Dec 31, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A Minnesota Vikings helmet against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Vikings’ regular season is 112 days away, and according to oddsmakers, the club is expected to win between six and eight games.
The club will hope rookie passer J.J. McCarthy is a buildable block for the future, as that basically sets the stage for the next 3-4 years of Vikings football.
And with mandatory minicamp about two weeks away, the offseason is nearing completion. According to the masses, this is how Minnesota did during the last four months per “offseason grades.”
Grading Outfit: Bleacher Report
BR’s Kristopher Knox explained, “Will McCarthy quickly adjust to the NFL, win the starting job over Sam Darnold and give Minnesota a quality offense in 2024? That’s the other big factor that could make or break the Vikings’ playoff chances this year. Still, with players like Greenard and rookie pass-rusher Dallas Turner in the fold, the defense should take another positive step under coordinator Brian Flores this season. If McCarthy and/or Darnold do play well, the Vikings should put pressure on the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers in the NFC North.”
The humongous question in Minnesota’s orbit is McCarthy’s go-live date. Most believe Darnold will start out of the gate.
Grading Outfit: Pro Football Network
PFN’s Dallas Robinson wrote, “The Vikings essentially completed their “competitive rebuild” this offseason, culminating the process by swapping out QB Kirk Cousins and EDGE Danielle Hunter for younger options in J.J. McCarthy, Jonathan Greenard, and Dallas Turner […] The Vikings would’ve received a B+ had they not sacrificed so many picks to move up for Turner.”
Turner’s price tag was indeed expensive and was the trade-off of sorts for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who handed out no additional 1st-Round capital for a quarterback.
Grading Outfit: SI.com
“If McCarthy, the No. 10 pick, is under center come Week 1, he’ll have a proven group of skill players and coaches to possibly get off to a fast start in the NFL. The arrival of Jones could improve the lackluster rushing attack of last year. If the Vikings go with Darnold, he could possibly have a Baker Mayfield-like revival with Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson as his targets. All eyes will be on Minnesota’s quarterback training camp battle this summer,” SI’s Gilberto Manzano opined.
Manzano is the same pundit who picked Minnesota to finish 3-14 this season.
Grading Outfit: Pro Football Focus
PFF’s Trevor Sikkema rounded out the offseason grades: “Being able to draft J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 instead of trading into the top five, as some mock drafts suggested, was a big win. Dallas Turner, Khyree Jackson and Walter Rouse were good draft picks, though the Vikings gave up a lot of next year’s draft capital to trade up for Turner. It’s always tough to judge a team that swaps a proven quarterback for a rookie, especially since Minnesota would have liked to keep Cousins, but this offseason could result in long-term success.”
Not for nothing — Sikkema claimed the Vikings’ rival, the Detroit Lions, produced the NFL’s best offseason, earning the only A+ grade in his estimation.
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Overall grade per the collective opinion? B, it is.
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 MIN 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.