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

Quarterback

The Vikings were the NFL’s surprise team last season. In 2023, the Vikings went just 7-10 and then in the following off-season they lost quarterback Kirk Cousins to free agency and then the quarterback they drafted to replace him, JJ McCarthy, suffered a season-ending injury before the season even began. It didn’t seem like the Vikings were about to have the season they had, but they went on to finish 14-3, led by quarterback Sam Darnold, a journeyman and former bust of a 2018 3rd overall pick, who finally showed why he was taken so high with a breakout campaign in his seventh season in the league. In terms of yards per play differential, the Vikings ranked 9th at +0.31 and in first down rate differential they ranked 6th at +2.72%.

In some ways, the Vikings’ surprise 2024 season shouldn’t have been that surprising. The Vikings did not have an impressive record in 2023, but they were better than their record suggested, as they finished positive in both first down rate differential (+1.06%) and yards per play differential (+0.35). That was despite Kirk Cousins tearing his achilles and missing the final nine games of the season. The Vikings had a sneaky good roster around the quarterback and, when Sam Darnold had his breakout year, it was the catalyst this team needed to be among the best teams in the league in 2024.

Unfortunately, the Vikings’ season last year ended with a disappointing first round exit in the post-season, when Sam Darnold got exposed against a Rams team that was one of the hottest in the league down the stretch and came the closest of any team in the post-season to beating the eventual Super Bowl Champion Eagles. With Darnold hitting free agency this off-season, the Vikings opted not to retain him, letting him sign with the Seahawks on a 3-year, 100.5 million dollar deal, deciding instead to stay the course with JJ McCarthy as their long-term franchise quarterback. 

The Vikings then used the money they saved by not paying Darnold to be aggressive upgrading the rest of their roster in free agency, which likely was also the original plan when the Vikings opted to draft McCarthy, as having a quarterback on a cheap rookie deal gives a team the flexibility needed to build up the rest of their roster. In terms of average annual value of their roster, which correlates heavily with winning percentage, the Vikings rank 7th, despite having a cheap quarterback on a rookie deal.

Many think the Vikings will take a step back in 2025, as their over/under is only set at 8.5 wins. The Vikings do have a very tough schedule, but the rest of their roster is significantly better than it was last season, going from a good supporting cast to among the best in the NFL, and it’s very possible that Darnold’s success last will prove to largely be the result of the scheme and supporting talent around him that he had last season, which now will benefit the young McCarthy instead. McCarthy obviously gives them a lower floor than what Darnold gave them last season, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him play similarly well and he probably possesses a higher upside than Darnold does as well.

For the Vikings part, they seem very confident in their young quarterback and his recovery from injury. The Vikings could have opted to either keep Darnold for at least another year or add veteran competition for McCarthy like Aaron Rodgers or at least add a high end backup like Joe Flacco, but instead the biggest quarterback addition they made this off-season was sending a draft pick swap to the Seattle for Sam Howell, a 2022 5th round pick who has a career 77.5 QB rating in 18 career starts. Time will tell if the Vikings made the right decision not adding a better quarterback this off-season, but McCarthy at the very least gives the Vikings a high upside at the quarterback position, while allowing the Vikings to focus their cap space elsewhere in free agency this off-season.

Grade: B-

Offensive Line

The area the Vikings spent the most resources on this off-season was their offensive line, particularly the interior of their offensive line, which proved to be a significant issue in the Vikings’ playoff loss to the Rams last season. Four players made starts for the Vikings on the interior of their offensive line last season, center Garrett Bradbury, who had a 62.1 PFF grade in 17 starts, left guard Blake Brandel, who had a 55.2 PFF grade in 17 starts, and right guards Ed Ingram and Dalton Risner, who had PFF grades of 54.0 and 67.0 in nine starts and eight starts respectively.

Of those four, only Brandel remains on the roster for 2025 and he will be a backup after all of the Vikings’ off-season additions on the interior of their offensive line. Center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries were added on contracts worth 18 million over 2 years and 87.72 million over 5 years respectively and then the Vikings further added to the interior of their offensive line in the draft, using their first round pick on Ohio State’s Donovan Jackson, who figures to start at left guard. Jackson has the potential to be a solid starter as a rookie and an above average starter long-term.

Ryan Kelly has consistently pretty been an above average center throughout his career, making 121 starts in nine seasons since being a first round pick in 2016, finishing above 60 on PFF in all but one season, with four seasons above 70, including a career best 77.2 PFF grade as recently as 2023. Kelly is going into his age 32 season though, so his best days are probably behind him and, in fact, he did decline to a 67.0 PFF grade in 2024. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him further decline in 2025, but even if he does, there is a good chance he remains at least a capable starter and a likely upgrade over Garrett Bradbury, who was only a marginal starter last season.

Will Fries, on the other hand, is not nearly as experienced, but he’s a lot younger and has a lot higher upside. A 7th round pick in 2021, Fries received PFF grades of 58.4 and 61.2 in his first two seasons as a starter in 2022 and 2023 respectively (26 combined starts), but seemed to be on his way to a breakout season in 2024, with a 86.9 PFF grade through five games, before suffering a season ending leg injury. It’s a small sample size for a player who was mediocre at best across a larger sample size the previous two seasons and it’s possible he won’t be the same right away after injury anyway, so Fries comes with a lot of risk, but the upside is obviously there if he can get past his injury and play even close to as well in 2025 as he did at the start of 2024. It also wouldn’t be hard for Fries to be an upgrade over what the Vikings had at guard last season, even if he’s not at his best.

The Vikings could also get better play at tackle in 2025 if left tackle Christian Darrisaw is able to return to form after a season ending torn ACL he suffered seven games into the 2024 season. Darrisaw had a 81.4 PFF grade last season before going down and had PFF grades of 90.3 and 82.4 in 2022 and 2023 as well, so he’s one of the best left tackles in the league when healthy, and he’s only in his age 26 season, so he should be very much in the prime of his career. The Vikings traded for Cam Robinson to replace him mid-season, but he only had a 60.5 PFF grade in 10 starts, so he was an obvious downgrade. 

When Darrisaw is healthy, he forms a dominant tackle duo with right tackle Brian O’Neill, who has PFF grades of 78.0, 73.4, 82.7, 74.5, and 80.8 over the past five seasons, while missing just four games due to injury over that stretch. He is going into his age 30 season in 2025, so he could start declining soon, but even if his decline starts in 2025, he will almost definitely remain an above average right tackle and his upside is among the best right tackles in the league.

