The Vikings Are Set for the Future, but There’s One Asterisk
The Minnesota Vikings have been on a spending spree recently, handing Justin Jefferson and Christian Darrisaw massive contract extensions. It is pretty obvious that the front office wants to keep the good players in the building rather than flipping them for assets that might turn into decent contributors, telling us that they want to enter the tier of contenders rather quickly.
The Vikings Are Set for the Future, but There’s One Asterisk
Neither draft picks nor cap space can elevate the team into that group, but excellent players can. The Vikings employ a bunch of those, especially on offense. On that side of the ball, the core of players can absolutely compete with the big guns around the league.
Those players include the aforementioned stars Jefferson and Darrisaw, who surely belong to the best players on their respective positions, but the list continues with star tight end T.J. Hockenson and sophomore wideout Jordan Addison. They will block for and catch passes from rookie passer J.J. McCarthy in the near future and hopefully for years to come.
That’s a perfect bridge to the fun element of the conversation. Those five players are all under team control for at least four seasons. Darrisaw’s humongous contract extension is worth $113 million for four seasons, added onto one season remaining on his rookie deal and the fifth-year option. He is scheduled to be a free agent in 2030. In the last two seasons, he has become one of the elite left tackles in the NFL. It can’t be overstated how helpful his ability to keep pass rushers away from quarterbacks is, and he is fantastic at moving defenders around to open holes in the running game.
Jefferson also tagged four seasons onto one remaining year of his contract, so he isn’t hitting free agency until 2029. No player has ever tabulated more receiving yards through the first four seasons of a career. The face of the franchise is the ultimate bailout guy for a passer because he is either open or can still come down with the football when he’s not.
Addison’s rookie contract has three seasons remaining with a possible fifth-year option. While his traffic-related issues are frustrating, to say the least, he showed enormous promise in his debut season. The former Biletnikoff Award winner is the perfect wingman for Jefferson.
The next weapon, Hockenson, is signed until 2028. Ever since the Vikings acquired him at the 2022 trade deadline, he has been a focal point of the offense. While Addison and Jefferson give the defenses all they can handle on the outside, he hurts them in the middle of the field. Once he recovers from his devastating knee injury, he should be expected to slide back into his role as a target magnet.
Another notable player doesn’t quite fit that four-year narrative, but Brian O’Neill’s contract runs for three more seasons. Annually a borderline Pro Bowler, he forms one of the best tackle duos in the entire league.
The one missing piece is the quarterback. If McCarthy, who is also under team control for five seasons (if his fifth-year option is picked up), turns out to be the real deal, the offense is set for almost half a decade.
It will all come down to him, which is enormous pressure. His emergence would elevate the Vikings into the annual group of Super Bowl contenders with an offense as potent as that.
McCarthy’s first step is to claim the starting role from Sam Darnold, which could take a few weeks or months. Still, his long-term development is more important than the upcoming season, so he can fully take advantage of the offensive core in the next years.
Editor’s Note: Information from Over the Cap helped with this article.
The Vikings Shocked the World on Tuesday
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
You must be logged in to post a comment.