There is no news to report on any activity happening in at the TCO Performance Center in Eagan, Minnesota. The team is likely prepping for the draft with many of the same people who have been present for the last four years of not so stellar drafts. Comforting to say the least. But heh, what can we do but hope they can put together a truly great draft. They are definitely overdue. Sure, draft picks are a total crap shoot and just getting 2 to 3 players out of a draft should be considered a success. But every once in awhile, a team should have a monster draft where they get 5 plus players that become starters. We are due!
My take on the free agent situation is that the team is waiting until after the draft to sign some veterans. The veterans could be waiting as well. The Vikings should protect the one compensatory pick they will get for losing Jalen Nailor. Overthecap has the Vikings getting a 6th round pick for Nailor but based on other contracts given in previous years, I think it will be a 5th. I guess we are looking at after June 1st for any more activity.
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
The Arizona Cardinals had no backup plan at quarterback this offseason. They had a choice: Make it work with Kyler Murray, or take a $54.7 million dead cap hit just to be rid of him forever, without any idea who would play quarterback.
The Cardinals chose the $54.7 million dead cap hit.
Yes, Murray came cheap to the Minnesota Vikings, on the veteran minimum because the Cardinals are still paying for him. But there was a reason the Cardinals moved on. And that move, signing Murray, has been celebrated as the highlight of the Vikings’ offseason.
And, the truth is, taking on a quarterback who was run out by a perennially terrible Cardinals team (again, at a massive expense) really is the highlight of the Vikings’ offseason. And even that addition was a massive admission that they are on the verge of throwing in the towel on J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick of the 2024 draft, after 10 career starts. Hard to see that as something positive.
The Vikings shouldn’t be excited about too much else, though. It has been a rough few months.
Minnesota spent just $19.1 million in free agency to date, second-lowest in the NFL according to Spotrac, with the big addition being cornerback James Pierre at a modest $8 million over two years. Meanwhile, defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave and receiver Jalen Nailor got big deals to leave. Allen and Hargrave were cut because of salary-cap reasons as the Vikings clean out some bad deals. Top pass rusher Jonathan Greenard was also subject of trade rumors, though maybe the Vikings will hang onto him after dumping others.
They’re also working with an interim general manager, Rob Brzezinski, after dragging their feet on firing Kwesi Adofo-Mensah until nearly a month into the offseason. They did hold onto defensive coordinator Brian Flores despite some head-coaching interviews, which is one of the few unquestionable positives of the offseason.
There is some odd optimism about Murray after he washed out in Arizona after seven unsatisfying seasons. There is a chance he pulls a Sam Darnold and comes alive under coach Kevin O’Connell. But that’s blind faith not based on his résumé, but draft pedigree. Almost every optimistic take about Murray includes the mention that the Vikings aren’t paying him anything. That’s fine, but also telling.
- Minnesota VikingsFrom 14 wins in 2024 to 9-8 last season to a bad offseason, the Vikings seem to be in free fall. Kyler Murray better be as good for Minnesota as some believe he will be.
ESPN’s Walder: Murray to MIN Is an ‘A’ Grade
Walder didn’t hand out As to every team, so the Vikings apparently nailed it with Murray.
Walder explained, “Grade: A. The Vikings pulled off an absolute coup at the game’s most important position. While the Vikings are lucky he had this guaranteed money with offsets, it’s not sheer luck that he is wearing purple.”
“Because money was not a factor, Murray had his pick of teams since no one could really offer him more financially. And O’Connell’s record of quarterback development speaks for itself. I also think Minnesota deserves credit for being open to at least the possibility of moving on from J.J. McCarthy this quickly by bringing in such a strong competitor.”
As a result, former NFL edge rusher Chris Long shared what Murray needs to improve once the battle begins to ensure the former No. 1 pick comes out on top and is starting for the Vikings in Week 1.
“When I watch him play, and I watch every single snap of him throwing the ball last year, and as you know, I watch a ton of games, he doesn’t see the field that well late in downs,” Long said on the March 25 edition of “Green Light with Chris Long.”
“That’s one of the things he needs to improve. Listen, I love the mobility he brings to the table, but he has to be better at seeing the field late in downs. If you’re just relying on your vision, it hasn’t been great so far. I don’t think it’s all 5-foot-10. I think it’s just how certain people see the field.”
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After re-signing Wentz, who played a few games in 2025 before suffering his season-ending shoulder injury, former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber put out his QB depth chart for the team on March 19. To the surprise of many, he had Wentz at the top over Murray and McCarthy.
Nonetheless, he did catch flack for it, but during his appearance on KFAN on March 23, Leber doubled down on this stance, noting that the Vikings’ offense would look better with Wentz. However, Leber noted that he expects Murray to be the starter in Week 1.
“Carson, to me, barring any sort of injury, and I think that we all were sort of wowed by his three weeks coming into this team and then having to take over the team and, like, ‘Damn, this guy can actually kind of sling it.’” Leber said. “He can actually play. Our offense is actually kind of efficient. [The Vikings were] moving the ball. We’re much more explosive. We’re getting the ball down the field.
“The whole offense is opened up. We don’t have to negate middle-of-the-field throws because J.J. McCarthy can’t make those. We can use the whole field with Carson Wentz. So, as of today, mid-March, I think Carson Wentz is a better fit for this offense. Do I think Kyler Murray is going to win out? Yes. Yes, I do think that on opening day it’s going to be Kyler Murray.”
Additionally, Leber believes that with how little the Vikings are paying all three QBs, the team needs to go with the best player who shows out during OTAs, minicamp, training camp, and the preseason.
“It has to be a true competition,” Leber added. “And I do not think, especially with the money that you’re paying these quarterbacks, that you have to anoint anybody, right? If Carson ends up being the best quarterback through OTAs, minicamp, and the early parts of training camp, I think you play the guy. You start him if he’s truly winning a competition.