With Cam Robinson not being retained as a free agent, the Vikings would turn to free agent acquisition Justin Skule if either of their tackles missed time with injury. Skule, a 2019 6th round pick, has only made 17 starts in six seasons in the league, but he has generally been at least solid in the three seasons in which he has made starts in his career, with a 62.3 PFF grade in eight starts in 2019, a 45.4 PFF grade in 4 starts in 2020, and a 69.2 PFF grade in 5 starts last season, though he would obviously be a big downgrade if forced to start for an extended period of time. Blake Brandel, meanwhile, will be the primary reserve on the interior and he has finished below 60 on PFF in every season in the league since being selected in the 6th round in 2020, so he’s a very underwhelming reserve option. Depth is a concern, but the Vikings have the potential to have one of the best starting five offensive lines in the league next season.

Grade: A-

Receiving Corps

The strength of the Vikings’ offense last season was their receiving corps, led by Justin Jefferson, who is one of the top wide receivers in the league. Jefferson finished last season with a 103/1533/10 slash line, a 87.2 PFF grade, and 2.50 yards per route run, which actually constituted a down year for him, as he had finished above 90 in PFF in each of his first four seasons in the league prior to last season, while exceeding his 2.50 yards per route run average in all four seasons. In total, Jefferson has averaged a 109/1641/9 slash line per 17 games in his career, while missing just seven games total in five seasons in the league. Jefferson is still only going into his age 26 season and his floor and his ceiling are both as high as any wide receiver in the league.

Jordan Addison, the Vikings’ #2 receiver, is not on the same level, but he’s a high-end #2 wide receiver. The 2023 1st round pick had a 70/911/10 slash line with 1.50 yards per route run and a 68.6 PFF grade as a rookie and a 63/875/9 slash line with 1.74 yards per route run and a 73.2 PFF grade last season. In the seven games in his career he has played without Justin Jefferson opposite him, he has 35 catches for 437 yards and 4 touchdowns, which extrapolates to a 85/1061/7 slash line over 17 games. He’s also only going into his age 23 season and has the upside to get even better. 

The Vikings also have a great receiving tight end in TJ Hockenson. Hockenson only made his debut in week 9 and played in just 10 games last season, as a result of a torn ACL that he suffered late in the 2023 season, and he probably wasn’t quite at 100%. He still finished with a 41/455/0 slash line and 1.52 yards per route run in that limited action, which extrapolates to a 70/774/0 slash line over 17 games. Hockenson will likely be back to full strength in 2025, only in his age 28 season, another year removed from the injury, and, in his last two seasons before the injury, Hockenson had slash lines of 86/914/6 and 95/960/5 on yards per route run averages of 1.60 and 1.89 respectively. He figures to be among the best receiving tight ends in the league in 2025.

With Jefferson, Addison, and Hockenson as their top receiving options, the Vikings don’t need much else from the rest of their receiving corps, but their depth isn’t bad either. Backup tight end Josh Oliver did a decent job in Hockenson’s absence last season, finishing the season with a 1.39 yards per route run average, after averaging 1.50 yards per route run in 2023. Oliver, a 2019 3rd round pick, has always been a great blocker, but he has also developed into a decent receiving option over the past two seasons and, as a result, he has PFF grades of 75.1 and 75.7 on snap counts of 467 and 553 over those two seasons respectively. He won’t be needed for a big role as long as Hockenson is healthy, but he is a high end #2 tight end who can fill in decently as the starter if needed.

Jalen Nailor was underwhelming as the #3 receiver last season, averaging 1.07 yards per route run with a 28/414/6 slash line, but his career average of 1.32 yards per route run in three seasons since being selected in the 6th round in 2022 isn’t bad and the Vikings added competition for him this off-season, using a third round pick on Maryland’s Tai Felton and taking a flier on former 2021 2nd round pick Rondale Moore, who had yards per route run averages of 1.64 and 1.47 in his first two seasons in the league respectively, before falling to 0.73 in 2023 and then missing all of 2024 with injury. He’s not the most reliable option, but, still only going into his age 25 season, he was a worthwhile flier for the Vikings to take this off-season. Led by one of the best receiving trios in the league, the Vikings’ receiving corps is the strength of an overall talented roster.

Grade: A

Running Backs

The Vikings also had a strong running game last season, with their top-2 running backs Aaron Jones and Cam Akers averaging 4.46 YPC and 4.64 YPC respectively across 255 carries and 64 carries respectively, despite underwhelming play on the interior of the Vikings’ offensive line. Akers wasn’t brought back this off-season, while Jones is heading into his age 31 season with 1,755 career touches, which makes him a strong candidate to drop off significantly, but the Vikings replaced Cam Akers with Jordan Mason, who figures to be an upgrade and who figures to be capable of taken more of the load away from Aaron Jones, who could remain effective even as he ages if he plays a lesser role.

In total, Aaron Jones has rushed for 7,078 yards and 50 touchdowns on 1432 carries (4.94 YPC) in eight seasons in the league. He’s also a very useful pass catcher, with an average 48/370/3 slash line per 17 games and 1.25 yards per route run averaged for his career. He will remain the Vikings’ primary passing down back because Jordan Mason has never shown any potential in that aspect, averaging just 0.56 yards per route run in his career. 

Mason went undrafted in 2022, but he has rushed for 1,253 yards and 7 touchdowns on 236 carries in his career (5.31 YPC), with 153 carries, 789 yards (5.16 YPC), and 3 touchdowns coming last season in 12 games, including six starts when he replaced the injured Christian McCaffrey as the lead back in San Francisco. His skill set also compliments Jones’ skill set well, as he is a bigger, more physical back at 5-11 223, while Jones is a smaller, speedier back at 5-9 208. I expect him to be a 1b to Jones’ 1a, with both running backs rotating heavily. 

If either Jones or Mason miss time with injury, the other would likely take on a feature back role, with third string running back Ty Chandler mixing in for a few touches here and there. Chandler began last season as the #2 back, but only averaged 3.25 YPC on 56 carries, leading to the Vikings acquiring Cam Akers mid-season to play ahead of him. Chandler, a 2022 5th round pick, has averaged just 4.04 YPC on 164 carries in three seasons in the league, while averaging 1.07 yards per route run as a receiver. He’s not a bad #3 running back, but the Vikings will almost definitely try to avoid using him in a significant role, even if one of their top-2 backs are injured. Led by a talented duo of Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason, this is a solid backfield.

Grade: A-

Interior Defenders

Along with their offensive line, the interior defender position is another spot where the Vikings spent significant money this off-season. This was much needed because all four of the Vikings’ top-4 interior defenders in terms of snaps played last season finished with PFF grades below 60. Harrison Phillips (672 snaps), Jonathan Bullard (571 snaps), Jerry Tillery (467 snaps), and Jihad Ward (467 snaps) finished with PFF grades of 58.8, 56.1, 51.6, and 51.5 respectively.

To try to upgrade this position group in a big way, the Vikings handed out contracts worth 51 million over 3 years and 30 million over 2 years respectively to Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Both Allen and Hargrave have had some big years, but both are on the wrong side of 30, going into their age 30 and age 32 seasons respectively, and both are coming off injury plagued 2024 seasons, limited to 300 snaps in eight games and 104 snaps in three games respectively.

