Vikings Expected to Regress in 2025
This time last year, the view from the outside was that the Minnesota Vikings would dwell at the bottom of the division. The Vikings, in fact, won 14 games, and we’re the surprise story of the season.
The outlook from the outside is not quite bleak this year but is again not so favorable. Most onlookers believe that the Vikings are expected to regress in 2025. One major factor leads to skepticism towards the Vikings, and it’s the same one as last season.
Vikings Expected to Regress in 2025
Quarterback is viewed as the most important position in football, and it’s a position that once again provides uncertainty in Minnesota. Will the Vikings bring back Sam Darnold, or will they turn the keys over to J.J. McCarthy?
Bringing back Darnold would give the Vikings a fairly high floor, judging by last season’s results. However, that is also where the evidence lies that the Vikings are well short against the league’s top teams — having been beaten comfortably twice by the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams.
I have been vocal about turning to McCarthy and using his rookie contract to help build the rest of the roster. The additions the Vikings need to make to improve enough to become a genuine Super Bowl contender with Darnold become more difficult if they pay the QB $40+ million a year. Minnesota would be better served spending resources on where they fall behind the top competitors in the league. In the trenches on both sides of the ball and at cornerback.
Realistic Expectations for McCarthy
If the Vikings do move forward with McCarthy as their QB1, then the fact that he will be in his first season must be considered. He is effectively a rookie who’s had a year to study the scheme and is returning from a long-term injury. CBS gives this reasoning when choosing the Vikings as a team to take a significant fall in 2025.
Minnesota needs to figure out the quarterback situation, as Sam Darnold is a free agent and J.J. McCarthy is waiting in the wings as the team’s first-round pick from a season ago. If the Vikings go with McCarthy, hard to fathom he’ll help this team win 14 games in Year 1 as a starter coming off a torn meniscus.
It is a big ask for McCarthy to deliver a 14-win season playing in the pro ranks for the first time. The Vikings might have to take a small step backward to move forward into the Super Bowl contender bracket they want to be in.
Suppose Minnesota can address some of the long-term issues they have on the offensive line, defensive line, and cornerback and give McCarthy a dominant run game. In that case, the Vikings can have a good season with their young signal caller, which can be the foundation of a bright future. There are certainly plenty of reasons for optimism as the Vikings head toward the 2025 season.
McCarthy is a man used to success, having helped Michigan to its first national championship in a quarter-century before coming to the NFL with the Vikings. There has been clear belief from the Vikings camp that he is their guy. I expect them to rubber-stamp that approval by making him QB1 this season. There should not be shock and surprise if everything doesn’t run smoothly in Year 1, as McCarthy figures things out.
There may be some regression, but I fully expect Minnesota to be competitive and in the playoff hunt this season.
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