Vikings Nopedy Nopes: 3 Takes That Don’t Survive the Week
Weekly, VikingsTerritory provides the masses with “Nopedy Nopes,” items that didn’t come to fruition, were false, or were too bombastic to take seriously.
Three Minnesota Vikings talking points from the past week are already aging poorly. Here’s a quick look at which offseason takes are now nopedy nopes.
This week is a hodgepodge of injury fears, dead trade theories, and former Vikings trending in the wrong direction.
Vikings Nopedy Nopes | August 3rd
Items regarding the Vikings this week that have turned into nopedy nopes.
The Nopedy Nope: Panic should be at a medium level on Justin Jefferson’s hamstring injury.
CBS Sports‘ Tyler Sullivan posted an article this week, uplifting a “panic meter” for every notable NFL injury.
On Justin Jefferson’s hamstring tweak, he noted, “Panic meter: Medium. The Vikings star wide receiver has been sidelined during the early portions of training camp due to a hamstring injury. As noted by CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, who is at Vikings training camp, Justin Jefferson seemed to be in good spirits Monday, but he was still not participating.”
“The 26-year-old does have a history of hamstring injuries, as he was limited to 10 games in 2023, and this type of injury is one that could regress in an instant. With that in mind, the Vikings would be wise to proceed with caution with their superstar pass catcher. Until he’s logged a few full-speed practices in a row, this is another injury that should be on folks’ radars.”
This is silly because Jefferson has 5-6 weeks to heal. The panic meter should be nil. Kevin O’Connell said he has “zero worry” about Jefferson’s ability to start the season.
Verdict: Nopedy nope on Jefferson panic. It’s not a big deal.
The Nopedy Nope: The Greg Newsome II trade for the Vikings.
One Vikings trade theory died Tuesday with one tweet.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo posted on X, “Sources to me and Ian Rapoport: Browns CB Martin Emerson Jr. suffered what’s an Achilles injury in today’s practice. He’ll undergo imaging to determine the full extent of the injury but the expectation is it’s a significant tear.”
How did this affect Minnesota? Well, until this week, Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II could have been available for trade, as he’s entering his contract’s final year, and Cleveland may not have the cash on hand for a long-term extension.
With Emerson Jr. out, however, the Browns will absolutely need Newsome II in 2025. They cannot afford to lose a cornerback to trade or otherwise.
If you have visions of the Vikings sending a draft pick via trade to Cleveland for Newsome II, that theory is toast.
Verdict: Nopedy nope on the longstanding Newsome II-to-Vikings idea.
The Nopedy Nope: Parker Romo will win the kicking job in New England.
Parker Romo now works for the Patriots, and New England drafted kicker Andy Borregales a few months ago. Until that moment, Romo could’ve reasonably won the kicking job on Mike Vrabel’s team.
But the tide has turned, and all signs point to Borregales earning the job.
Patriots writer Sophie Weller tweeted last week, “My initial thoughts: During OTAs and minicamp, it was clear that rookie K Andres Borregales was winning the kicking battle against Parker Romo. So, the Patriots could look to bring someone else in to give Borregales another challenge as he prepares for his first NFL season.”
And SB Nation‘s Brian Hines wrote last week about Borregales as the primary kicker and opined on New England’s special team plan this offseason: “After retaining special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer and assistant Tom Quinn, the Patriots got to work remodeling their specialists group this offseason. That started at kicker, as veteran Joey Slye departed in free agency after connecting on just 26 of 33 field goal attempts last season.”
“With Parker Romo remaining on the roster after joining the practice squad mid-season, New England then selected the first kicker in the draft taking Miami’s Andres Borregales in the sixth-round. The draft did not stop there, as the Patriots surprisingly took long snapper Julian Ashby one round later. That led to the release of long-time long snapper Joe Cardona, who was the last remaining member of the Patriots 2018 Super Bowl squad.”
Romo will likely find himself back on the free-agent wire or some team’s practice squad. Familiar territory.
Verdict: Nopedy nope on Romo landing a full-time job.
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