Allen had mostly been durable throughout his career prior to last season, missing just three total games in the previous six seasons combined, despite averaging 49.5 snaps per game, so it seems unlikely he will miss significant time with injury again in 2025. However, Allen also had a down year in 2024 even when on the field, finishing with a 63.0 PFF grade as a pass rusher and averaging just a 8.9% pressure rate, which are not bad, but those are disappointing numbers for him, as he had surpassed 75 in PFF pass rush grade in each of the previous four seasons, while totaling 24 sacks, 50 hits, and a 10.6% pressure rate in 65 games. 

Allen has also never been a good run defender and his run defense has gotten even worse in the past two seasons, with PFF grades of 37.9 and 41.3 against the run in 2023 and 2024 respectively, so the Vikings will need Allen to bounce back as a pass rusher to compensate for his lack of run defense. He’s not totally over the hill though, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he did bounce back at least somewhat if he can stay healthy. Hargrave is also a much better pass rusher than run defender, finishing below 60 on PFF in run defense grade in each of the past five seasons, while totaling 45.5 sacks, 34 hits, and a 11.3% pressure rate in 130 career games, including 35 sacks, 29 hits, and a 12.4% pressure rate in 83 games over the past six seasons. 

Hargrave still had a 12.7% pressure rate in very limited action last season before getting hurt and he had only missed four total games due to injury in eight seasons in the league prior to last season, so he’s not an injury prone player, but now being another year older and coming off of a significant injury, it’s fair to wonder if he will decline in 2025. Both Allen and Hargrave come with risks, but it wouldn’t be hard for them to be better than the players they are replacing in Minnesota.

Of the Vikings’ top-4 interior defenders last season, only Harrison Phillips returns and he was probably the best of them by default. He also has had better years in the past and, only in his age 29 season, he has some bounce back potential. He’s a better run defender than Allen or Hargrave, finishing above 60 on PFF in run defense in three straight seasons prior to last season, including a pair of seasons over 70, but he only has a 5.6% pressure rate in his career, which fell to 4.2% last season. He’s an underwhelming overall option, but he at least has bounce back potential as a run defender and the Vikings won’t be relying on him as their top interior defender anymore. 

The Vikings’ best interior defender last season was probably Jalen Redmond, who had a 77.2 PFF grade, especially excelling against the run, but he only played 208 snaps. Redmond is a 2023 undrafted free agent who had never played a snap prior to last season, so he’s very unproven, but he showed a lot of potential last season and 155 of those 208 snaps came in his final seven games of the season, so he earned himself a consistent role as a situational run stopper down the stretch last season and he should carry that into 2025.

Other reserve options for the Vikings including 5th round rookie Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, 2024 7th round pick Levi Drake Rodriguez, who played just 7 snaps as a rookie, and veteran journeyman Jonathan Harris, who has finished above 60 on PFF just once in six seasons in the league and who only played 133 snaps for the Panthers last season, when he had just a 49.0 PFF grade. None of them are likely to have a significant role unless there are significant injuries ahead of them on the depth chart. This interior defender group still has concerns, but overall this looks like a better group than last year, perhaps a much better group if everyone can stay healthy and play at their best.

Grade: B

Edge Defenders

The Vikings’ edge defenders were the strength of their defense last season. Starters Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel finished the season with PFF grades of 80.8 and 70.8 across snap counts of 916 and 920 respectively. Both especially excelled as a pass rusher, with Greenard totaling 12 sacks, 9 hits, and a 15.0% pressure rate and Van Ginkel totaling 11.5 sacks, 9 hits, and a 11.8% pressure rate. Both have similar stories, starting out as high level rotational players, breaking out in an every down role in 2023, and then signing with the Vikings last off-season and continuing their high level play in 2024.

Greenard only played 963 total snaps in the first three seasons of his career after being a 2020 3rd round pick, in part due to missing a combined 16 games due to injury, but he showed his promise with a 82.9 PFF grade across 414 snaps in 2021 and then broke out in 2023 with a 78.2 PFF grade across 632 snaps, while totaling 12.5 sacks, 11 hits, and a 11.9% pressure rate. The Vikings signed him to a 4-year, 76 million dollar deal last off-season, making him only the 14th highest paid edge defender in the league in average annual salary, and he proved to be a steal when he had another dominant season as an every down player in 2024. Greenard is still only going into his age 28 season and he seems to have put his injury issues behind him, missing just two games over the past two seasons, so he should continue playing at a high level in 2025.

Van Ginkel, meanwhile, was a 5th round pick in 2019 and played fewer than 500 snaps in three of his first four seasons in the league, but he had a 79.3 PFF grade on 479 snaps in 2020 and a 74.8 PFF grade on 333 snaps in 2022, before breaking out with a 91.1 PFF grade across 727 snaps in 2023, while totaling 6 sacks, 15 hits, and a 16.5% pressure rate. The Vikings got him for only 20 million over 2 years last off-season, which proved to be an even bigger steal than Greenard, and he deservedly got a raise this off-season, when the Vikings added another 1 year and 23 million onto his deal ahead of what would have been his contract year in 2025. Van Ginkel’s age is a minor concern, heading into his age 30 season, but even if he regresses a little bit, he should remain at least an above average every down starter.

The Vikings lost Patrick Jones in free agency and he did have 7 sacks last season in a part-time role, but his peripheral pass rush stats of 4 hits and a 7.6% pressure rate were not nearly as good as his sack total and he finished with only a 55.8 PFF grade across 459 snaps, so he won’t be missed much, especially since the VIkings have 2024 1st round pick Dallas Turner waiting in the wings and ready to play a significant role behind Greenard and Van Ginkel. 

Turner got off to a slow start in 2024, with just a 6.3% pressure rate in his first six games, when he played just 85 snaps, but his pressure rate improved to 9.4% from that point on and his playing time increased alongside his improving play, as he played 217 snaps in his last 10 games. Turner figures to have an even bigger role this season and has all the talent to have a second year breakout year. Even if he doesn’t have a big breakout, he figures to be a high end rotational reserve, at the very least.

With Greenard, Van Ginkel, and Turner set to all play heavy snaps, the Vikings don’t have much need for depth outside of their top-3, but they would if any of their top-3 missed time with injury and they don’t really have a good fourth option. Bo Richter and Gabriel Murphy are 2024 undrafted free agents who played 30 nondescript snaps and 35 nondescript snaps respectively as rookies and they are really the only other options the Vikings have on the roster. Still, given how talented the Vikings’ top-3 are, their lack of depth beyond them is only a minor concern.

