4 Things to Monitor at Vikings Mandatory Minicamp
The Minnesota Vikings regular season begins in less than three months, and mandatory minicamp is the next stop in determining the 53-man roster.
The event kicks off Tuesday in Eagan.
4 Things to Monitor at Vikings Mandatory Minicamp
The sessions last two days before a summer break. Here are the four items to monitor, ranked in ascending order of importance.
4. How Does Jaren Hall Look?
The Vikings drafted this man in Round 5 a couple of months ago, and that’s generally a spot for quarterback nothingness. Late-round quarterbacks rarely blossom, but fans will pound the Tom Brady example for the rest of their lives. The problem is — he’s essentially the only example in the last 25 years of elite QB play after Round 5. Undrafted commodities like Kurt Warner and Tony Romo have shined, though, so there’s that.
Still, the Vikings seem to like Hall’s performance to date, and with Kirk Cousins not committed to the team beyond this season, Hall could become the next QB1.
But if Hall looks silly at these summer events — mandatory minicamp, training camp, and the preseason — he’ll seem like ‘just another late-round quarterback.’
He doesn’t have to, however, so keep tabs on his early summer progress.
3. Will Danielle Hunter Show Up?
Hunter wants a new contract, Ian Rapoport put him in the trade rumor mill last week, and now mandatory minicamp is one day away. Something’s gotta give.
NFL teams can opt to fine players who don’t show up at minicamp, but that measure doesn’t seem like a tactic general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell would utilize. It actually sounds like a ‘Mike Zimmer thing.’
If Hunter is a no-show Tuesday, the plot of his future with the Vikings will get thicker than Ryan Wright.
2. Is Jordan Addison Ready to Go?
At organized team activities (OTAs), Addison didn’t participate. O’Connell said, “We’re being overly cautious with him right now, just something that kind of popped up toward the tail end of rookie minicamp.”
“It’s better to be safe with things knowing that training camp is really not all that far away. To give him the best possible chance to impact our team like I think he will this is the plan we’re going with,” he added.
Well, that’s totally understandable — smart, even — but if Addison isn’t ready to go this week, the NFL Illuminati will quiver with speculation.
1. Is Justin Jefferson in the House?
Justin Jefferson is under contract with the Vikings for two more seasons — through the end of 2024. And he isn’t questioning that.
He is, however, due for an extension that will be tied to the end of his rookie deal. The Vikings and Jefferson have discussed the matter for months. The reigning Offensive Player of the Year should fetch $30 to $35 million annually via his next deal, and he wants to get that secured now. He didn’t participate in OTAs, and most believe the contract negotiation was the reason.
While nobody should panic-panic if Jefferson is absent from mandatory minicamp, it would be rather odd if he’s missing in action because he’s under contract for two more years, no matter what.
His appearance this week in Eagan should signal an eventual contract extension, or that perhaps Adofo-Mensah completed the deal Monday before the event.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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