and the more injuries he suffers the more his athleticism could decline as he gets older. There is a reason why the Cardinals opted to cut ties with him. Murray gives the Vikings a floor at the quarterback position that they didn’t have last season, but it is unclear what kind of ceiling he has.

Both JJ McCarthy and Carson Wentz remain on the roster and will compete for the backup job. McCarthy still is only going into his age 23 season and has theoretical upside, but Wentz was the better quarterback last season, with a 85.8 passer rating to 72.6 for McCarthy. Wentz hasn’t been a full-time starter since 2021 and is now going into his age 34 season, but he is still a decent backup option at this stage of his career and should probably be considered the favorite for the backup job. The addition of Murray upgrades this quarterback room, but they are still below average overall.

Grade: C+

Offensive Line

The majority of the players the Vikings lost this off-season were on defense, which probably will not be as good as it was a year ago. However, their offensive supporting cast does remain mostly the same, as they bring back 13 of their top-15 in terms of snaps played on offense from a year ago. With better quarterback play expected and a similar offensive supporting cast, their offense should be better this season, although if their defense is worse by a similar amount as their offense is better, it wouldn’t necessarily lead to any more wins. 

The bigger of the two losses on offense is center Ryan Kelly. This one was not their choice, as Kelly opted to retire ahead of his age 33 season due to his history of concussions. Kelly’s concussions limited him to just 329 snaps in 8 games last season, so losing him isn’t a huge difference, but Kelly played at an above average level when on the field and they didn’t do anything to replace him, with former backups Blake Brandel and Michael Jurgens expected to compete for the starting role in Kelly’s absence.

Neither would be a good option. Brandel has more experience, starting 31 games in six seasons in the league, including 26 over the past two seasons, seeing action at both guard and center, but he has mostly struggled regardless of where he has played. In his age 29 season in 2026, Brandel is who he is at this stage of his career and figures to be a liability if he starts this season. Jurgens, on the other hand, is younger, only going into his age 26 season and his third season in the league, but he has also struggled across 309 career snaps and he was only a 7th round pick, so he didn’t come into the league with high expectations. Brandel is probably the better option by default, but it is very possible that both options see starts in 2026 and both struggle.

If there is a reason for optimism on this offensive line, it is a potential return to form by left tackle Christian Darrisaw, another year removed from the torn ACL that ended his 2024 season in the middle. Before the injury, Darrisaw consistently played at an All-Pro level, but upon his return in 2025, Darrisaw looked like a shell of himself, only playing at an average level at best and missing another seven games with lingering knee issues. 

It isn’t a guarantee he will be past his injuries in 2026, but if he is, he is still only going into his age 27 season, so he has obvious bounce back potential. If he is even close to his old form, that will be a big boost for this offense compared to a year ago. The Vikings are at least preparing themselves for the possibility that Darrisaw continues to deal with knee issues in 2026, signing Ryan Van Demark from the Bills and using a 3rd round pick on Caleb Tiernan to give them some added depth at the tackle position. 

Van Demark has shown flashes of potential in his career, but he has only made 6 starts and he is a 2022 undrafted free agent who is already going into his age 28 season, so it is far from a guarantee that Van Demark could translate those flashes of potential into a season-long starting role if needed. He is not a bad swing tackle option and Tiernan has potential as well, but Justin Skule, who started 9 games last year and signed elsewhere this off-season, wasn’t a bad swing tackle either and obviously the best case scenario would be for Darrisaw to return to form and neither Van Demark or Tiernan needing to see significant action.

The rest of this offensive line will remain the same from a year ago, at least in terms of personnel. Left guard Donovan Jackson is another reason for optimism on this offensive line, as he was decent in 14 starts as a rookie, but was not as good as you’d expect a first round pick to be, something that could change in 2026, as he has the potential to take a step forward, potentially a big step forward. He could also be healthier, after missing three games as a rookie.

A reason for concern is right tackle Brian O’Neill, who has consistently been an above average player in 120 career starts, but is now heading into his age 31 season. He hasn’t shown any signs of decline yet, but that could change this season, which would hurt this offensive line. The Vikings’ additions of depth at the tackle position could have just as much to do with O’Neill’s age and his expiring contract after the 2026 season as it does about the concerns with Darrisaw’s durability. 

Right guard Will Fries will likely continue playing at a similar level as he did in 2025, when he was a marginal starter. Fries has been a marginal starter in every season since he first became a starter with the Colts in 2022, with the exception being 2024, when he flashed a lot more potential than he ever had, but only in five games before breaking his leg and missing the rest of the season. 

That impressive five game stretch was enough for the Vikings to make Fries one of the highest paid guards in the league with a 5-year, 87.72 million dollar deal as a free agent last off-season, but thus far Fries has shown that five game stretch to be a fluke. It is possible he is better in 2026 another year removed from his injury, but it is also possible that he has never been capable of playing at that level for a full season, injury or not. This offensive line has some uncertainty, but they at least have the potential to be better than a year ago.