Grade: A-

Linebackers

The Vikings also got a great free agent value last off-season with Blake Cashman, who was signed to a 3-year, 22.5 million dollar deal. Cashman, a 2019 5th round pick, played just 609 snaps in his first four seasons in the league, largely due to injuries that cost him 36 games total in those four seasons, and he was never more than a middling player when he was on the field, so it came as a shock when he had a 83.7 PFF grade in 2023 and it was fair to wonder if he would continue that level of play, especially since he again missed another three games due to injury that season. 

Cashman wasn’t quite as good in 2024, but he still had an above average 71.6 PFF grade, while playing a career high 894 snaps. Still only going into his age 29 season, with back-to-back above average seasons under his belt, it seems likely Cashman will remain an above average starter in 2025, though it’s worth noting that even with his career high in snaps last season, he still missed three games, so he remains an injury prone player who is likely to miss time again at some point this season.

Cashman will start next to Ivan Pace, who also had a surprisingly good season in 2023, when he had a 77.1 PFF grade across 704 snaps despite being an undrafted rookie. Pace wasn’t quite as good in 2024, but he still had a decent 64.6 PFF grade, though he was limited to 412 snaps in 11 games. Pace should play more in 2025, not just because he probably won’t miss as much time with injury, but because the Vikings don’t have the safety depth they had last season and probably won’t use three safeties at the same time in sub packages as much as they did last season, which I will talk more about later. Pace showed he was capable of playing close to an every down role in 2023, so he should be able to handle the higher snap count. He and Cashman should at least be a solid linebacker duo.

The Vikings also upgraded their linebacker depth this off-season. Kamu Grugier-Hill was the Vikings third linebacker last season and he was terrible, finishing with a 36.4 PFF grade across 182 snaps and barely seeing action even when Cashman or Pace missed time with injury. The Vikings didn’t bring him back this off-season and instead replaced him with veteran Eric Wilson. A 9-year veteran, Wilson struggled in the one season in his career in which he played an every down role, finishing with a 53.5 PFF grade across 1,034 snaps in 2020, but he finished with grades in the 60s in each of his next three highest snap totals in his career, with a 62.7 PFF grade across 336 snaps in 2018, a 67.6 PFF grade across 380 snaps in 2019, and a 65.8 PFF grade across 556 snaps last season. Wilson is heading into his age 31 season, but barring a massive dropoff, he’s a good insurance option to have. The Vikings additionally added another linebacker Kobe King in the 6th round of the draft to give themselves additional depth. With a solid starting duo and capable depth, the Vikings have an above average linebacker group.

Grade: B+

Secondary

As I mentioned, the Vikings aren’t as deep at safety this season. Last season, Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, and Josh Metellus all essentially played every down roles last season, with one of them, most typically Metellus, essentially serving either as the slot cornerback or as a linebacker, depending on the situation. Those three finished the season with snap counts of 1,009, 1,028, and 990 respectively and all three were solid, with PFF grades of 66.2, 63.0, and 67.6 respectively. 

This off-season, Bynum signed with the Colts without being replaced. Making matters worse, Harrison Smith is going into his age 36 season and is clearly on the decline. He has seen his PFF grade decline in four straight seasons and his PFF grade last season was the second worst of his 13-year career, which has featured nine seasons above 70 on PFF and five seasons above 80. Smith could easily continue declining in 2025 and it wouldn’t surprise to see him be a liability.

Metellus could remain a solid starter, but versatility is a big part of his value and his game could suffer if the Vikings’ lack of safety depth gives him fewer opportunities to play other positions this season. Metellus was only a 6th round pick in 2020, but he has far exceeded his draft position. He first flashed potential in his third season in the league in 2022, when he had a 85.1 PFF grade across 259 snaps, after playing just 70 snaps combined in his first two seasons in the league. He hasn’t quite been that good in an every down role over the past two seasons, but he had a 69.2 PFF grade across 1,063 snaps in 2023, before having a similar season again in 2024. Still only in his age 27 season, he could have another similar season again in 2024, but his role will probably be different and that could hurt his effectiveness.

Theo Jackson was the Vikings’ fourth safety last season and he will probably see at least a situational role this season. The 2022 6th round pick has only played 221 snaps in three seasons in the league, including just 78 last season, but he has shown potential, with PFF grades of 85.0, 67.6, and 79.2. He’s a projection to a larger role and is unlikely to see anywhere near as big of a role as Camryn Bynum had last season, but he’s not a bad third safety option and he clearly has upside.

The Vikings also lost a pair of cornerbacks this off-season, not bringing back Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin, who had PFF grades of 63.9 and 64.3 respectively, across snap counts of 860 and 572 respectively. They should be in decent shape to replace them though. To replace one of them, Mekhi Blackmon is likely to take over as a starter. The 2023 3rd round pick flashed potential with a 71.8 PFF grade across 434 snaps as a rookie and was set to be a starter last season until he suffered a season-ending injury before the season even started. Blackmon is still unproven and coming back from a major injury complicates his development, but he has plenty of upside and could easily prove to be at least a solid starter.

The Vikings also signed Isaiah Rodgers, who has shown a lot of potential in part time roles in his career, finishing with a 70.7 PFF grade across 525 snaps in 2021, a 82.1 PFF grade across 434 snaps in 2022, and a 76.0 PFF grade across 329 snaps last season, with a 2023 season lost to suspension in between. He’s a projection to a larger role, but even if he isn’t quite as good in a larger role as he was in a part-time role, he could still easily be an above average player. 

The Vikings did bring back top cornerback Byron Murphy, re-signing him on a 3-year, 54 million dollar deal, after he had a 72.8 PFF grade last season. Murphy had never had a season that good before and it came in his sixth season in the league, after finishing below 60 on PFF in three of his first five seasons in the league, so it’s possible last season could prove to be a fluke, but he’s also still only going into his age 27 season, so it’s possible last season could prove to be a lasting breakout season for the 2019 2nd round pick.

For depth, the Vikings signed veteran Tavierre Thomas, Jeff Okudah, and Ambry Thomas this off-season. Thomas only played 46 snaps last season, but in his three previous seasons he had PFF grades of 77.6, 70.0, and 72.2 on snap counts of 639, 409, and 352 respectively, primarily as a slot cornerback, and he should be able to fill in as a solid slot specialist if needed. Okudah was once the third overall pick in the draft and is still only going into his age 26 season, but he’s finished below 60 on PFF in all five seasons in the league, while missing 40 games due to injury and averaging just 394 snaps per season. He was a worthwhile flier for the Vikings to take, but I wouldn’t expect much from him. 

Ambry Thomas was a 3rd round pick in 2021 and had a 71.5 PFF grade across 482 snaps in 2023, but that is his only season above 60 on PFF in his career and he’s played just 375 snaps in his other three seasons in the league combined, with none of them coming last season, when he missed the entire season due to injury. Overall, I would say those three reserves are better depth than most teams have and that all three have upside, but there is also a reason they are reserves and were available cheaply this off-season. The Vikings had some off-season losses in the secondary this off-season, but this still looks like at least a decent group overall.

