3 Well-Paid Vikings Who are Offering Milk Carton Levels of Play
The list of well-paid Vikings is lengthy. Unfortunately, not all of them are living up to their contracts.
Lately, J.J. McCarthy has been playing blindingly-poor football, the kind of effort that’s leading to Kevin O’Connell getting his job security questioned. The QB incompetence has been so bright that several players aren’t being seen (over on CBS Sports, there’s a mention of Justin Jefferson being on a “milk carton,” but that’s mostly due to a quarterback not being able to find him). Or, at the very least, several underperforming players aren’t getting the usual scrutiny that accompanies being paid top dollar. Consider a trio.
3 Well-Paid Vikings Who are M.I.A.
#1 — TE1 T.J. Hockenson
When he wasn’t failing to convert a quarterback sneak, T.J. Hockenson was catching short passes before getting tackled after minimal yards after the catch. His Week 12 involved 4 catches for 19 yards; the longest reception of the day went for 5 yards.
There was a time when Hockenson’s athleticism made him a game changer. Those days may be gone.
The $66 million tight end (contract info) is mostly a safety valve who doesn’t possess much wiggle. He catches the ball short of the sticks and then gets brought down promptly. As a result, one wonders why Minnesota is paying him so handsomely. Underrated athlete Johnny Mundt could be offering near identical usage for a fraction of the price.
In fairness, Hockenson did suffer a horrible knee injury back in 2023. Prior to getting hurt, the tight end was offering a level of play that should have made him an All Pro. Since then, Hockenson hasn’t been the same, even when Sam Darnold was offering strong quarterback play in 2024.
Currently, Hockenson finds himself at 38 catches, 299 yards, and 2 touchdowns. The per-catch average is coming in at a paltry 7.9 yards. Mundt is averaging 11.9 yards per reception, albeit on lesser catches (8 catches and 95 yards).
In a more competent offense, T.J. Hockenson may be capable of putting up beefy numbers. In Minnesota, things have looked bleak these past pair of seasons.
#2 — CB1 Byron Murphy Jr.
The 2025 season hasn’t gone as hoped for the Brian Flores defense. Byron Murphy‘s step back has been part of the defense underachieving.
Last season, Murphy proved capable of offering play that was at a low-end CB1 level. What made that level of play so valuable was Murphy’s capacity to get shuffled around the secondary. Being both a boundary corner and a slot corner — depending on what the specific play demanded — is immensely valuable for Coach Flores. The versatility got combined with the 81 tackles, 6 interceptions, and 14 passes defended.
Excellent stuff.
Now working on a three-year contract coming in at $54 million, Murphy is putting up a humdrum season. He doesn’t have an interception and he has just 3 passes defended. Essentially, nowhere near as disruptive when it comes to making a play on the ball.
In all likelihood, Byron Murphy will bounce back in 2026. But while there’s good evidence to believe that’s the case — the corner has a track record of playing well — there’s little comfort for those who are still chasing success in 2025.
#3 — WR4 Adam Thielen
If he doesn’t offer a promising pair of hands, Adam Thielen offers essentially zero on-field value. He’s burning up north of $4.5 million in cap space (which is to say nothing of the draft pick compensation to bring him back).
Not in the same stratosphere as the other players considered, but quite a lot given that he has turned 18 targets into 8 catches for 69 yards. Making matters even worse is that drops have become common for Thielen.
He isn’t a blocking bully who resembles Trent Sherfield. Nor is he a burner who will prompt defenses to keep a safety over the top, building a roof on his side of the field to ensure that Minnesota can’t unleash a burner down the field. Gadget plays aren’t being called to get the ball into his hands since he’s so elusive and explosive.
Nay, Mr. Thielen is in town to shore up once-shaky depth. Ironically, he has become shaky depth.
As things stand, Minnesota’s receiver position is fully healthy. The great issue is that J.J. McCarthy is coming off a game with 0 touchdowns alongside 87 passing yards. Those numbers alone aren’t enough to keep Justin Jefferson happy, let alone the receivers further down the depth chart.
In the rare cases when he gets a look, Adam Thielen has dropped the ball (the listed tally says 3 drops, but it could be higher than that; regardless, 3 drops within 18 targets is awful).
In Carolina, Adam Thielen put up numbers as someone targeted often and as someone who the defense was often happy to see get open. In Minnesota, Thielen is an afterthought who is playing poorly from within his WR4 job. A horrific trade directly before the horrific season.
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