After spending several weeks in California working out with renowned quarterback trainer John Beck, 23-year-old J.J. McCarthy has reportedly returned to Minnesota to continue preparing for Vikings offseason workouts.
McCarthy’s return to Minnesota was reported Tuesday by the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling, who was asked by KFAN radio’s Paul Allen if there’s any steam about McCarthy wanting to be traded after the Vikings signed quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz. Short answer: Not that Goessling’s heard of.
“I have not heard steam to corroborate that. I’ve heard people talk about the possibility, that, you know, would he consider that. Without being directly in his head, it’s hard to say that,” Goessling answered. “I know that he’s back in Minnesota. I think he’s getting ready for the offseason and kind of preparing for the start of offseason workouts. It seems like he has every intention to be here.”
“It’s hard to say that there would be a scenario where they wouldn’t do it. If somebody came along and gave them a big offer, maybe you consider those things,” Goessling said. “But I don’t think anybody in that building has given up on him, and I don’t think that he is blindsided by the idea that they were going to bring somebody in. They have been in contact with him about that the whole way through, and I think he ended the season kind of aware of that being a reality, based on the way 2025 went for him.
“I would be a little surprised if he’s banging the table trying to get his way out of here. It’s also a place where he could find himself back in the mix. It’s not impossible that he does that. He’s going to have to be a lot better. He’s going to have to prove things to people that he’s improved in some pretty significant areas. But no, I don’t get the sense that there’s trouble afoot at the moment, in the sense that he would want to get out of here quickly.”
Training with Beck in Huntington Beach, California, could be very good for McCarthy. He worked out with Beck via his 3DQB company before the NFL Draft, and it’s obvious that the Vikings have sent him on a mission to improve his mechanics and throwing fundamentals, which is precisely what Beck and company do at 3DQB.
Beck’s company has worked with dozens of high-profile quarterbacks, including Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff, Eli Manning, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, and even Wentz.
The training regimen at 3DQB includes a focus on biomechanics, motion and timing mechanics, mind and body connection, and the fundamentals of human movement.
Last season, after a mid-November loss to the Bears, O’Connell publicly dissected McCarthy’s mechanics and how inconsistencies were affecting his accuracy.
“There are some plays where he’s making it hard on himself,” O’Connell said on Nov. 17. “That’s probably the most frustrating part for him. It’s talked about and repped and practiced at length, and then in those moments, in his fifth start—just the variance to it is causing his job to be more difficult than it needs to be. He’s wildly capable of making the throws that present themselves. There were some good throws in there as well.”
“He’s gonna keep working at it, we’re gonna go back to work and continue to find every avenue to try to help build the consistency to his mechanics, and then I firmly believe the accuracy will come from that,” O’Connell added. “It’s been tried and true and tested with other players … and that’s what we’re gonna keep working towards. Knowing he’s got what it takes to do some of the things he’s been able to do and be at his best late in games, we’ve got to find a way to find that consistency early.”
At the NFL Combine in late February, O’Connell noted that McCarthy was working out with Beck in California, preparing himself to be as ready as possible in April.
“His continued growth in our offense and schemes will be a natural thing. He’s a really smart player. I think he’s going to be able to use a lot of that experience of those 10 games in the journey so far to get himself in position to have the best 2026 he can. We’ve talked about it, we want him to be in a competitive situation because of some of that time lost,” O’Connell said.
“He’s brought toughness, physicality, pressure on the quarterback and playmaking,” Flores said late in the season. “Oftentimes, he’s getting the initial pressure, and somebody else is getting the sack. He’s making the play without making the play.”
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“The numbers and the stats,” Flores said of Greenard late in the year, “they don’t always tell the full picture. I feel like we talk about that every week (with sacks). He’s certainly been impactful and disruptive.”
Vikings Could Be Next Rival the Bears Poach Free Agent From
Now, GM Ryan Poles might repeat that approach, this time to bolster the defense with a Minnesota Vikings star. Harrison Smith is still a free agent, and the Bears could certainly use some help at strong safety.
Yore Mock
Draft Results by StickToTheModel…Trade Partner: SteelersSent : PICK 18Received: PICK 21, 121…
Trade Partner: DolphinsSent : PICK 21, 49, 196Received: PICK 24, 43, 151…Trade Partner: GiantsSent : PICK 43, 121Received: PICK 37…Trade Partner: BucsSent : PICK 97Received: PICK 116, 155…Trade Partner: PatriotsSent : 2027 6thReceived: PICK 202…
PICK 24 Kayden McDonald DL1T Ohio State 6’3” 326PICK 37 Emmanuel McNeil-Warren S Toledo 6’2” 202PICK 82 Dani Dennis-Sutton EDGE Penn State 6’5” 265PICK 116 Oscar Delp TE Georgia 6’5” 245PICK 151 Jager Burton IOL Kentucky 6’4’ 323PICK 155 Jeff Caldwell WR Cincinnati 6’5” 215PICK 163 Charles Demmings CB Stephen F. Austin 6’1” 190PICK 202 Landon Robinson DL Navy 6’0” 287PICK 234 Eric Gentry LB USC 6’6” 225PICK 235 Adam Randall RB Clemson 6’2” 235PICK 244 Preston Hodge CB Colorado 6’0” 200
I know I posted some info about Flores not liking pure run stuffers but the team is bringing in McDonald for a top 30 visit. They really need to draft wisely regardless of what Flores might want because he could bounce next year. McDonald is a Planet Theory type player. A Dancing Elephant as Bill Parcells said in the past to describe massive linemen who could move with surprising grace and speed. Maybe the team will ultimately have to “stick and pick” McDonald at 18 in the real draft?
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