Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) gestures to teammates before a snap against the Washington Huskies during the third quarter in the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports | Sep 16, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye (10) passes the ball as Minnesota Golden Gophers linebacker Maverick Baranowski (6) pressures in the fourth quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports.
The Minnesota Vikings began their offseason six months ago, and VikingsTerritory was right there, along for the ride with analysis, opinions, and predictions.
On predictions, we missed the boat on a handful of items — the nature of the beast when attempting to prognosticate other people’s actions.
So, these are the big four items we got wrong, ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = we really got it wrong).
Because free agency passed and the NFL draft occurred without the Vikings a high-profile WR3 candidate, we assumed the purple team might have big plans for Sherfield, the only new non-UDFA wide receiver added to the roster in the last five months.
Then, however, June’s minicamp came and went, along with training camp beginning this week. There’s still time left before roster trimdowns, but Jalen Nailor and Brandon Powell seem to have the inside track for WR3. Sherfield, if he makes the 53-man roster, feels like a WR5 target.
This brand of Vikings leadership generally lets deadlines dictate action, and we didn’t think Darrisaw would be any different. In fact, we expected Darrisaw’s mammoth contract finalization to bleed into next spring and summer.
But nope.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah avoided procrastination, inking Darrisaw to a four-year, $113 million extension and connecting Darrisaw to the Vikings through the end of 2029. Contractually on the roster at the moment, he’s the last Viking standing.
Darrisaw’s deal felt like a talker we’d have for months, not days. Wrong.
Although we ultimately predicted McCarthy as the draft pick — that can be read here — our voice was loud for a Drake Maye trade with the New England Patriots. We believed Minnesota would donate three 1st-Rounders for the North Carolina alumnus, but New England stood pat and selected their guy.
The Vikings, on the other hand, didn’t have to trade much at all for the pick that fetched McCarthy.
We sincerely bought into the notion that the Vikings would land a big-name defensive tackle like Arik Armistead or Christian Wilkins. Or if they struck out on those types in free agency, they would pursue a top-tier DT candidate in the draft.
They did neither. They re-signed Jonathan Bullard and James Lynch, plus newcomers Jerry Tillery and Jonah Williams, and also drafted rookie Levi Drake Rodriguez.
VikingsTerritory thought Minnesota would put its foot down and sign the first productive three-technique defensive tackle since Kevin Williams, who left the Twin Cities over a decade ago. Didn’t happen.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.