With 2 Down — Vikings Have 5 Offseason Priorities to Go
The 2024 Minnesota Vikings were predicted to win six to eight games in 2024, a year most considered a launching pad to 2025 and beyond.
Vikings Offseason Priorities: About 5 Remain
Instead, they won 14 and created a rather fun four months.
Minnesota lost in the postseason’s first round, though, abruptly embarking into the offseason. Right after the loss to the Los Angeles Rams, VikingsTerritory listed the team’s seven offseason priorities.
Well, now, there are updates. These are the updates.
Mostly Complete:
Extend Kevin O’Connell, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Wednesday, “More years in Minnesota: Vikings and head coach Kevin O’Connell have reached an agreement on a multi-year contract extension, per sources. He was scheduled to be entering the last year of his contract, but no longer. Now that their head coach extension is done, the Vikings also working an extension for their GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.”
So, not only is O’Connell’s deal in the books, but his boss, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, is up next.
Between O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah, the pair has produced the NFL’s sixth-best win percentage since accepting the top jobs in 2022. The tandem took over for general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer after the 2021 season.
Adofo-Mensah’s deal will be finalized soon, and this priority will be satisfied.
O’Connell is attached to the Vikings for the long haul.
Nearly Complete:
Replace Brian Flores, if Applicable
Flores interviewed with the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets this offseason for head coach opportunities.
The Bears hired Ben Johnson, and the Jets went with Aaron Glenn. That leaves the Jaguars as Flores’ last best chance, and reports have suggested that he didn’t make it to the second round of the interview process.
Flores is tentatively on track to return for Year No. 3 in the Twin Cities.
If the Jaguars change their minds and hire Flores, Minnesota will need a replacement defensive coordinator, like an internal candidate, such as Daronte Jones, or an external option, like Robert Saleh, Jerod Mayo, Jim Leonhard, or Brandon Staley.
5. Find a Running Back
Pending
This is the Vikings’ rushing efficiency per DVOA from the last three years, dating back to the start of the O’Connell era:
- 2022: 27th
- 2023: 27th
- 2024: 20th
Whether re-signing Aaron Jones, a free agent to be, or signing a new tailback like Javonte Williams, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah must embrace youth at running back and select one somewhere in April’s draft.
“Running it back” with Jones alone probably won’t fix anything, although Jones performed quite admirably in 2024.
4. Replace Harrison Smith, if Applicable
Pending
Harrison Smith sounded like a man on the brink of retirement after the playoff loss. To replace him if he rides off into the sunset, Minnesota has these options:
- Promote a player from within, like Jay Ward or Theo Jackson
- Sign a free agent, such as Jevon Holland
- Draft Smith’s replacement in April
Those are the choices.
3. Beef Up Interior Offensive Line
Pending
The Los Angeles Rams set an NFL playoff record for sacks, knocking Sam Darnold flat 9 times. Yes, 9. The Rams defeated the Vikings 27-9, ending a 14-3 win season for Minnesota.
Recognizing offensive line futility was blatant, but head coach Kevin O’Connell was sure to call out the trenches. “There’s no question that we got to be able to find a way to give a quarterback time. Especially with players like Jordan Addison, Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, we got to find a way to solidify the interior of the pocket, starting first and foremost,” O’Connell told reporters after the loss.
Interior offensive line woes have been a frequent bane of Vikings football for over a decade.
O’Connell added, “There can be a thousand excuses made. But, for me, it’s the foundation of the interior of the pocket that we’re going to have to take a long look at.”
So, O’Connell must walk the walk after talking the talk. Fix the interior offensive line.
2. Sign or Draft Franchise Cornerback
Pending
These are the Vikings’ cornerbacks on the books for 2025:
- Mekhi Blackmon
- Dwight McGlothern
- NaJee Thompson
- Reddy Steward
- Kahlef Hailassie
- Nahshon Wright
- Ambry Thomas
The group needs more beef. Minnesota must re-sign Byron Murphy and probably add another corner from free agency — like D.J. Reed — or draft one like Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison.
1. Prepare J.J. McCarthy for QB1 Job
Pending
Sam Darnold blundered when Minnesota needed him the most, decreasing his chances of a second act in the Twin Cities.
Thankfully, the Vikings have rookie signal-caller J.J. McCarthy waiting to take the big job, and after his meniscus tear last August, the top focus is readying McCarthy for Week 1.
Most other storylines are somewhat secondary compared to McCarthy’s game-readiness. His trajectory will determine the next decade of Vikings football.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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