Grade: B

Kicker

The Vikings used a sixth round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on a kicker Will Reichard and he had about a league average first season in the league, accounting for just 0.30 points above average, making 24 of 30 field goals, including 8 of 11 from 50+, while also making all 38 of his extra points. Going into his second season in the league in 2025, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Reichard take a step forward and, even if he doesn’t, I would expect him to at least be a league average kicker once again.

Grade: B

Conclusion

The Vikings didn’t bring back quarterback Sam Darnold this off-season, but they took advantage of having JJ McCarthy on a cheap rookie deal and were aggressive in spending money to build up the rest of this roster even further, particularly addressing needs on the interior of their offensive and defensive lines, as well as at running back. The result is a Vikings team that has one of the best rosters in the league outside of the quarterback position. 

The quarterback position is the big mystery, with McCarthy coming off of a major injury and having never thrown a pass in the NFL, but he came into the league with a lot of upside and he has a great situation around him, between his supporting cast and the Vikings’ coaching staff. It’s very possible that Darnold’s success last season will prove to largely be the result of the situation he was in and that JJ McCarthy can also have success. That may be a big if, but if that is the case, the Vikings should be considered one of the favorites for the Super Bowl, given the overall talent on this roster. Even if McCarthy isn’t quite as good as Darnold, the Vikings should still compete for a playoff spot.

Prediction: 10-7, 3rd in NFC North

Quarterback

Six off-seasons ago, the Vikings made a big decision to sign veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency. The Vikings had just made the NFC Championship game with third string quarterback Case Keenum, who surprisingly played at a high level, but felt Keenum couldn’t would not repeat that level of play and opted to give big money to Cousins, who they felt was the missing piece on a strong overall roster. Cousins was initially signed to a 3-year, 84 million dollar deal and ultimately took him 185 million during his six seasons in Minnesota, but as a result of that, the Vikings found it hard to keep talent around the quarterback, which combined with untimely injuries and key players getting older, led to the Vikings going 50-37-1 with Cousins under center and winning just one playoff game.

Cousins himself wasn’t bad at all, completing 67.9% of his passes for an average of 7.55 YPA, 171 touchdowns, and 55 interceptions, but the track record of non-elite quarterbacks being paid at the highest level is not good, with the only quarterbacks who have accounted for more than 11% of their team’s cap and won the Super Bowl being Hall of Famers or future Hall of Famers. Cousins is good enough to win a Super Bowl, but only on a team loaded with talent, the kind of talent that is very hard to keep around a quarterback who is one of the highest paid in the league.

This off-season, the Vikings opted to move on from Cousins and not get into a bidding war with the Atlanta Falcons for his services, with Cousins signing a 4-year, 180 million dollar deal that makes him the 8th highest paid quarterback in the league by average annual salary, despite the fact that Cousins now heads into his age 36 season and is coming off of a torn Achilles tendon. Instead, the Vikings used a first round pick on quarterback JJ McCarthy and will attempt to surround McCarthy with enough talent to compete for a Super Bowl while he is still on his cheap rookie contract.

That might have been the better of the Vikings’ two options, but McCarthy enters the league very raw and, even on a cheap contract, his chances of leading this team deeper in the playoffs than Cousins did depends on him developing into the kind of quarterback worth the 10th overall pick, which is far from a guarantee. In year one, McCarthy will compete with veteran journeyman Sam Darnold for the starting job, a competition McCarthy could easily lose. 

Darnold is a former high draft pick in his own right, going 3rd overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. He struggled early in his career as a starter with the Jets and Panthers, completing just 59.8% of his passes for an average of 6.54 YPA, 54 touchdowns, and 52 interceptions in 49 starts in his first four seasons in the league, but he had terrible coaching and a terrible supporting cast early in his career and he’s shown signs of improvement in a limited sample size in better situations over the past two seasons, completing 59.1% of his passes for an average of 7.74 YPA, 9 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions in 7 starts.

Still only in his age 27 season, Darnold is a worthwhile reclamation project on a 1-year, 10 million dollar contract and he definitely has a chance to hold off McCarthy for the starting job, at least to begin the season. Either way, I wouldn’t expect much out of the quarterback position in Minnesota this season, but it’s understandable why the Vikings hit the reset button at the position this off-season, rather than doubling down on an expensive, aging Kirk Cousins. If McCarthy develops as expected long-term, the Vikings will be able to spend money to load up on talent around him and try to make the deep playoff run that they failed to make in Cousins’ tenure with the team.

Grade: C+

Receiving Corps

The Vikings didn’t make many big additions this off-season around their new quarterback, but the good news is the Vikings were actually a lot better than their 7-10 record suggested last season, finishing with a positive first down rate differential (+1.06%) and a positive yards per play differential (+0.35). That’s despite the fact that they got shaky quarterback play in Kirk Cousins’ absence, with their other quarterbacks completing 65.0% of their passes for an average of 7.40 YPA, 12 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions over 9 starts, and that’s despite the fact that their top offensive weapon Justin Jefferson missed 7 games with injuries of his own.

Jefferson is one of the best players in the league at any position and having him likely playing more games than he did a year ago should be a big boost for this offense. A first round pick in 2020, Jefferson had slash lines of 88/1400/7, 108/1616/10, and 128/1809/8 in his first three seasons in the league respectively and in 2023 he had a 68/1075/5 slash line, despite playing just 10 games and having shaky quarterback play for much of those 10 games. 

In total, Jefferson has averaged 2.67 yards per route run in four seasons in the league and, still only in his age 25 season, he has plenty more of his prime to go. With the money the Vikings saved from not re-signing Cousins, the Vikings were able to extend Jefferson this off-season on a much deserved 4-year, 140 million dollar deal that makes him the highest paid non-quarterback in the league, ahead of what would have been the final year of his rookie deal in 2024.

With Jefferson missing a big chunk of the season last season, first round rookie Jordan Addison took on a bigger role than expected and he did well with it, considering it was only his first year in the league. He finished with a 70/911/10 slash line on 108 targets with 1.50 yards per route run and was even better in the seven games Jefferson missed, producing a slash line that extrapolates to 85/1061/10 on 129 targets over a full 17 game season. He’ll play more of a supporting role in 2024, but could easily take a step forward in efficiency in his second season in the league. With Jefferson opposite him, the Vikings have a 1-2 punch at wide receiver that has the upside to be as good as any in the league.

Tight end TJ Hockenson also had a big role last season with Jefferson missing time, averaging 1.89 yards per route run (5th) and totaling a 95/960/5 slash line on 127 targets. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL in week 16 and is now questionable for the start of the 2024 season, only about 8 months removed from the injury when the season kicks off. Even if he does make it back for week 1, it’s far from a guarantee that he’ll play at his top form in his first season back from injury. Hockenson is a former first round pick who is only in his age 27 season and had a 86/914/6 slash line with 1.60 yards per route run in 2022, so he’s more than capable of repeating last season’s performance if he’s healthy, but that’s a big question mark.