Grade: B

Receiving Corps

The less consequential of their two losses on offense this off-season is wide receiver Jalen Nailor, who finished with just a 29/444/4 slash line and 1.06 yards per route run last season. Nailor’s production was probably reduced by the Vikings’ poor quarterback situation, but he still finished a distant third among Vikings wide receivers in both total yardage and per route run yardage. The Vikings also probably upgraded on him by signing Jauan Jennings to a 1-year, 8 million dollar deal with incentives worth up to 13 million. 

A sparingly used wide receiver over the first four seasons of his career, Jennings was forced into a larger role in 2024 when the 49ers had many wide receiver injuries and, in his first significant role, he finished with a 77/975/6 slash line and 2.26 yards per route run, more than doubling his yardage total from his first four seasons combined (963). Jennings was not nearly as good in 2025, with a 55/643/9 slash line and 1.39 yards per route run, but he played through a lot of injuries early in the season and got better as the year went on. 

Jennings overestimated his value as a free agent and had to settle for a 1-year deal after turning down more lucrative multi-year deals earlier in the off-season, which is how the Vikings were able to get him for so cheap. His production will probably be capped by being the third wide receiver on an offense with a below average quarterback room, but he should still be an upgrade over Nailor. 

Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison remain as the Vikings’ top-2 wide receivers. Both players had disappointing years in 2025 by their standards due to the quarterback situation. Jefferson had a 84/1048/2 slash line on an average of 1.88 yards per route run, after averaging 109/1641/9 per 17 games and 2.64 yards per route run in his first five seasons in the league prior to 2025, while Addison had a 42/610/3 slash line on 1.36 yards per route run, after slash lines of 70/911/10 and 63/875/9 on yards per route run averages of 1.50 and 1.74 in his first two seasons in the league in 2023 and 2024. Jefferson is still in his prime in his age 27 season, while Addison might not have reached his prime yet in his age 24 season. Both could easily have a bounce back season this year, though their quarterback situation is still below average and could keep them from their full statistical potential.

Top receiving tight end TJ Hockenson also had a disappointing year last year, with a 51/438/3 slash line on 1.05 yards per route run. The quarterback situation was part of the problem, but it is also possible Hockenson still was not 100% after a late 2023 torn ACL. Hockenson returned from that injury midway through 2024, but did not look like his old self, averaging 1.52 yards per route run, after averages of 1.60 and 1.89 in the previous two seasons, despite having a good quarterback under center in 2024. Hockenson is another year removed from the injury in 2026 though, and should also benefit from improved quarterback play. It remains to be seen if he will ever reach his old form again, but he is still relatively young in his age 29 season, so he has clear bounce back potential.

Hockenson is backed up by Josh Oliver, one of the best #2 tight ends in the league. An elite blocker, Oliver has also shown potential as a receiver in limited usage over the past three seasons, only catching 59 passes, but averaging 1.41 yards per route run. He will continue playing a similar role to the 473 snaps per season he has averaged since joining the Vikings three seasons ago. Also worth noting is #4 wide receiver Tai Felton, who was mediocre (1.19 yards per route run) while playing 46 snaps last season, but who was a third round pick in 2025 and has some long-term potential. With Jennings replacing Nailor and TJ Hockenson potentially being closer to 100% another year removed from his injury, this receiving corps should be better in 2026 than it was in 2025 and everyone should be more productive with a better quarterback situation.

Grade: A-

Running Backs

The Vikings strongly considered moving on from veteran running back Aaron Jones this off-season, but ultimately brought him back on a 5.56 million dollar salary, negotiated down from his originally scheduled 10 million dollar non-guaranteed salary. Jones was second on this team in carries last season with 132, but that was mostly because he played only 12 games, while Jordan Mason, who led the team with 159 carries, played in 16 games. In games where both played, Jones outcarried Mason 114-85.

Jones is now going into his age 32 season though, while Mason is going into his age 26 season and, with Jones’ salary cut down to about the same as Mason’s (5 million), it seems likely there will be closer to a 50/50 split when both backs are healthy this season. Mason is also the more durable back, missing just 7 games in four seasons in the league, while Jones has missed 23 in nine seasons in the league and, in addition to being significantly younger, Mason was also already by far the better runner last season, with the edge in yards per carry (3.41 vs. 2.67), yards per carry after contact (4.77 vs. 4.15), missed tackle rate (19.5 vs. 8.8%), and carry success rate (56.0% vs. 50.0%). Even with Jones being retained, Mason seems likely to lead this team in carries, yards, and touchdowns again this season.

