The Juiciest Vikings Storylines after the Draft
The Minnesota Vikings wrapped up the feverish portion of free agency in March and a whole draft in April. Next are organized team activities (OTAs) in May, minicamp in June, and training camp in July. So, let’s peek at the main storylines for the purple team after the draft.
Minnesota’s roster is mostly built, but a few unresolved questions still carry real summer weight.
Ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most important), these are the juiciest subplots to monitor.
Four Post-Draft Questions Still Matter for Minnesota’s Summer Plan
Which storyline catches your attention the most?
The Announcement of the Next General Manager
The Vikings’ owners fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on January 30th, three and a half weeks after the regular season and five days after Sam Darnold punched his ticket to the Super Bowl. In the meantime, Rob Brzezinski has run the show and is expected to be the frontrunner for the big job.
We know two things about the current search:
- Brzezinski has reportedly expressed interest in staying on board as the main guy in the director’s chair.
- The Vikings won’t announce general manager candidates. It’s a closed book.
In the next few weeks, the franchise will reveal the new GM’s identity, and that will be that.
Caleb Banks’s Foot
Banks, the Vikings’ 1st-Round pick last week, broke a bone in his foot at the NFL Combine, sinking his stock from a firm 1st-Round pick to a no-brainer 2nd-Rounder because big men on broken feet bones don’t mix well. Minnesota picked Banks in Round 1 any damn way.
Now, we wait.
Banks could be totally ready to go by training camp. He could be one of those situations where the Vikings proceed with the most severe degree of caution you could ever possibly imagine. They do that sometimes.
ESPN’s Valeria Havrylets wrote about Banks in March, “While at the NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana, the 6’6”, 327-pound lineman ran a 5.04-second 40-yard dash and a 9’6 “broad jump. However, Banks opted out of an on-field workout due to cleat discomfort. The night before his on-field testing, Banks suffered a fractured foot and continued to perform a partial workout, not knowing the extent of the injury.”
“He underwent surgery on Monday to repair the fourth metatarsal bone in his foot. During the 2025 season for Florida, Banks suffered a similar foot injury in training camp, leading to him missing most of his senior season games. Banks returned to play the final two games against Tennessee and Florida State, finishing the season with six tackles and one tackle for loss. After a standout performance at the Panini Senior Bowl practices in February, Banks has been seen as a leading candidate to be the first defensive tackle selected in the NFL Draft in April.”
Christian Darrisaw’s ACL
Darrisaw tore his ACL in late October 2024, and by December 2025, the Vikings shut him down because something just wasn’t right. Optimists have assumed and hoped that the left tackle will be fully healed by training camp, but in the backdrop, Minnesota also drafted Northwestern tackle Caleb Tiernan in Round 3 last weekend.
Ultimately, Darrisaw will probably be fine and dandy for Week 1 of 2026, but it would be nice to know that officially. The true test will be training camp and how Darrisaw looks during those four weeks.
Harrison Smith’s Return or Retirement
The central mystery here revolves around Smith’s uncharacteristic silence. He hasn’t uttered a word to the media since Week 18 (early January), offering no indication of retirement, a return, or any other plans. This stands in stark contrast to previous offseasons, when he typically made his intentions known early, allowing the Vikings to plan their roster accordingly. This year, however, is different.
Despite the uncertainty, the Vikings proceeded with their offseason moves. They drafted Miami safety Jakobe Thomas in Round 3, rather than a highly-touted prospect like Dillon Thieneman in Round 1. This decision suggests the Vikings do not anticipate a rookie immediately stepping into Smith’s role.
The Week 18 game in Green Bay, an emotional and fitting victory over the Packers, strongly conveyed a sense of finality for Smith. Meanwhile, other veterans like Adam Thielen and C.J. Ham made their retirement announcements as expected. Smith remains conspicuously silent.
His prolonged silence has led many to assume he will return for another season, a possibility that remains. Yet, the period of speculation cannot last indefinitely. The Vikings require a definitive answer soon to finalize their plans — one would think.
If not, Minnesota will roll with Josh Metellus, Jay Ward, Theo Jackson, and the newcomer Thomas at safety in 2026. There are worse foursomes. That group might just do the trick.
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