Coming off a 14-3 season, the Minnesota Vikings haven’t been afraid to make noise this offseason. They signed a slew of free agents, turned away Aaron Rodgers, and have done everything but officially state that J.J. McCarthy is their quarterback. Minicamp commenced with the usual canned comments that precede training camp, and now football fans are left to wait until training camp.
These next five weeks are the most boring on the NFL calendar. The Vikings’ challenge at this time of year is ensuring they stay that way.
In the past couple of years, they have failed this challenge. Whether it be a quest for a new contract, a team’s vaccination status, or a Netflix documentary, the Vikings have given us plenty of material heading into training camp. That makes Kevin O’Connell’s life more difficult once his players return to Eagan, and it sets the tone for the upcoming season.
We previously talked about all of the good vibes the Vikings had entering OTA workouts and minicamp, and those things hold true. Justin Jefferson arrived earlier in the offseason than he had in the past, and everybody seemed locked into making sure that their 14-win season wasn’t a fluke.
There will be some noise as Minnesota turns to an unproven quarterback when the season begins. There will also be some chatter about how these new pieces will complement McCarthy when the Vikings publicly state he’s their QB1. However, the next few weeks will set the tone, and it hasn’t done a great job in previous years.
The 2021 season was a circus heading into Mike Zimmer’s final year. The NFL’s concern about the COVID-19 pandemic was prevalent. Zimmer knew that if the COVID protocols sidelined a player, it could be the difference between nine wins and a playoff berth that saves his job or eight wins and a trip to the unemployment line.
When the Vikings reported to camp, they had the league’s lowest vaccination rate, and Kirk Cousins said he would live in a plexiglass box until things settled down. The comments set the stage for a season-long staring contest between quarterback and head coach, and the Vikings limped to an 8-9 record.
Zimmer’s firing gave way to O’Connell, who galvanized the locker room ahead of the 2022 season. While there were some long-term issues to sort out, everyone was paid, happy, and motivated to prove Mike Zimmer wrong ahead of a 13-4 season. Of course, that season ended in a home playoff loss, leading to another loud offseason.
Cousins wanted a new contract, and the Vikings made a last-ditch effort to work around it. His appearance on the Netflix documentary Quarterback made him America’s quarterback, and it was a smart business move that tried to extend his future with the franchise.
With T.J. Hockenson and Jefferson negotiating new deals, the noise was loud before Jordan Addison sped down I-94 in late August. Only Hockenson received a new contract, and the Vikings spent the rest of the year navigating Cousins and Jefferson’s injuries while playing quarterback roulette on the way to a 7-10 record.
The Vikings moved on from Cousins the following offseason, and everyone showed up ready to go during minicamp. Unfortunately, they lost a teammate when an alleged drunk driver killed Khyree Jackson, and Addison picked up a DUI a few weeks later.
O’Connell successfully brought the team together in the opening weeks of camp. The Vikings had the best season under the new regime, but there are also signs that may not be necessary this time around.
McCarthy has already said he plans to work out in the Twin Cities, while Jefferson has vowed to be a big brother to Addison. The Vikings are a veteran-laden team that got a taste of what it’s like to be in the Super Bowl conversation a year ago. An uneventful vacation period would be the perfect prelude to another shocking season.
A lot of these things are out of Minnesota’s control. Ultimately, these players are adults. Still, it has sabotaged seasons before the players even show up to training camp. If the only noise we hear is Colin Cowherd screaming about J.J. McCarthy’s arm strength, it should mean good things for a team with Super Bowl aspirations and possibly help them get to a place they haven’t been in nearly 50 years.
