They say some fates are worse than death, and that could include being a Minnesota Vikings fan. As fans begin gearing up for the 2026 edition of pain and disappointment, the team has one of the clearest paths to success in years.
Despite some highs in the Kevin O’Connell era, the Vikings have yet to accomplish two crucial things during his tenure: win a playoff game and find a long-term solution at quarterback. Although the offseason left the team’s overall future shrouded in uncertainty, the path to achieving both of those goals may be more realistic than ever.
The first goal may be a byproduct of the second, and if Kirk Cousins had never torn his Achilles, they might already have achieved both goals. Cousins completed nearly 70% of his passes with an 18:5 TD/INT ratio before the injury in 2023, and the Vikings won just three of their last nine after he went down, missing the playoffs. At 35, he wasn’t necessarily a spry youngster. Still, a playoff win likely would’ve rewarded him a new deal for at least a few more seasons.
Instead, Minnesota cratered, Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons, and the Vikings opted to give journeyman Sam Darnold a shot. Again, in another universe, Minnesota may have accomplished both goals last season had things gone differently.
Now, the Vikings have another opportunity to get things right in 2026, and it may represent their best chance yet to find success.
The Vikings enter training camp with a quarterback battle that could, and probably should, end with Kyler Murray winning the starting role. That’s not to say Minnesota should cut bait with J.J. McCarthy, though. His staying is actually a significant reason fans should feel confident about the season.
Murray underachieved in Arizona and should see that script flip now that he’s with O’Connell. And at 28, historically speaking, he’s about to enter the prime of his career. The Athletic’s Jacob Robinson analyzed 25 years of data and found that most quarterbacks peak between ages 29 and 33, suggesting we may not have seen Murray’s best yet. We all know about his arm talent and dual-threat ability.
However, Murray’s health will always be the big, scary thing with him. He has missed 30 games over the last five seasons, including 21 of the last 51. The good news — or perhaps the bad news — is that the missed time has come from a different injury each time. Pessimists may call him injury-prone, but we’ll choose to look at him as free of nagging issues. Either way, it’s been a black mark on an otherwise impressive résumé. Still, if Murray stays healthy in 2026, it’s difficult to imagine Minnesota missing the playoffs.
The Vikings will almost certainly bring back a top-10 defense with Brian Flores, and it’s unlikely injuries in back-to-back seasons will decimate the offensive line. With an elite trio of pass catchers to boot, the Vikings could be a dangerous team. But say Murray can’t stay healthy or inexplicably can’t handle O’Connell’s offense, how does Minnesota salvage the season?
It took only 10 games for the entire NFL to turn on J.J. McCarthy, and he faces a significant challenge even to regain his own team’s trust. The numbers were bad, and the alter ego was worse. Still, buoyed by an elite defense, McCarthy still managed a 6-4 record in 2025.
McCarthy struggled to execute the offense, as one might expect with a 23-year-old, but he showed no lack of ability. The arm was live — at times a little too live — and he made plays with his legs. With another year of experience in the O’Connell School of Quarterbacking, it’s not unreasonable to think that he’s improved enough to be sufficient.
Sufficient can work in 2026. No one is saying McCarthy needs to be Josh Allen at 23. Josh Allen wasn’t Josh Allen at 23 either. However, the framework is there. If Murray heads to the bench for any reason, McCarthy can win games for this team.
Should the Vikings win a playoff game this season, one of these quarterbacks is likely to be Minnesota’s starter for the foreseeable future. Turning to a free-agent veteran quarterback after taking McCarthy tenth overall, or even returning to said tenth-overall pick after casting him aside just months prior, isn’t exactly an ideal way to make a Super Bowl run. However, this is the Minnesota Vikings we’re talking about.
The division remains difficult, but with sufficient quarterback play, which the Vikings will ensure by keeping both Murray and McCarthy, a playoff berth in 2026 should be a realistic outcome. With a playoff victory and fresh trauma from letting Darnold walk, Minnesota will probably be inclined to extend the contract of whichever quarterback brings them success this year.
The Vikings have had plenty of opportunity to solve these two issues in previous seasons, but things just didn’t come together. Now, with a solid roster and some insurance at the most important position in sports, there’s a chance for a happy ending to this story.
