Looking Forward to Some of the Vikings’ Positives in 2024
After the Minnesota Vikings won the division last season at 13-4, the hope and expectation was they would, at the very least, make it back to the playoffs even if it was not as the division winner.
Looking Forward to Some of the Vikings’ Positives in 2024
The Detroit Lions finished last season strong and were expected to be in the mix to win the NFC North, along with Minnesota. Many expected Detroit to win their first division title since 1993, and that indeed happened.
If Kirk Cousins had not suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, Minnesota very well could have won the division for the second consecutive season, which they have not done since 2009.
Even without him, though, they still could have and should have won more games. It was a disappointing season for Minnesota. Going from division champs to not even making the playoffs is always frustrating. That said, there are still some reasons for optimism going into 2024.
They still have some young talent going forward. To name some, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Christian Darrisaw, and Ivan Pace Jr.
There are some reasons for pessimism, though. It is not a done deal that Cousins will be returning, and even if he does, will he be the same again? Will Danielle Hunter be back, too? Will T.J. Hockenson be ready by week one? What about the rest of the division? There are those question marks too, but also some reasons for optimism too.
According to Over the Cap, Minnesota will have $36.381 million of cap space.
Rob Brzezinski has continued to manage the salary cap very well. Can he somehow find a way to keep both Cousins and Hunter? That will be extremely difficult, but do not be surprised if he finds a way to create enough space for that.
As always, contract restructures and player releases will happen, too. That, of course, creates even more cap space. Another reason for optimism? Every year is different. We see surprise teams every year. Having a good draft and/or free agency also changes things plenty for teams. To name a few, the 2012, 2017, and 2022 Minnesota teams all did better than expected.
This will be the third offseason under Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell. So far, they have done okay but need to start delivering better results. If that does not start happening now, you have to wonder just how much patience owner Zygi Wilf will have.
Whether Cousins is back or not, drafting a quarterback of the future needs to happen this year, as Cousins will be 36 years old at the start of the season. If they draft a bust, it could hurt Adofo-Mensah’s future with the organization.
Cousins talked about the possibility of taking less money. How low is he willing to go? Adding a cornerback should also be high on the team’s list, whether via the draft or free agency. Every offseason is always very critical. This, no doubt, will be that much more critical.
Maybe this team will compete for the Super Bowl in 2024. It’s still very early to say, but perhaps it could happen. This league is very unpredictable.
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