Questions Answered: All the Brady + Vikings Talk, “Running It Back,” Where’s Flores?
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the January 30th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to DustinBakerNFL@gmail.com.
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Questions Answered: All the Brady + Vikings Talk, “Running It Back,” Where’s Flores?
Q: Is there anything to the Tom Brady + Vikings talk? Is it realistic?
A: Probably not.
Brady spent summers as a kid in Minnesota and said leading up to the Super Bowl in January 2018 that he loved the state. But a lot would have to happen to get Brady in Minnesota, including Kirk Cousins waiving his no-trade clause.
Las Vegas is the big craze for legitimate Brady rumors. Other than that, he can return to Tampa, maybe examine San Francisco, head back to New England — or retire.
Brady in Minnesota is fun to spitball but is a longshot.
Q: Please don’t tell me the Vikings will just run it back with the same roster. Is that going to happen?
A: They will not run it back.
The defense will undergo a significant overhaul, which has already begun with the termination of Ed Donatell. Aging veterans will leave the roster, perhaps men like Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, and Eric Kendricks.
The Vikings will get younger this offseason, and much of that will occur because of parting ways with longtime veteran players — the expensive ones.
Minnesota probably still believes it is a contender, but it won’t just re-run the same guys onto the field assuming the defense will be better.
Q: Can we get the Brian Flores as defensive coordinator news already?
A: We think the Vikings — and some other teams — are waiting on the Arizona Cardinals head coach domino to fall.
Flores is in the mix to become the Cardinals next head coach, a job he’s vying for against Sean Payton and a few others.
Our theory is this — if the Cardinals hire somebody not named Brian Flores, the Vikings will hire Flores. In the event Arizona rolls with Flores, Minnesota will onboard Sean Desai.
But the Cardinals choice of HC is crucial.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