Where Jones has the big edge is as a receiver, averaging 1.24 yards per route run in his career, compared to 0.46 for Mason, including a 1.07 to 0.32 edge in 2025. That figures to remain the case in 2026 and could lead to Jones having the edge in overall yards from scrimmage. The Vikings also added young depth to their running back room, using a 6th round pick on Demond Claiborne. He will start the season as the third running back at best, but he could see a significant role if Jones or Mason miss time and he could see a significant role in 2027 and beyond with both Jones and Mason set to hit free agency this off-season. This isn’t a bad backfield, but it isn’t a great one either.

Grade: B-

Interior Defenders

As I mentioned earlier, the Vikings lost several key defenders this off-season. In total, four of their top-12 in terms of snaps played last season are gone, without adequate replacements for most of them. The interior defender position was hardest hit, with Jonathan Allen (809 snaps) and Javon Hargrave (537 snaps) both getting released this off-season. Allen and Hargrave were heading into their age 31 and age 33 seasons respectively in 2026, were set to have 8.75 million and 15 million of non-guaranteed money on the books, and both left something to be desired as run defenders last season, but they were also both above average interior pass rushers, with pressure rates of 8.3% and 10.5% respectively, a significant part of why the Vikings’ defense was so effective last season.

The Vikings attempted to replace them in the first round of the draft with Caleb Banks, but that was likely a reach. Banks has great physical tools and a great upside as a result, but his tape frequently doesn’t line up with his measurables and he dealt with numerous injuries in his collegiate career, including a broken foot that will sideline him for at least part of the off-season. As a result of his durability issues and his overall lack of elite performance as a collegiate player, he only played a total of 929 snaps in five seasons at the University of Florida and it seems unlikely that he will be an adequate replacement for either Allen or Hargrave, let alone both, in year one.

The Vikings will also give bigger roles to Levi Drake Rodriguez, a 2024 7th round pick who was underwhelming across 461 snaps in the first significant action of his career last season, and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, a 2025 5th round pick who was underwhelming across 250 snaps as a rookie last season. Both could have untapped potential that they haven’t shown yet, but neither was a high draft pick, so they didn’t come into the league with high expectations or upside and have yet to do anything to show that they were drafted too low.

The one piece of good news at the interior defender position for the Vikings is they still have Jalen Redmond, who was arguably their best interior defender a year ago, playing 793 snaps, totaling 6 sacks, 3 hits, and a 9.5% pressure rate, and playing at an above average level against the run as well. Redmond went undrafted in 2023 and didn’t play a snap as a rookie, but he flashed a lot of potential across 208 snaps in 2024 and translated that to a larger role in 2025. He is a one-year wonder as an every down player and, already in his age 27 season, he may have reached his ceiling, but he could easily remain at least a solid every down interior defender for another season. He is the saving grace of an overall underwhelming position group.

Grade: B-

Edge Defenders

The Vikings also moved on from Jonathan Greenard via trade with the Eagles this off-season, saving 19 million and picking up a pair of third round picks in the process. Greenard ranked third among Vikings’ edge defenders in snaps played last season, but that was mostly because he missed five games with injury and, despite that, he still led the team with 47 total pressures, finishing the year with 3 sacks, 9 hits, and a 17.4% pressure rate. 

With the Vikings doing nothing to replace him, he leaves behind an edge defender room that has a solid starting duo of Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel, but that completely lacks depth behind them. Turner and Van Ginkel are heading in opposite directions career wise. Turner was a first round pick in 2024, showed promise across 302 snaps as a reserve during his rookie season, and then took a step forward in a larger role (702 snaps) in year two, totaling 8 sacks, 7 hits, and a 14.6% pressure rate with adequate run defense to boot. Still only in his age 23 season in 2026, Turner could just be scratching the surface on his talent and could easily continue improving in year three. He will likely be the Vikings’ top edge defender in 2026.

Van Ginkel, on the other hand, is going into his age 31 season and has shown signs of decline recently. He still had 7 sacks, 8 hits, and a 14.5% pressure rate in 2025, but he missed five games with injury and was a liability as a run defender. He could easily decline further in 2026, but will be needed to play a huge snap count with Greenard gone. No other pure edge defender had over 100 snaps last season outside of their top-3 guys and, while Jalen Redmond lined up on the edge on occasion last season when injuries hit, he was better on the interior and will be needed there even more this season with Allen and Hargrave gone.

Reserve options at edge defender for the Vikings include 2024 undrafted free agent Bo Richter, who has played 83 career snaps, Tyler Batty, a 2025 undrafted free agent who played 42 snaps as a rookie, and Chaz Chambliss, a 2025 undrafted free agent who played 25 snaps as a rookie. In limited action, those three combined for one total pressure in 2025. The Vikings also used a second round pick on Jake Golday, who played some edge defender in college and could be a little bit of a hybrid for them, but he is undersized for an edge player at 240 pounds and only rushed the passer 354 times in five seasons in his collegiate career. The Vikings’ lack of depth brings down their overall grade at the edge defender position significantly.

