The Vikings Captain Contenders for 2023
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been a busy man.
A pile of his energy has gone toward creating a roster that’s a fair bit younger and a salary cap that’s more financially nimble. Yes, the competitive rebuild is continuing to manifest itself in the various difficult decisions the GM has been making. A side effect of all of his moves is that the Vikings captains have been cut in half.
Several veteran Vikings will need to step up to fill the leadership void. Let’s get the lay of the leadership land and then proceed into a consideration of candidates who can ascend into more prominent leadership roles.
The Past Vikings Captains
On September 5, 2022, the Minnesota Vikings announced their 8 team captains:
- Dalvin Cook, RB
- Kirk Cousins, QB
- C.J. Ham, FB/Specials
- Eric Kendricks, LB
- Brian O’Neill, RT
- Patrick Peterson, CB
- Harrison Smith, S
- Adam Thielen, WR
Obviously, the team has seen some notable losses during the offseason. Cook, Kendricks, Peterson, and Thielen are now playing elsewhere. Collectively, that’s a group with 509 regular season games, 470 starts, and 28,047 snaps (excluding special teams). Even more impressive, the foursome shares 15 Pro Bowls and 4 All Pro teams.
Maybe the financial commitment didn’t make sense anymore, but that’s a ton of experience that’s no longer in Minnesota’s locker room.
Going into 2023, the Vikings will continue leaning on Cousins, Ham, O’Neill, and Smith. Each one is a great candidate to once again get a “C” slapped on their chest. Let’s assume, at least for the sake of argument, that there are four openings. Who are Minnesota’s main contenders for the open spots?
The Vikings Captain Contenders
1) Jordan Hicks, Linebacker
There’s a good chance Hicks wears the green dot in 2023, meaning he’ll be the one relaying the play call from the defensive coordinator. With eight years of NFL experience, the 31-year-old Hicks is among the more experienced players in Minnesota. He was one of the very first players brought in by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and agreed to a pay cut during the offseason to stick around. He’s a favorite for a captaincy position.
2) Josh Metellus, Safety
Last season, Metellus snagged a captaincy, if only for a short time. After losing O’Neill to an Achilles injury, Metellus was slotted into the vacant spot. Adofo-Mensah noted that the safety is a “core piller” in Minnesota. Expect to see him on the field plenty in the upcoming season.
3) K.J. Osborn, Wide Receiver
The catalyst for the historic Colts comeback, Osborn has a ton of great leadership qualities. His hustle has always been great and so too has his compete been evident. As a rookie, Osborn flopped, and yet that didn’t deter him from continuing to refine his craft. He has gone on to put together consecutive solid seasons as the Vikings’ WR3. He’ll be looking to hold off Jordan Addison for the WR2 job as he continues to do all the right things in Minnesota.
4) Justin Jefferson, Wide Receiver
The clear-cut best player on the roster also happens to be someone whom others look up to. Only 24, Jefferson has already established himself as being at worst among the top 3 NFL receivers. The GM even includes him in conversations about team building. Special player who is obviously a leader in Minnesota.
5) Harrison Phillips, Defensive Tackle
Phillips, 27, has been in the NFL for five seasons. While in Buffalo, Phillips distinguished himself as someone who put a ton of effort into investing in his community. Putting on a purple jersey did little to dampen the Phillips fervor for helping those around him. The steady defensive tackle is great on the field but even better off the field. Nicknamed Horrible Harry, Phillips may be better described as Humanitarian Harry.
6) Greg Joseph, Kicker
Should kickers get more love? I think so. Like a closer in baseball, the kicker seldom faces a situation that’s devoid of pressure. Joseph has certainly had his ups and downs while in a purple uniform — and, indeed, in his career more broadly — but he has always been accountable for his play while he looks forward to his next chance to prove himself. Last year, he was absolutely clutch, consistently delivering game-winning kicks for a team determined to win games by the slightest of margins.
Honorable Mentions: Alexander Mattison, Josh Oliver, Chris Reed, Garrett Bradbury, Byron Murphy, Danielle Hunter, T.J. Hockenson, Nick Mullens, & Andrew DePaola.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
