Vikings Named as Team That Can Turn It Around in 2022
Some optimism was expressed in the direction of the Minnesota Vikings at the national level on Wednesday when Marc Sessler from Around the NFL named the Vikings as one of four teams that can turn it around in 2022 in an article for NFL.com.
The other three teams were the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Washington Football Team. New general manager Kwesi Odofo-Mensah is breathing new belief into the fanbase, but will that translate into a successful first season?
Of the Vikings, Sessler had this to say;
“We’re staring at a team doused in unknowns. Mike Zimmer is out the door, along with longtime general manager Rick Spielman. The team has pegged Kwesi Adofo-Mensah for the GM spot, while candidates to fill the coaching seat include fast-rising Niners defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, Tampa’s Todd Bowles, and Cowboys defensive play-caller Dan Quinn, among others. Does the new regime stick with Kirk Cousins or trade the good-but-not-great quarterback for draft picks? They’re sitting roughly $12 million over the cap (per Over the Cap), but Minnesota can open up prairie lands of room by moving on from Cousins, who is set to count for $45 million against the cap in the final year of his current contract. A new coach might blanch at the idea of rolling into Year 1 minus Kirk, especially when he’s primed to roll inside an offense starring Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, and a bona fide planetary star in Justin Jefferson. The NFC North is changing. The bullying Packers face cap hell of their own and questions around the future of Aaron Rodgers. The Bears are in flux. The Lions need all sorts of help. There’s room for the Vikings to stake a claim if new leadership can navigate the months ahead.‘
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The Vikings need to find their head coach and then decide what to do with Kirk Cousins and the other highly paid senior players. Then, the focus is on getting this team back in the playoffs — a perfectly realistic goal. Despite a poor season, the Vikings weren’t far away this year. This season saw seven teams that didn’t make the playoffs last year make it this time, exactly half of the participating teams. The seventh playoff spot certainly helps with that, thus giving teams a better chance of the bounce back.
Mark Wilf stated at the outset of the general manager and head coach search the expectation is to be competitive this coming season. A “full rebuild” wasn’t the plan. There is plenty of talent to work with.
The NFC North doesn’t look like a strong division right now, especially with uncertainty yet again surrounding Aaron Rodgers. The whole conference doesn’t appear to hold much strength, with NFC teams, for the most part, lagging behind their AFC counterparts. Much like this season, the wild card spots will likely be open to most of the conference for most of the season.
There is a real chance that the Vikings can be a team to turn it around in 2022, but there is a lot of work ahead to get to that point.
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