The Vikings’ Top 3 Questions as Training Camp Gets Going
On Sunday, the Vikings had forty players arrive at TCO Performance Center. If all goes to plan, there will be an addition of fifty-one more throughout the day.
Minnesota’s roster has swelled to 91 players, a single player above the normal allotment due to the international player exemption that’s being used to create a punter battle. The Vikings’ top 3 questions, though, don’t involve special teams. Rather, there are questions surrounding a contract problem, the pricey veterans looking good, and then how things are unfolding at the game’s most important position.
The Vikings’ Top 3 Questions for Training Camp
Question #1 — Josh Metellus and The Contract Issue
Truth be told, Josh Metellus isn’t an elite safety. One thinks of the 2017 version of Harrison Smith as being the gold standard for recent Vikings football. Metellus isn’t at that level.
Nevertheless, he’s a rock-solid football player, someone who fits perfectly within the Brian Flores scheme. Capable of lining up basically anywhere, Metellus is wildly underpaid since he’s making just $4 million per season on his current contract. No doubt, that’s an issue that needs a fix.
Best guess is that Mr. Metellus shows up but withholds some of his work, similar to the summer when he conducted a bit of a hold-in. The question as this stage rests in how long it takes to arrive at some sort of resolution.
Question #2 — The Pricey Veteran FAs Healthy and Playing Well
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wasn’t particularly shy back in March, was he? On the contrary, the team’s GM fully leaned into the team’s financial abundance while bringing talent aboard. The end result is a bit of a risky approach, one where recently-injured veterans are gobbling up huge portions of the budgetary pie.
Consider, for instance, the well-paid veteran linemen alongside their games played last year:
| Player | Contract | Age | Games/2024 |
| Jonathan Allen | Three Years & $51M | 30 | 8 |
| Javon Hargrave | Two Years & $30M | 32 | 3 |
| Ryan Kelly | Two Years & $18M | 32 | 10 |
| Will Fries | Five Years & $87.7M | 27 | 5 |
Given the information contained in the concise chart, basically anything seems possible. Short of Will Fries — someone who was in the midst of a breakout before succumbing to injury — the above linemen are well-established players capable of playing top-tier football. A world exists, though, where they struggle to thrive due to a combination of age and injury.
Training camp will be the on-ramp for these players to get onto the highway of the regular season. Minnesota’s hope is that they merge with ease, playing up to their potential.
Question #3 — No QB Concern in Sight
Bad plays are allowed. A receiver can be missed from time to time. So, too, can J.J. McCarthy mix up a play call or botch a hand off. What can’t happen, though, is a series of bad days, the kind of confidence-shaking series of events that start to unravel a season before the season begins.
Thankfully, there isn’t a ton of evidence to support the idea of that becoming a reality. The kid QB still has a lot to improve upon — one thinks of the need to refine pitches beyond just his fastball — but he has been growing.
The 2025 season won’t be without its challenges. Collectively, the teams in the NFC North are an absolute juggernaut. The broader schedule isn’t for the faint of heart. Plus, there’s the weight of expectation, something that’s difficult for anyone to handle, let alone a 22-year-old sophomore who has yet to throw a real NFL pass (as you may have heard). Can Mr. McCarthy keep the focus on what’s immediately in front of him, showing maturity beyond his years as he guides the Vikings to another playoff appearance one small step at a time?
That question will start to get an answer in the coming weeks. Nothing definitive, no, but hints and clues for how the season will unfold.
