The owners meetings are going on and we had some interviews that will be interpreted in every which way that one can imagine. I really do not have much thoughts on what was said as I think often times it is just talk. They wont reveal anything so we will be left to speculate.
I would rather mock! Let’s see what you got.
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
During the March 31 edition of “PFT Live,” O’Connell shared what he told McCarthy when the team knew that they wanted to sign Murray to come in and help elevate their QB room.
“I was honest with him,” O’Connell said. “I said ‘We are going to elevate the room as a whole’… We know that there’s a standard to playing that position, that we need, through a competitive environment, get all of our QB’s to play to that standard, and when we do that we’re gonna win football games.”
A former No. 1 overall pick and two-time Pro Bowler, Murray is perhaps best known for his dynamic athleticism from the quarterback position. He helps make up for a lack of size by being extremely quick and difficult to corral in the open field; only Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Jalen Hurts have more rushing yards than Murray among NFL QBs since he entered the league in 2019.
It’ll be fascinating to see how Murray’s dual-threat ability meshes with a Kevin O’Connell offense that has previously been led by pocket passers like Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold. But in speaking to reporters at the NFL’s Annual League Meeting on Monday, O’Connell reiterated something he brought up the night the Vikings signed Murray, which is that he feels the former Cardinals star is underrated in his ability to play from the pocket.
“I don’t think he’s gotten enough credit for playing in rhythm,” O’Connell said. “We all recognize some of the highlight-reel ability that he has, and Kyler Murray has always had that level of talent. But I think sometimes what we don’t recognize is the 3rd and 7 right before the huge scramble play … where he hits (Trey) McBride away from some tight coverage on routes that are maybe similar to some of the things we’ll do.
“Watching him play with really good technique and fundamentals, either in the dropback game, the play-action game can be done a lot of different ways. Offset gun, pistol, and under center. He’s pretty dynamic in the keeper game, the movement game obviously with his natural athleticism. I see a lot of ways that we’ll be able to continue the evolution and evolve our offense here in year five, but at the same time, principles that I believe Kyler will be able to not only make his own, but provide different layers to what we do with some of his experiences.”
Murray is the presumed starter, even if the Vikings aren’t going to make any declaration on that front. They also have 23-year-old J.J. McCarthy, who is attacking a critical offseason for him after a highly disappointing 2025 season. And given the Vikings’ previous experience with QB injuries in the O’Connell era, they wanted to have a third starting-caliber player in the room. That’s why they brought back Carson Wentz, who started five games for them last fall before a shoulder injury ended his season.
“I just think it’s about depth,” O’Connell said of adding Wentz. “Without doing too much of a rearview mirror, looking backwards, you start seeing where the final standings were, where we were at at 9-8 and ultimately maybe the one or two or three plays or sequences of games where (if they had gone differently) you find your way into the dance.
“We’ve played three guys in one year (2025), we’ve played four in another (2023). We just feel like having the ability to get quality quarterback play throughout the circumstances that we do not control — (there’s) historical data that says (when) we get quarterback play to a certain line, we win a lot of football games. So we wanted to ensure that we’re able to do that, but also make it a very, very competitive room.”
“We wanted to be patient and allow Carson to kind of see what opportunities may be out there, but at the same time, Carson knew from very early on in the offseason, regardless of what other move we made in that room, that we wanted him back,” O’Connell said. “He loved being in Minnesota, he loves our fanbase, he loved getting to wear the purple and gold. I know for some people it might be a ‘Why would Carson do that?’ I think some people may be discounting the fact that he’s really enjoyed his time being a Minnesota Viking.”
“He’s spent his time out in California. He has since come back to Minnesota,” O’Connell said on Monday at the NFL’s Annual League Meeting when asked about McCarthy’s offseason. “He’s been in the building working out, downstairs with the strength guys.”
“We’ve actually had almost our entire quarterback room already spending time in the building,” continued O’Connell. “Guys are really hungry to get going. Obviously the rules keep us from simulating what we’ll be able to do when the offseason starts.”
