The 5 Best Offseason Decisions for Vikings to Date
The Minnesota Vikings concluded the 2023 regular season 12 weeks ago and have fundamentally changed the team since — philosophically and on the depth chart.
The 5 Best Offseason Decisions for Vikings to Date
And because the change has been so vast, we asked VikingsTerritory writers to name the best offseason decision to date. These were their replies.
1. Signing Aaron Jones
Prediction Maker: Kyle Joudry
Keeping Flores is the right answer, but let’s shift things away from the defense. The Vikings’ decision to sign Aaron Jones on a medium one-year deal is a smart move. The runner should complement the pass catchers well while making life easier for whoever is tossing the pigskin.
2. Signing Andrew Van Ginkel
Prediction Maker: Josh Frey
Not only did the Vikings land a very versatile defender for their outside linebacker position, but he also came at a very cheap price point. Reuniting him with Brian Flores should result in great things for the Vikings’ defense.
3. Signing Jonathan Greenard
Prediction Maker: Ali Siddiqui
With Danielle Hunter gone, the Vikings needed a pass rusher. Greenard, while not as good as Hunter, is still a very good pass rusher — 12.5 sacks last season. Right now, he’s a downgrade from Hunter, but he is cheaper, and maybe in two years, Greenard could be the better player.
t4. Completing the Competitive Rebuild
Prediction Maker: Dustin Baker
In theory, the Vikings could not draft a quarterback, and this one will then sound dumb. But they will draft a quarterback, probably after another blockbuster trade.
Some claimed the Vikings “ran it back” in 2022 and 2023, but that was false. The roster has undergone tremendous overhaul since Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took the big job. This offseason feels like the cake-topper with a new quarterback on the way.
Mainly because Minnesota parted ways with Cousins — but especially because the focus will turn to an affordable quarterback contract while Justin Jefferson’s mega-money kicks in — Adofo-Mensah was wise to change the franchise at QB1.
t4. Turning the Page
Prediction Maker: Wes Johnson
There was an inherent symbolism to effectively letting Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter walk in free agency. And yes, I know offers were made to bring both back, but it seems to have been a mutual necessity for all parties to move on.
Like any breakup, there’s usually baggage left behind to deal with (dead cap money), but brighter days are ahead. There is a clear path forward for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell to put their stamp onto their Vikings lore. Sails up, swords sharpened, and Skol forward. There is a North to conquer.
t5. Letting Cousins Walk
Prediction Maker: Cole Smith
The polarizing quarterback was playing at perhaps the highest level of his career when he tore his Achilles in October, but he will be 36 when the 2024 season starts. Moving on from him allows the Vikings to move toward the future, both at quarterback and with the rest of the roster.
t5. Letting Cousins Walk
Prediction Maker: Ted Schwerzler
It just didn’t make sense to keep Cousins for that amount of money. The Vikings did the right thing and can now make something new work.
t5. Letting Cousins Walk
Prediction Maker: Adam New
Sometimes in life, you just have to move in a new direction. Kirk Cousins is likely to have a better season in Atlanta than Sam Darnold (or whoever else) will have in Minnesota. However, it was time to break the cycle of huge guaranteed money to the veteran QB. It might mean taking a step backward, but the timing was right to make that decision.
t5. Letting Cousins Walk
Prediction Maker: Janik Eckardt
For the first time since his arrival in 2018, the Vikings encounter uncertainty at the most-important QB spot. However, refusing to participate in a bidding war was the right decision for the organization. The Vikings must take a shot at finding his successor, a cheap rookie quarterback.
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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