Dustin Baker’s 5 Predictions for the Vikings’ 2026 Offseason
The Minnesota Vikings entered Offseason Week No. 2, while eight other clubs are vying for a Super Bowl. Next year, the purple team hopes to reach the elite eight. In the meantime, let’s get some offseason predictions on record.
Five predictions for the Vikings’ 2026 offseason, including the quarterback path, unavoidable cap decisions, and more.
The next regular season game is about eight months away, but here’s a stab at how the offseason will play out.
5 Calls for the Vikings in Free Agency and the Draft
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah enters his fifth offseason as the head boss.
1. A Relatively Big Fish Is Landed at QB — Like Kyler Murray
The Vikings made it crystal-clear at their year-end press conference: they want a “deep quarterback room” in 2026. Previously, the team’s leadership duo, Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell, never publicly declared that as an offseason priority.
The evidence suggests that Minnesota will do more than sign Jimmy Garoppolo, for example, while calling it good. With their jobs on the line next season, Minnesota will swing for the fences and end up with one of these quarterbacks, in addition to J.J. McCarthy:
- Kyler Murray
- Mac Jones
- Malik Willis
Davis Mills of the Houston Texans or Anthony Richardson from the Indianapolis Colts could make sense as well.
2. The Vikings’ First Draft Pick Plays Defense
Minnesota has more roster needs than normal because the 2022 and 2023 draft classes didn’t fetch many starters, aside from Jordan Addison. Usually, the club would turn to Lewis Cine, Andrew Booth, Brian Asamoah, Mekhi Blackmon, or Jaquelin Roy for duty in this spot, but those guys no longer play for the Vikings.
So, it’s back to the drawing board on defense.
In Round 1 of the draft — or early in the 2nd if Minnesota trades down — a defensive player will be chosen. That could be a cornerback, safety, defensive tackle, or off-ball linebacker.
Rookie names to remember:
- Mansoor Delane (CB)
- Jermond McCoy (CB)
- Kayden McDonald (DT)
- Avieon Terrell (CB)
- Sonny Styles (LB)
- Peter Woods (DT)
3. A Rookie RB Is Finally Drafted
The Vikings must end this drought. The last time they drafted an RB1 occurred nine years ago: Dalvin Cook. Alexander Mattison followed two years later, but he was not a game-changer.
O’Connell’s offense needs a game-changing tailback. That will encourage him to balance the playcalling, as he did during Minnesota’s five-game win spurt to close out the 2025 campaign.
O’Connell won “too many games” to factor into the Jeremeiyah Love sweepstakes, but a runner like Jonah Coleman (Washington), Jadarian Price (Notre Dame), or Nick Singleton (Penn State) is probably coming to a Vikings team near you.
4. Raheem Morris Becomes the Defensive Coordinator if Brian Flores Leaves
Whether Brian Flores stays or goes is the almighty Vikings mystery through two weeks of the offseason. Off the top of the head, it’s probably about a 60% likelihood that the Baltimore Ravens or Pittsburgh Steelers hire him.
If that happens, O’Connell will tab his former coworker from the Los Angeles Rams days, Raheem Morris, to lead his defense in 2026. The two won a championship together in 2021 with Sean McVay’s team.
The Falcons fired Morris from his head coaching post about two weeks ago.
The Viking Age‘s Nik Edlund wrote about Morris this week: “The biggest reason it’s such a good fit is that Morris runs a similar style to Flores. He employs the 3-4 front and loves attacking the quarterback with various looks and personnel. He may not be the mad scientist that Flores is, but he loves getting after the quarterback, forcing the ball out earlier than intended.”
“Minnesota got a first-hand look at Morris’s defense in Week 2 when J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings’ maligned offensive line were under a constant and relentless attack. Atlanta sacked McCarthy six times that day and hit him 11 times in total. The pressure didn’t stop for his defense as Morris’s Falcons would go on to break their franchise record for sacks in a season with 57.”
5. Jalen Nailor Walks
Listen, it’s terrific that Nailor created chemistry with McCarthy and might’ve been the only pass-catcher with that distinction. But Nailor will turn 27 before free agency and has never posted more than 450 receiving yards in a season.
In some Vikings-themed circles, he’s been hyped as a big, studly WR2 type who’s on the verge of a breakout and might even be a replacement plan for Jordan Addison. But in reality, Nailor has posted WR4 numbers in the last four seasons in one of the pass-happiest offenses in the NFL. The man does not have the route-running traits for a WR2.
He may ask for $10 million or more in 2026, and Minnesota just can’t afford that.
It’s why the club drafted Tai Felton nine months ago — to take over for Nailor this offseason.
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