“I think J.J. has had a really good offseason,” said O’Connell. “I think he’s got perspective now. In a lot of ways those 10 games, albeit we would love to be talking about 30-plus games of starting, he definitely has experience. He knows what it’s felt like to go in there and do some things at a really high level. Now, it’s just about consistency and about being in a competitive situation. Not for any other reason than to continue the arc of trying to become the best player he can possibly become. I think he’s going to have a really good offseason. I think it’s going to be a very competitive situation.”
The Minnesota Vikings have had a mostly-quiet free agency period. Of course, other than the signing of Kyler Murray that was the talk of the NFL world.
The signings of CB James Pierre and T Ryan Van Demark are solid depth acquisitions, but nothing major. All signs indicate that Minnesota is content with their low-key offseason to this point, as they aim to build through the draft.
One position of need that remains for the Vikings is center. The only two players on the Vikings’ ESPN depth chart listed at center are Blake Brandel and Michael Jurgens.
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Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell spoke with Paul Allen over the phone on Monday from the NFL’s annual league meetings. The two discussed the plan for the center position in 2026.
“I think we want to have a competitive situation there. With Blake, specifically, what I can remember talking to you about him last year, just his willingness to step in there without a lot of time on task, and play the center position, and how he handled it, it was really impressive.
I wasn’t surprised by that, just knowing how Blake had really culminated playing all five spots across the offensive line.”
O’Connell sounded very open to the possibility of Brandel being the team’s starting center if he earns that. He also had a positive thing to say about Michael Jurgens, while also hinting at the draft holding a potential solution.
“Michael Jurgens has continued to grow and ascend as a young player. And then I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the depth there at that position in the draft.
We feel really good about the guys we have in that position right now, with the opportunity potentially maybe to add a player as well in the draft, where we see a talented group of guys who could be available.”
“It’s been amazing. The alignment that we’re trying to create, and we are creating with the coaching staff and the personnel staff has been amazing so far. We have a very, very talented coaching staff. We have an extremely talented evaluation staff, [both] college and pro. We have such a great team of players. Everybody’s been stepping up, working together, organically. It’s been great so far.
“We came in with the plan, a vision. We want it to be an organizational vision, as far as how we want to build this thing moving forward. We had certain things we were looking to do in free agency, and that included retaining some players that are really important to us, and also trying to work through some of the financial issues we have from the salary cap. I think we’ve positioned that well, working to put the best team on the field for 2026 but also so we can sustain it into the future. And that’s what we’re going to look to do, is build this one step at a time and so far so good.”
On March 31, Vikings owner and president Mark Wilf shared an update on the team’s search for a new general manager, noting that the groundwork is already in place to begin once the draft is over.
“We’re already laying the groundwork,” Wilf said. “Again, this is an ownership decision, very important for the club. But right, you know, we’re really focused on the NFL draft. We’ve got nine picks. We’re really excited about it. I think our fans should be as well.
“So we’re excited about that and focused on that. And then right after the draft, we’ll get going in terms of interviews, getting the best candidates, talking through it and making sure we have the right leader for our organization.”
The NFL general managers in attendance posed together for a picture Monday outside the swanky Arizona Biltmore hotel. Brzezinski didn’t join the group. He remains the Vikings’ interim GM, and neither he nor Wilf went into detail on Brzezinski getting the job full-time.
“That’s a conversation we will have,” Wilf said. “We’ll sit down with Rob and see — just like we will with other candidates. We’ll see where he wants to go and not go.”
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The Vikings appear to be playing the long game with edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, too.
“It’s not like we’ve been trying to move him,” Brzezinski said. “That’s not the case. We’re a much better football team with him.”
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“We want to do what’s best for Blake to ascend and reach his highest potential at one position,” O’Connell said. “We want to have him, more than likely, at that center spot.”
Approved Playing Rules
No 1. By Competition Committee; To permit the kicking team to declare an onside kick at any time during the game.
Previously, teams could only declare an onside kick if trailing in the fourth quarter. That was amended in 2025 to allow a team that was trailing to attempt an onside kick at any time. Teams now can declare an onside kick in any quarter and regardless of whether they are leading or trailing.