If Hockenson is out to start the season, Robert Tonyan will likely be the Vikings’ primary pass catching tight end. Tonyan had a 52/586/10 slash line with a 1.58 yards per route run average in 2020, but he benefited significantly from playing with an MVP level Aaron Rodgers and he hasn’t been the same since, averaging just 1.08 yards per route run over the past three seasons combined. Now going into his age 30 season, his best days are almost definitely behind him, but he could be a decent injury fill-in for a few games if needed. The Vikings also have Josh Oliver, who was the #2 tight end last season, but he’s just a good blocker, with run blocking grades of 74.6 and 73.9 in 2022 and 2023 respectively, but just 48 catches in 52 career games with a 0.94 yards per route run average, so he’s not really a candidate for an expanded passing game role even if Hockenson misses time.

The Vikings also lost #3 receiver KJ Osburn in free agency this off-season and he played a significant role last season with Jefferson missing time, totaling a 48/540/3 slash line on 75 targets, but he only averaged 0.97 yards per route run and has just a 1.11 yards per route run average for his career, so if he’s missed, it’ll only be because the Vikings didn’t do much to replace him this off-season, leaving the #3 receiver job to Brandon Powell, a career special teamer who had only a 1.13 yards per route run average last season when forced into a significant role by Jefferson’s injury, or to Trent Sherfield, a veteran journeyman with a career 0.84 yards per route run average and their only addition at the position this off-season. 

The Vikings also have 2022 6th round pick Jalen Nailor, but he has just 12 catches in two seasons in the league, so he’s unlikely to be a big factor either. The Vikings will need both Jefferson and Addison to stay healthy because they really lack depth behind them. With Jefferson, Addison, and Hockenson, the Vikings have a great top trio of pass catchers, but this is a very top heavy group and Hockenson is coming off of a serious injury, which affects the overall grade of this group.

Grade: A-

Running Backs

One big addition the Vikings made on offense this off-season was signing running back Aaron Jones away from division rival Green Bay. Running back was a big position of need this off-season, as the Vikings ranked 24th in the NFL with a 3.95 YPC average and 29th with 1,553 total rushing yards last season, despite ranking 10th on PFF in team run blocking grade. Jones, meanwhile, averaged 5.05 YPC with 45 touchdowns on 1,177 carries in seven seasons in the league with the Packers, including a 4.62 YPC average and 2 touchdowns on 142 carries last season. Jones also contributes in the passing game, with a career 1.24 yards per route run average and a career 48/364/3 slash line average per 17 games.

However, Jones is now heading into his age 30 season, which is a common age for running backs to drop off significantly, especially undersized, injury prone backs like Jones, who is just 5-9 208 and who has missed time in 5 of his 7 seasons in the league, totaling 18 missed games, with 6 of those coming just last season. The Vikings didn’t break the bank for Jones, nor did they make a significant long-term commitment, signing him to a 1-year, 7 million dollar deal, but that does make him the 10th highest paid running back in the league in average annual salary and it’s very possible Jones proves not to be worth that salary. Still, Jones should be an upgrade over what they had a year ago, when they had one of the league’s worst running back rooms. 

Ty Chandler was the best of the bunch a year ago, with 461 yards and 3 touchdowns on 102 carries (4.52 YPC), despite being only a 5th round pick in 2022 and only having 6 carries as a rookie prior to last season. He’s probably not suited to be a starter, but you could do worse than him as a #2 back and he should be more than capable of spelling Jones for a few touches here and there. The Vikings will need their top-2 backs to stay healthy though, as their depth behind Jones and Chandler consists of return man Kene Nwangwu, who has 27 carries in 3 seasons in the league, journeyman Myles Gaskin, who has a career 3.75 YPC average on 361 carries in five seasons in the league, and 2023 7th round pick DeWayne McBride, who spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad, despite a weak running back room ahead of him. The addition of Jones improves this group, but Jones’ age and injury history are significant concerns.

Grade: B+

Offensive Line

Not much changed on the offensive line for the Vikings this off-season. The Vikings did make a change at the left guard position mid-season in 2023 though. Ezra Cleveland began last season as the starter at that spot and had an impressive 73.6 PFF grade in 6 games, but the Vikings opted to trade him at the deadline for a draft pick, with Cleveland set to hit free agency the following off-season. Dalton Risner took his place and mostly struggled, finishing with a 57.1 PFF grade on 745 snaps. Risner was still brought back as a free agent this off-season though and he could be better, finishing in the 60s on PFF in each of his previous four seasons as a starter (62 starts).

The rest of this group is the same as it was all last season. Center Garrett Bradbury and right guard Ed Ingram were mediocre last season with PFF grades of 60.9 and 59.5 respectively, but neither has much real competition for their job, with the alternatives being veteran journeyman Dan Feeney, who posted PFF grades of 49.2, 51.7, and 48.2 in three seasons as a starter from 2018-2020 and has subsequently played just 384 snaps in three seasons since, and Blake Brandel, 2020 6th round pick, who has been mediocre in limited action thus far in his career, playing just 502 snaps in four seasons in the league and finishing below 60 on PFF in every season. 

Bradbury was a first round pick in 2019 and has made 71 starts in five seasons in the league, but he has never been much more than a capable starter, maxing out with a 70.2 PFF grade in 2022, and he’s already heading into his age 29 season, so it’s unlikely he has much untapped talent at this point. Ingram, meanwhile, was a 2nd round pick in 2022 and also struggled with a 57.1 PFF grade as a rookie. He’s still young enough that there’s a good chance he takes a step forward in year three in 2024, but I wouldn’t expect a lot out of him either.

The tackle position is in much better shape, as left tackle Christian Darrisaw and right tackle Brian O’Neill are among the best tackle duos in the league. Darrisaw was a first round pick in 2021 and has more than lived up to his billing, receiving grades of 71.9, 90.3, and 82.4 from PFF in his first three seasons in the league respectively, making him already one of the best left tackles in the league, only going into his age 25 season. 

O’Neill isn’t quite as good, but he’s been incredibly consistent throughout his career as the 2018 2nd round pick has received a grade of 70 or higher from PFF in five straight seasons, dating back to his second season in the league. Still only in his age 29 season, I would expect more of the same from him in 2024. The Vikings also have veteran swing tackle David Quessenberry,  who has been decent in limited action as a starter over the past four seasons, with PFF grades of 61.7, 80.6, 59.3, and 64.8 in a total of 30 starts, though he’s now heading into his age 34 season. The Vikings tackles significantly elevate an otherwise mediocre offensive line.

