The Big Storylines Hanging Over the 2025 Vikings
Football is back this weekend! For some, it has dragged out to this point, but for me, it seemed to come barreling at us full speed. I tried all summer to slow things down and enjoy the moments in front of us to no avail.
The big storylines hanging over the 2025 Vikings include key returns, aging stars, and defensive questions that could shape Minnesota’s entire season.
While I love football season at all levels, it also tells us that colder weather is upon us, and the year is coming to a close. Let’s not dwell on that this year because, for the first time in many years, there is a positive outlook on the season that hasn’t been seen since Brett Favre got loaded on a plane to try for one last Super Bowl. Some people go to the lake and spend quality family time at the cabin, while others spend the summer with a good book.
The Main Vikings Storylines in 2025
The main story follows the Vikings, led by Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores, and their team of highly skilled players as they embark on a championship run. However, as the season progresses, there are other stories worth discussing beyond the X’s and O’s.
From individual stories to ones about offensive and defensive units, there is sure to be drama, heartbreak, humor, and victory. How will these chapters end?
Chapter 1: Adam Thielen Returns
Everyone loves the “local boy does good” story. Thielen’s rise to stardom in the NFL was one that not only Minnesota Vikings fans could latch onto but also one that the NFL loves to highlight.
Did you know he is from Minnesota, went to Mankato State, only had a $500 scholarship, and dressed in a Randy Moss jersey for Halloween as a kid? NO?! Then you’ve either been off planet or had the sound turned down on every broadcast since he splashed on the scene. His rise was marked by both happiness and tragedy, as the team had to let him go in a cost-saving move, which allowed him to make his way to the Carolina Panthers for two years.
The nice thing is that he remained very productive for them, despite missing some time last year due to injury. After the entire world looked at the Vikings’ wide receiver corps, they knew that they needed a savior from somewhere, and the most logical trade for a veteran to team up with a young quarterback was Thielen. After weeks of talk, it finally happened, and the prodigal son has returned!
While Jordan Addison is suspended, Thielen will be relied on to be a complementary receiver to Justin Jefferson, Jalen Nailor, and TJ Hockenson. Was this the right decision for the team to make? At 35 years old, will he be able to make it through the season without a breakdown?
Any crack in his armor and the “Negative Nancy’s” will pour over social media as if they were some genius general manager. While I can see him taking some direct hits to his health this year, I see him pulling through and doing more than enough to justify his return home and the price the team paid to get him.
Chapter 2: The Hitman’s Last Ride
After last year’s disappointing ending, most saw or heard Harrison Smith’s post-game interview with Ben Leber. It was emotional, and the overall feeling is that he would be announcing his retirement in the coming weeks.
Instead, he decided to take one last ride with the Purple and see if he could ride off into the sunset with a championship trophy and a shiny ring. Everything was looking great until near the end of training camp, when Smith showed up on the injury report with an “illness” and then a “personal health issue”. There is no clear answer, but people in the know think he will be fine, even if he has to sit out the first game.
Speculation is a hernia, but until there is a direct answer on the injury report, we will be left wondering. It only seems fit as Smith has always been a quiet leader with his play on the field, telling his story. The hope is that he either overcomes the issue or fully heals, and it becomes a non-issue. The Hitman will step out of that saloon onto the dusty street with his trusty six guns at his sides and take down any no-good varmints that try to get past him.
God willing, he’ll stand in glory with the Treasure of Lombardi in his hands after the final gunman has fallen. Not since Cris Carter or maybe Chad Greenway has the fanbase been pulling for a player to get the Lombardi Trophy and then tip his hat as he rides into the west to become the stuff of legends and solidify his place in the Hall of Fame.
Chapter 3: A Defense of Legend: Part 2
The Vikings have one of the most historic defenses in NFL history with The Purple People Eaters. Borrowed from a nostalgic song of the same name, with Carl Eller, Alan Page, Jim Marshal, and Gary Larson being a menacing front four in the 1970s.
While the defense has shown flashes of that squad over the years, there has never been a definitive group that matched their ferocity and intimidation on the field. This year may be different, as Kwesi Adofo-Mensah went out and signed Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave to shore up the front after signing Andrew Van Ginkel and Johnathan Greenard last year.
The original Eaters were a 4-3 defense, while now they operate out of a 3-4, meaning one more guy can be included. After the surprise trade of Harrison Phillips, that man appears to be Jalen Redmond. As with all sequels, there are always more characters in the mix. So, add in Dallas Turner, Bo Richter, Levi Drake Rodriguez, and rookie Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins to the squad, and the defensive front may be good enough to reestablish the old moniker on the new squad.
Last year, the defense was a blitz-happy bunch under Flores’s leadership while lacking significant push up the middle. This year, with better inside rushing, they may be a more elegant defense for a more civilized game plan. While things look positive, we won’t know until they take the field of battle.
If this is The Empire Strikes Back—a sequel that surpasses the original —or The Force Awakens, which initially showed promise but ultimately fell short.