No 2. By Competition Committee; To eliminate the kicking team’s incentive to intentionally kick the ball out of bounds when kicking off from the 50-yard line.
Teams could previously choose to kick out of bounds when a personal conduct penalty set the kickoff spot to the 50-yard line, which forced the opposing team to begin their possession at the 25-yard line.
All touchbacks will now come out to the 20-yard line.
Put another way, let’s say Team A scores, and Team B commits a penalty that would result in the ball moving from Team A’s 35 to the 50 for the ensuing kickoff.
Team A can try to force a return with the goal of pinning Team B inside the 20, declare attempt of an onside kick, or opt for a deadball touchback kick result (possibly out of the end zone) that would spot the ball at the 20 for Team B.
No 3. By Competition Committee: To modify the kickoff alignment requirements for the receiving team players in the setup zone.
The receiving team previously had to place a minimum of six players lined up with their front foot on the restraining line. Only five players will be now required to line up with their front foot on the restraining line. Former rules dictated that only three players not on the restraining line could be in the setup zone; the updated rule allows four to do so. However, a team cannot cluster four players in front of the returners; at least one player will need to line up between the sideline and in-bounds line on either side of the field.
No 4.
By Competition Committee; To allow the NFL Officiating Department to correct clear and obvious misses made by on-field officials that impact the game, in the event there is a work stoppage involving the game officials represented by the NFL Referees Association. **
** This change has been approved for one year only on a trial basis. With the potential of a referee strike for the 2026 season, NFL offices in New York will have the power to overrule a blatant mistake.
No 5. By Competition Committee; To allow league personnel to consult with on-field officials when considering disqualifications for both flagrant football acts and non-football acts without being called on the field. This will include instructing officials at the venues to add a flag after the consultation.
Approved bylaws
No 1. By Competition Committee; Permits the League office to adjust the procedures and related dates and deadlines for the final roster reduction to accommodate an international game scheduled in the first week of the regular season.
No 2. By Competition Committee; Establishes the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend as business days to provide clubs with personnel notices during the first weekend after the roster reduction.
No 3. By Competition Committee; Permits players on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform to begin a 21-day practice period after the club’s second game of the regular season.
Approved Resolution
By Pittsburgh; To make permanent the change implemented during the 2025 season that permits clubs to have one video or phone call with no more than five prospective Unrestricted Free Agent during the Two-Day Negotiation Period, and to permit clubs to make travel arrangements with such players upon agreeing to terms.
Additional notes:
According to NFL.com columnist Judy Battista, NFL owners approved an expansion of behavioral and mental health services. Beginning in 2019, teams had been mandated to employ a part-time mental health clinician at the facility. This updated program will require all teams to have a full-time mental health clinician available.
Battista noted the NFL wants to address the entire continuum of mental health, with the “hope that it will help prevent crises.” There also will be an emphasis on “helping vulnerable players who are separated from their teams,” such as those on an Injured Reserve list.
In the latest Minnesota Vikings news, fans have heard the usual explanations for the team’s draft misses over the last few years. Bad luck. A few busted picks. Development problems. But draft analyst Thor Nystrom offered a sharper answer on Purple Daily: the Vikings’ issue may be less about spotting talent and more about how the organization reacts when the board stops cooperating.
That matters now because the criticism is not about one swing and miss. It is about a repeatable process flaw. Purple Daily’s discussion framed the Vikings as the NFL’s worst drafting team over the last four years, citing an F grade and a last-place finish in expected draft pick productivity since 2022. If that framing is even close to right, Minnesota does not just need a better class. It needs a better draft room.
Nystrom’s central point was that Minnesota has too often gone into the draft locked into a plan instead of building flexibility into the board. He argued the front office became “myopic,” sticking to predetermined ideas regardless of how the first round or middle rounds actually unfolded.
The example he used will sound familiar to frustrated Vikings fans. In 2022, with safety Kyle Hamilton unexpectedly available, the Vikings still moved off the spot and wound up with Lewis Cine, Andrew Booth Jr., Ed Ingram and Brian Asamoah instead. The criticism was not simply that Hamilton turned out to be the better player. It was that Minnesota appeared committed to trading down no matter what value fell into its lap.