Grade: B+

Edge Defenders

The Vikings made some big additions on defense, but the biggest one was more of a lateral move, as they allowed edge defender Danielle Hunter to sign a 2-year, 49 million dollar deal with the Texans and replaced him with a former Texan, Jonathan Greenard, who they signed to a 4-year, 76 million dollar deal. Hunter received a PFF grade of 78.0 on 1,004 snaps last season, with 16.5 sacks, 8 hits, and a 13.0% pressure rate as a pass rusher, which would normally be a lot to replace, but Greenard had a 76.7 PFF grade on 697 snaps, with 12.5 sacks, 12 hits, and a 12.0% pressure rate as a pass rusher, so he won’t be much of a downgrade. He probably won’t play as many snaps as Hunter did, but he could easily match Hunter’s level of play.

Hunter does have more of a proven track record, as Greenard had played just 963 snaps in his first three seasons in the league prior to last season, in large part due to injury, and only had a 8.9% pressure rate over those three seasons, but Greenard is also significantly younger, going into his age 27 season, while Hunter goes into his age 30 season, so Greenard could easily be the better player over the next few seasons. Greenard might not be as good in 2024 as he was in 2023 and injuries are a concern, as he’s missed 18 games in four seasons in the league, but he has a good chance to remain at least an above average edge defender as long as he can stay on the field.

The Hunter/Greenard swap wasn’t the only move the Vikings made at the edge defender position, as they completely overhauled this group this off-season. DJ Wonnum, who was second among Vikings edge defenders with 826 snaps played, wasn’t brought back, which isn’t a huge loss as he only had a 62.3 overall PFF grade and a 8.2% pressure rate. The Vikings will be replacing him with another free agent signing, ex-Dolphin Andrew Van Ginkel, as well as rookie Dallas Turner, who the Vikings moved back up into the first round to select. Van Ginkel was only signed to a 2-year, 20 million dollar deal, but he could prove to be a steal if he plays anything like he did last season when he received a 91.1 PFF grade on 727 snaps, excelling as a pass rusher, run defender, and in coverage. In total, he had 6 sacks, 15 hits, and a 16.5% pressure rate. 

Van Ginkel is a one-year wonder in terms of playing at the level he played at last season on the snap count he played at last season, but he did have 10 sacks, 27 hits, and a 12.2% pressure rate in the previous three seasons combined, while excelling against the run and playing an average of 538 snaps per season, so last season’s breakout year didn’t come out of nowhere. Van Ginkel is only a former 5th round pick, selected in the 2019 NFL Draft, but he’s also still only in his age 29 season and could easily continue playing at least at an above average level in 2024. Van Ginkel, Greenard, and the rookie Turner should all play significant roles and could easily be one of the better edge defender trios in the league if they all stay healthy and play up to their potential.

The Vikings also still have Pat Jones, who played 634 snaps last season, but he struggled mightily with a 37.5 overall PFF grade and a 8.2% pressure rate, so he’ll rightfully be playing a smaller role this season. Jones was a 3rd round pick in 2021 and played better on a smaller snap count in 2022, with a 62.5 PFF grade on 308 snaps, so he could be a useful depth player and he might still have some further untapped upside. Jones will compete for a deep reserve role with veteran free agent addition Jihad Ward, who has played an average of 488 snaps per season over the past 5 seasons, but who has also only finished above 60 on PFF once in those 5 seasons. Now in his age 30 season, Ward was only given 1 million guaranteed this off-season and shouldn’t be guaranteed a roster spot. This remade group is much deeper than a year ago, even with former top edge defender Danielle Hunter going elsewhere this off-season.

Grade: A-

Interior Defenders

The Vikings didn’t make any big additions at the interior defender position this off-season, even though it was a position of weakness a year ago. Harrison Phillips (838 snaps) and Jonathan Bullard (643 snaps) led the way as the starters and both struggled, with PFF grades of 59.7 and 46.3 respectively. Phillips has never been much of a pass rusher, with a career 5.9% pressure rate in six seasons in the league, but that fell even further to a 4.8% pressure rate in 2023 and his run defense dropped off as well, down from a 79.8 PFF grade in 2021 and a 73.6 PFF grade in 2022 to a 65.6 PFF grade in 2023. 

Phillips is only in his age 28 season, so there’s some bounce back potential here, at least in terms of run defense, but he’s a pretty underwhelming player to have as your top interior defender. Bullard, meanwhile, had never played more than 437 snaps in a season his first seven seasons in the league prior to last season and he had four straight seasons below 60 on PFF going into last season, so it’s not a surprise that he struggled mightily in an expanded role. Now in his age 31 season, I would expect his struggles to continue, even if he moves into a smaller role.

The Vikings did add some new depth options this off-season, but they’re not necessarily upgrades. Jonah Williams comes over from the Rams, where he saw his role grow in four seasons after going undrafted in 2020, not playing a snap as a rookie, playing 97 snaps in year two, 342 snaps in year three, and 597 snaps last season, but he mostly struggled, with PFF grades of 53.6 and 55.6 over the past two seasons respectively in the only two seasons of significant action in his career. Already in his age 29 season, I wouldn’t expect more out of him in 2024.

Jerry Tillery was also added, coming over from the Raiders. He had a 67.7 PFF grade on 504 snaps in 2023, with his best play coming as an interior pass rusher, where he had a 10.2% pressure rate. It’s possible he could continue playing at that level, but he had never had a PFF grade higher than 50 in his first four seasons in the league prior to last season. He is a former first round pick, so it’s possible he’s finally turned a corner as a player, but he could also regress. Tillery and Williams might be better depth options by default than the Vikings’ depth options a year ago and Harrison Phillips has some bounce back potential, but this is still a very underwhelming position group.

Grade: C

Linebackers

The Vikings also made a big addition at the linebacker position, signing Blake Cashman to a 3-year, 22.5 million dollar deal, but that’s a lateral move at best, with the Vikings losing their top linebacker from a year ago, Jordan Hicks, after he had a 74.6 PFF grade on 813 snaps in 13 games in 2023. Cashman was even better than that, with a 83.7 PFF grade, but that only came on 655 snaps in 14 games and he’s a complete one-year wonder, as the 2019 5th round pick had only played 609 snaps in 4 seasons in the league prior to his surprising breakout 2023 season and had never come close to showing the kind of potential he showed in 2023. Injuries were part of the reason for his lack of playing time early in his career, but it’s highly unlikely he’ll be as good two years in a row and durability concerns still remain. He’ll likely be a downgrade from Hicks, though he does have a good chance to at least be a solid starter.

Cashman will start next to Ivan Pace, who also had a strong 2023 season out of nowhere. Despite going completely undrafted in 2023, Pace had a 77.1 PFF grade on 704 snaps as a rookie. The fact that he went undrafted just a year ago is not irrelevant at this point in his career and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was unable to repeat his surprise rookie season, but he also has a good chance to remain at least a solid starter. Pace and Cashman both had strong seasons in 2023, finishing 17th and 5th among off ball linebackers on PFF, but I wouldn’t expect either one to be as good in 2024.

