4 Big Decisions the Vikings Need to Make This Offseason
2026 arguably is the most important offseason of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s and Kevin O’Connell’s tenures as the general manager/head coach duo in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Vikings are coming off a disappointing 9-8 season in which they missed the playoffs, and now, they have a great deal of uncertainty on the roster heading into this spring due to outgoing free agents, the team’s salary cap situation, and questions around J.J. McCarthy’s future.
The Vikings will need to put together a truly massive offseason and get back into playoff contention if the general manager and head coach want to ensure their jobs are secure. Here are four of the big decisions they will have to make in the coming weeks and months.
Jalen Nailor’s Free Agency
After spending his first two seasons buried on the depth chart, Jalen Nailor has really come into his own for the Vikings in 2024 and 2025, proving to be a very viable WR3 on the roster.
Over these past two seasons, Nailor has totaled 57 receptions for 858 yards and 10 touchdowns. Now, he’s heading into free agency hoping for a decent pay day and possibly a bigger role in an offense. Given the going rate for wide receiver talent in recent years, Nailor could command a decent price tag on the open market.
With the Vikings’ salary cap situation being what it is (almost $50 million in the red), Minnesota will have to make a decision regarding whether they want to bring their young receiver back and pay that price tag, or if they want to move on in a different direction.
Jordan Addison’s Fate
Another big decision to be made at the wide receiver position revolves around Jordan Addison. The receiver turned 24 years old this week, and he is about to enter the fourth year of his rookie contract. For now, it’s the final year of that deal, but his fifth-year option is expected to be picked up by the Vikings later this spring.
That being said, the Vikings still have questions to answer regarding the young receiver, particularly after he was arrested earlier this month. Minnesota could try to swing a trade to move him, but would a team be willing to pay a hefty price in order to bring him in, especially after a bit of a down year in 2025. Addison recorded career lows in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns this year.
If a trade doesn’t happen, then the Vikings have to figure out if they want to pay him to keep him around long term or risk losing him for nothing in a couple years.
The QB Position
In theory, the Vikings QB position should have been solved during the 2025 season one way or another. Either J.J. McCarthy would have played well enough to lock down the starting role in 2026, or he would have played poorly enough that Minnesota began looking elsewhere.
Instead, the team landed somewhere in the middle with McCarthy’s quality of play being extremely variable, and he once again missed extensive time due to injury.
The Vikings inevitably will be searching for a backup QB with Carson Wentz’s contract ending and Max Brosmer evidently not ready to handle that role. The question is what kind of money do the Vikings feel it necessary to spend at the position? That depends a lot on the faith in McCarthy.
The Secondary…Again
It’s become an annual topic at this point for the Minnesota Vikings, but they will need to make a number of big decisions regarding their secondary this offseason.
Of course, there is another decision that is entire out of the franchise’s control at this point: will Harrison Smith return for a 15th year, or will he decide to hang up his cleats and go into retirement? That will certainly determine who is playing safety in Minnesota during 2026.
Additionally, Isaiah Rodgers will enter the final year of his contract in 2026 and could be in line for a contract extension after a very strong season in 2025. However, he is entering his age-28 season as is Byron Murphy. Perhaps the Vikings will try to get a bit younger at the cornerback position this spring.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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