Nystrom pointed to a second recurring issue: panic after getting sniped. On Purple Daily, he said the Vikings’ war room has struggled when the board turns unexpectedly, and he tied that to a sequence in which Minnesota allegedly got jumped for targets and then accepted a trade with Houston before overdrafting Ty Felton.
That is the part of the critique that should sting most if you are the Vikings. Missing on a player happens to every team. Reaching because your plan just blew up is the kind of mistake strong organizations are supposed to avoid.
Purple Daily also framed the discussion around leadership and what changes under Rob Brzezinski. Nystrom said he hopes Brzezinski pushes a best-player-available approach rather than allowing the room to get dragged too far toward immediate roster needs, while Judd Zulgad argued the previous structure became increasingly consensus-driven and heavily influenced by the coaching staff.
That is an important value-add to this story. Fans do not just want to hear that the Vikings missed. They want to know what, exactly, would change the outcome next time.
The Falcons trade example shows why Vikings fans are so frustrated
One of the more useful parts of the Purple Daily segment was the “sliding doors” example. The hosts discussed a deal in which the Rams sent the No. 26 pick to the Falcons for a package that included a 2026 first-rounder. They argued the Vikings, who took guard Donovan Jackson at No. 24, may have had similar trade-down paths available but stayed put because they were locked into filling a win-now need. Nystrom then laid out an alternate haul that would have included multiple players plus an extra 2026 first-round pick.
Even if fans disagree with the exact alternate-history names, the larger point lands: the Vikings’ misses may be tied as much to rigidity as to talent evaluation. That is why this topic has legs beyond a podcast clip.
Note: I like to listen to Thor and do subscribe to get his big board but I do not know if what he believes to be true, is actually true. In fact, nobody knows besides those in the building. Some insiders (Doogie) suggested the Vikings badly wanted Watts in the 3rd round with pick 97, they did not have much captial to move up to get him due to the lack of draft picks. They could have taken Craig Woodson or Billy Bowman Jr at 102 if they really wanted a safety. They could have taken RJ Mickens in the 6th round but didn’t. If they felt they needed a safety why not take one? They ended up not taking a safety and the Hitman played pretty good.
The bypassing on a first round trade with the Falcons is good conversation but who would they have drafted to play left guard? Aireontae Ersery? Tate Ratledge? Maybe they could have traded down again and taken Dylan Fairchild before pick 81?
The Vikings offensive line got their arses handed to them against the Rams and the team set out to improve the interior offensive line during the 2025 season. They did an excellent job even though Ryan Kelly unfortunately suffered the concussions that forced his retirement. On paper it was pretty impressive.
I have no clue about the process that went down and clearly the results were pretty awful. It is just hard to quantify and pinpoint as the reasons. The hope is that Kwesi was the main reason but I have serious doubts about him pulling all the strings during the drafts in his tenure.
Yore Mock
Trade Partner: EaglesSent : PICK 18, 82Received: PICK 23, 68, 114…
Trade Partner: BrownsSent : PICK 49, 97Received: PICK 39, 206…Trade Partner: ColtsSent : PICK 68Received: PICK 78, 113…Trade Partner: JaguarsSent : PICK 114Received: PICK 124, 164…Trade Partner: CommandosSent : PICK 163, 196Received: PICK 147…
PICK 1.23 Kayden McDonald DT 6’3”, 326PICK 2.39 Emmanuel McNeil-Warren S 6’2”, 205PICK 3.78 Malik Muhammad CB 6’0”, 188PICK 4.113 Harold Perkins Jr. LB 6’1”, 220PICK 4.124 Oscar Delp TE 6’5”, 245PICK 4.147 Nick Singleton RB 6’0”, 219PICK 5.164 De’Zhaun Stribling WR 6’2”, 205PICK 6.206 Landon Robinson DT 6’0”, 300PICK 7.234 Micah Morris IOL 6’5”, 334PICK 7.235 Robert Spears-Jennings S 6’1”, 218PICK 7.244 Logan Fano Edge 6’4”, 230
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