Behind Cashman and Pace, the Vikings have questionable depth. Brian Asamoah was a 3rd round pick in 2022, but hasn’t gotten on the field much in two years in the league, playing 157 defensive snaps total. He might still have some untapped potential, but he could also struggle if forced into a significant role by injuries ahead of him on the depth chart. The Vikings also added veteran Kamu Grugier-Hill, but he’s finished below 60 on PFF in four straight seasons on an average of 452 snaps per season and now heads into his age 30 season, so he’s a pretty mediocre option, even as a reserve. This group has a high upside if Cashman and Pace can manage to come close to last season’s level of play, but that’s far from a guarantee and the downside is pretty significant as well.

Grade: B

Secondary

The strength of the Vikings’ secondary is the safety position, as they used 3 safeties on the field at the same time by far more than any team in the league, to try to mask their lack of depth at cornerback and at linebacker. Camryn Bynum (1,120 snaps), Harrison Smith (1,111 snaps), and Josh Metellus (1,063 snaps) all played almost all of the Vikings’ 1,129 defensive snaps last season, with Metellus being the one who moved around the most, lining up as a slot cornerback or linebacker more often than he lined up in a traditional safety spot. All three played pretty well, with PFF grades of 73.2, 68.9, and 69.2 respectively, but there’s at least some reason to be concerned that they won’t all play at the same level in 2024.

The biggest reason is that Smith, by far the most accomplished of the bunch, now heads into his age 35 season. In his prime, Smith was one of the best safeties in the league, surpassing a 70 grade on PFF in 8 straight seasons from 2014-2021, with four seasons over 80 and a career best 92.3 in 2017, but he’s fallen below 70 in back-to-back years and could continue declining in 2024, given his age. I wouldn’t expect him to totally fall off, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him be worse than a year ago. 

Metellus and Bynum, on the other hand, are younger, but with that youth comes inexperience. Bynum was a 4th round pick in 2021 and showed a lot of potential in limited action as a rookie, with a 78.3 PFF grade on 211 snaps, but he struggled in his first full season as a starter in 2022, with a 58.2 PFF grade and, while he was obviously much better than that in his second full season as a starter, he’s still a one-year wonder in terms of being an above average starter like he was a year ago. 

It’s very possible Bynum has permanently turned a corner and could continue playing at an above average level or even better than a year ago, but he could also regress a little bit. Metellus, meanwhile, was in his first season as a starter last season, after the 2020 6th round pick only played 329 snaps in his first three seasons in the league. He flashed a lot of potential with a 85.1 PFF grade on 259 snaps in 2022, but that’s a small sample size. He’ll probably remain at least a solid starter in 2024, but the fact that last season was his only season as a starter is a bit of a concern. 

It’s also unlikely all three safeties play all 17 games like they did a year ago, as that’s very tough to do two years in a row, but the Vikings do have good depth at the position. Theo Jackson was only a 6th round pick in 2022 and has played just 143 defensive snaps in his career, but was decent with a 67.6 PFF grade on 125 snaps in 2023. Meanwhile, Lewis Cine is a 2022 1st round pick who has been a major bust to this point in his career, playing just 10 total defensive snaps in two seasons in the league as a result of injury and poor performance, but he’s still young and talented and could at least be a useful reserve in 2024.

At cornerback, the Vikings’ two starters Byron Murphy and Akayleb Evans both struggled with PFF grades of 58.0 and 55.0 respectively in 2023. Murphy was signed to a 2-year, 17.5 million dollar deal in free agency last off-season and is likely locked into a starting role by virtue of his salary, but the Vikings will have a competition at the other spot and there’s a good chance Evans doesn’t keep his job. Mekhi Blackmon was a third round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and played well in limited action while gradually seeing his playing time increase, finishing with a 71.8 PFF grade on 434 snaps, with 329 of those snaps coming in week 8 or later. He’s still a projection to a starting role, but has the talent to develop into an above average starter long-term and could easily be at least an adequate starter if needed in 2024.

The Vikings also signed Shaq Griffin in free agency, adding the journeyman on a 1-year, 4.55 million dollar deal. Griffin’s career got off to a good start, as the 2017 3rd round pick of the Seahawks made 67 starts in his first five seasons in the league, receiving PFF grades of 77.0, 64.1, and 72.0 in 2019, 2020, and 2021 respectively and earning a 3-year, 40 million dollar deal from the Jaguars as a free agent after the 2020 season. However, injuries limited him to 336 snaps in 5 games in 2022 and he was subsequently made a cap casualty prior to the final year of his contract in Jacksonville in 2023, rather than being paid 13.5 million. 

Griffin caught on with the Texans in free agency on a 1-year deal last off-season and was decent with a 66.3 PFF grade on 382 snaps in 10 games in Houston, but he lost his role in a deep cornerback group and was ultimately waived mid-season, before landing in Carolina and seeing just 77 snaps the rest of the season. Griffin is still only in his age 29 season, so he has some bounce back potential, despite the last two seasons not going according to plan. He and Blackmon would both likely be upgrades on Evans, who may also have some untapped potential in his own right, as a 2022 4th round pick who has struggled thus far in his career.

Murphy could also be better than a year ago, although it’s unlikely he’ll live up to the contract the Vikings gave him last off-season. Murphy was a 2nd round pick in 2019 and is only in his age 26 season, but he’s never received a grade higher than 66.7 grade from PFF for a season and that came in an injury shortened 2022 campaign in which he played just 595 snaps in 9 games. In three of his five seasons in the league, he’s finished below 60 on PFF. 

Even if Murphy bounces back in 2024, his ceiling is probably only an adequate starter and he could easily struggle again. The Vikings also have 2022 2nd round pick Andrew Booth, but he’s played just 256 nondescript snaps in two seasons in the league and is unlikely to carve out a role, even in an underwhelming position group overall. The Vikings will once again be relying on their safety depth to mask their issues at the cornerback position, even if they should be better at cornerback by default compared to last season.

Grade: B

Conclusion

The Vikings were better than their 7-10 record in 2023, finishing with positive yards per play and first down rate differentials, despite the fact that starting quarterback Kirk Cousins and top wide receiver Justin Jefferson both missed significant time with injury. Cousins isn’t returning in 2024, but Jefferson should be healthier and the Vikings quarterbacks should be better than they were in Cousins’ absence last season. A lot of whether or not this team can contend for a playoff spot is dependent on how their quarterbacks perform, which is a question mark, but they have a solid supporting cast on both sides of the ball.

Update: The Vikings will start Sam Darnold all season with JJ McCarthy out for the year due to injury, which hurts their upside significantly, especially since they have one of the toughest schedules in the league.

Prediction: 5-12, 4th in NFC North