Chapter 4: The Catchtastic 4
1998 is becoming increasingly distant, and to younger fans, it’s a year that lives in legend and infamy. The most talked about reason is the emergence of 3 Deep. The wide receiver combination of Cris Carter, Jake Reed, and rookie Randy Moss took the offense to another level and a historic scoring season in the NFL.
With the emphasis on wide receivers nowadays, it is hard to have that many great receivers on a team and afford them, which makes teams have to hit on drafting them more often. That’s what the Vikings have done with the previous regime, finding a diamond in the rough in Thielen and drafting Justin Jefferson, and the current regime is doubling down and nabbing Jordan Addison.
The team added one more when they traded for T.J. Hockenson in the middle of the 2022 season. They spent one season together and were a great team up! Thielen’s two-year absence allowed Addison and Jalen Nailor to grow, while Jefferson and Hockenson dealt with injuries on and off, but it really didn’t feel the same.
With the trade for the elder statesman back to the Vikings, the team is all back together and could see their individual numbers come down a little, but as a unit, they could be the most powerful in the league once Addisson returns from his three-game suspension.
Whether it’s Thielen stretching out for a catch, Jefferson catching fire down the field, Hockenson doing his thing with big catches in the middle, or Addison becoming visible again on a trip to Ireland, McCarthy should have plenty of reliable targets at every level to pick from.
Chapter 5: Hold The Line
Rebuilding the defensive line was only part of the rebuild the team needed. The offensive line also needed retooling after years of seeing consistent pressure up the middle. Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill needed the trenches between them shored up, and reinforcements came in the form of free agents Will Fries and Ryan Kelly, and through the draft with Donovan Jackson.
These men are not only in place to protect the safety of their quarterback but to move the frontline further into enemy territory by plowing open running lanes for Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason. Kelly and Fries have missed time on the front line at times due to injuries, so they will need to take care of themselves to give us a full season, but the backups in Michael Jurgens, Justin Skule, and Blake Brandel can jump into those positions and fill a need for a short time, keeping the enemy at bay.
I foresee that this line will be one of the more dominant in the NFL, with Jackson having some obvious growing pains along the way, but will eventually settle in to keep teams guessing what the Vikings will do on short-yardage plays. The unit will stay intact for the duration of the season, and we’ll see open holes and comfortable pockets from sea to shining sea.
Chapter 6: JJ McCarthy Is Vikings’ Jesus
When your cinematic universe may not be the marvel it once was, you have to find a way to get it back on top. What better way to outfox everyone than by inserting a loved yet somewhat controversial character into the mix?
McCarthy may not be a foulmouthed mercenary, but there are those questioning whether he is the answer at quarterback to get the sacred timeline back on track. The largest of microscopes will be on him by NFL pundits and fans alike, justifiably, since the team around him is built to support a young quarterback playing his first year. McCarthy comes in with the best receiver in the game, a refurbished and solid offensive line, and a running game that should take some pressure off of him.
The criticism of him being a “handoff merchant” may have some merit, but he also came through when the game was on the line and made plays with his arm and his feet in college. Having been one year removed from a knee injury, he had time to absorb as much as he could and is now finally putting it to use. He doesn’t have to be the best ever to play the game in most scenarios, but he will need to make sure that when he needs to take a step up, he gives maximum effort and makes proper decisions.
If he makes a mistake, he must ensure it doesn’t happen again, demonstrating his growth as a player and giving fans hope for a bright future with him as the franchise’s face. McCarthy will show that he fits in just fine, and everything he brings to the table will make everyone want to come back for seconds.
Chapter 7: Kevin O’Connell Slays the Playoff Dragon
2024 Coach of the Year. “The Quarterback Whisperer”. One of the best young minds and coaches in the NFL. These titles have all been placed on the Head Coach. The only problem is that he hasn’t won a playoff game yet, which is starting to take more of a front seat in his story.
The greatest coaches are often elevated when they secure playoff wins and make at least Super Bowl appearances. O’Connell has gotten there twice with the team’s Achilles’ heel popping up both times, and his second season coaching saw Kirk Cousins’ actual Achilles’ heel pop in a game. 2023 could have been a year to get the monkey off his back had Cousins not had that season-ending injury.
In his first year, the defense proved to be the biggest problem, as it allowed mediocre teams to hang around too much and required dramatic wins. Since Brian Flores joined the team, he has been the perfect Lancelot to O’Connell’s Arthur. Last year, the defense was fierce, and the offense was potent with the surprising Sam Darnold at the helm.
Unfortunately, Darnold was exposed in the last couple of games as he missed wide-open receivers, held the ball too long, and melted down against the Lions in a pivotal regular-season game at the end of the season, and followed that up with a similar performance against the Rams in the playoffs. The defense has markedly improved over the last two years, so that should not be an issue heading into this chapter.
The only question is whether O’Connell, having found his Excalibur in McCarthy, can wield it against the one thing standing in his way of being elevated to the next echelon of coaches? While we don’t know whether there will be a third playoff game to get to the final battle, I will tell you this … this chapter ends with O’Connell winning two playoff games!
If he stands with the Holy Grail, the ending will be the happiest possible conclusion to this story.
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