Grade: B-

Linebackers

Things remain the same at the linebacker position, with the exception of the addition of Jake Golday, who will likely play sparingly as a rookie, barring injuries, because this position group is already pretty deep. Blake Cashman was an above average every down linebacker for the third straight season in 2025, playing at his best against the run, but holding up in coverage as well. The concerns with Cashman are his age and his injury history, as he is going into his age 30 season and has never played every game in a season, including 10 games missed over the past three seasons combined. There is a strong likelihood that he either misses more time with injury this season and/or declines somewhat due to his age. 

Fellow starter Eric Wilson’s age is an even bigger concern, set to go into his age 32 season. Wilson was decent across 965 snaps last season, most among Vikings linebackers, but previously was a backup who played 1,013 total snaps from 2021-2024 and, given his age, it seems unlikely he will repeat his most productive season in recent years. Ivan Pace, the expected third linebacker, is younger, only going into his age 26 season, and he is a good option as far as #3 linebackers go. He will probably hold off Golday for the #3 job, even with Golday being a relatively high draft pick. This is a deep position group, but one with significant concerns.

Grade: B

Secondary

The other player the Vikings lost on defense last off-season was Harrison Smith, although that wasn’t their fault, as Smith is expected to retire ahead of what would have been his age 37 season in 2026. Smith was arguably still their best safety last season though, providing average to above average play both in coverage and against the run while playing 793 total snaps in 15 games. The Vikings have replacement options with upside, 2023 4th round pick Jay Ward, who has flashed potential across 314 career snaps, and 3rd round rookie Jakobe Thomas, but it is very possible that both are downgrades from Smith. Theo Jackson, a 2022 6th round pick who was decent across a career high 529 snaps last season, will also likely play a bigger role in Smith’s absence.

The Vikings like to play with three safeties on the field frequently in sub packages. Josh Mettelus, led Vikings safeties with 867 snaps last season, despite missing three games due to injury, and was decent. He was also decent across 1,063 snaps in 2023 and 990 in 2024 and, in his age 28 season in 2026, I would expect more of the same from him. He and Jackson will likely start together in base packages, with Ward and Thomas competing for sub package roles. 

The Vikings also added cornerback depth in free agency with the addition of James Pierre, after their nominal #3 cornerback Fabian Moreau played just 198 snaps last season. Pierre’s presence and Smith’s departure could lead to the Vikings playing fewer three safety sets and more three cornerback sets in sub packages. Pierre is heading into his age 30 season and has never played more than 415 snaps in a season in his career, but he excelled across 377 snaps last season, allowing just 14 catches on 33 targets with 9 pass deflections. That kind of came out of nowhere, as he had 7 pass deflections across 89 targets in his career prior to last season, and it seems unlikely he will continue playing at that level in 2026, especially given his age, but he could still be a useful player in a part-time role.

Byron Murphy and Isaiah Rodgers remain as the two starters at cornerback. A 2nd round pick in 2019, Murphy has started 96 of 104 games played in his career and has mostly been at least an average starter, but he has really come into his own with the Vikings over the past two seasons, with back-to-back above average seasons. Still only in his age 28 season, I would expect more of the same from him in 2026. Rodgers, meanwhile, was also an above average starter across a career high 963 snaps in 2025, after previously showing a lot of potential across snap counts of 525, 434, and 329 in 2021, 2022, and 2024 respectively (he missed 2023 due to a gambling suspension). He is still a one-year wonder as a full-time starter, but he could easily remain a solid starting option, also still only in his age 28 season. The Vikings’ secondary is the strength of their defense.

Grade: B+

Kicker

After a decent rookie year in which he was a league average kicker, Will Reichard, a 2024 6th round pick, had a great year in 2025, leading the league with 12.99 points added above average, hitting all 31 extra points, all 22 field goals less than 40 yards, and hitting 11 of 13 from 50+, tying for the league lead in 50+ yard field goals made, including a 62-yarder. Kickers are inconsistent and Reichard is a one-year wonder in terms of playing at that level, but he could easily have another very good season in 2026 and for years to come.

Grade: A

Conclusion

The Vikings’ offense should be better in 2026 due to an upgrade at quarterback, but their defense, which was the strength of the team in 2025, seems unlikely to be as good after losing several key contributors this off-season. Overall, the Vikings appear to have a below average roster. They are well coached on both sides of the ball, with head coach Kevin O’Connell in charge of the offense and defensive coordinator Brian Flores, a former head coach in his own right, in charge of the defense, but that might not be enough for this team to increase their win total from nine and get into the post-season.

Prediction: 9-8, 4th in NFC North