Vikings Offseason Week 1: What We’ve Learned
The 2024 Minnesota Vikings were supposed to be an average team at best following J.J. McCarthy’s season-ending injury, and nobody believed Kevin O’Connell’s club would be playing meaningful football in January.
Vikings Offseason Week 1: What We’ve Learned
Five months later, folks are rightfully disappointed about the season-ending, in which the Vikings first blew the chance to win the NFC North and a first-round bye week and then lost the wild-card matchup.
In Week 1 of the offseason, the Vikings made some roster moves, but other items were much more important. This is what we’ve learned.
1. J.J. McCarthy Is on Track
Rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus in August’s preseason opener, knocking him out for the entire season. He is planned to be the future of Minnesota’s QB position, but a ruined debut season surely didn’t help his development.
The good news is that he apparently is right on schedule in his recovery. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said at his season-ending press conference, “He’s on the field, throwing and training. He looks great. You talk about a kid who’s just obsessed with football and loves being around the game. We’re excited about what we have in him. We’re excited about this offseason for him.”
McCarthy’s rehab is a major offseason storyline. It remains to be seen whether the Vikings will just hand him the QB1 job, but the fact that he is on the field way ahead of any offseason programs is encouraging.
2. Kevin O’Connell’s Extension Is Nearing
Head coach Kevin O’Connell signed a four-year contract in the 2022 offseason, so he has one more year left. Now is the logical time to start talks about a new contract, with a significant raise but also a few more years tagged on.
In the last few weeks, the head coach landed in some unusual trade speculations and rumors about some tension, but his comments at his most recent presser couldn’t have been any clearer.
When he was asked if he wanted to sign an extension this offseason in Minnesota, O’Connell responded: “I do. I’ve had great dialogue with our ownership this week and reflection as the season came to an end. Anything beyond that, I would prefer to kind of keep those discussions internal.”
3. The Offensive Line Is a Point of Emphasis
The Vikings got bounced from the playoff tournament because they didn’t play well enough on either side of the ball, and the players and the coaching staff need to rethink some things.
One of those elements is the offensive line. Although GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah tried to backpedal O’Connell’s comments from right after the playoff loss, those words are out there.
O’Connell said: “There’s no question we’ve got to find a way to be able to give a quarterback, especially with players like Justin (Jefferson), Jordan (Addison), T.J. (Hockenson), we’ve got to find a way to solidify just the interior of the pocket. There can be a thousand excuses made, whether it’s losing [Christian Darrisaw], or even midway through the game losing [Brian O’Neill] tonight, but for me, it’s the foundation of the interior of the pocket that we’re going to have to take a long look at.”
The interior of the offensive line doesn’t match the excellent tackle play, and it’s time to change that if the Vikings actually want to compete for Super Bowls. It seems like the Vikings have realized that.
4. The Coaching Staff Might Need an Overhaul
The Vikings’ success has brought some attention to the coaching staff.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has interviewed with three organizations for head coaching jobs. QB coach Josh McCown is on the New York Jets’ long list of candidates for a head coach job, but also possible is a departure to become an offensive coordinator.
Assistant QB coach Grant Udinski has met with the Seahawks twice for their vacant offensive coordinator position.
O’Connell might be tasked to hire some new teammates for his staff.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt