Predicting Vikings 2026 Team Award Winners
On a recent episode of my show, The Skolcial Network, I took a shot at predicting some of the Vikings’ team award winners for 2026.
For these predictions, I went through the following awards:
- Team MVP
- Offensive Player of the Year
- Defensive Player of the Year
- Offensive Rookie of the Year
- Defensive Rookie of the Year
- Coach/Coordinator of the Year
- Comeback Player of the Year
- The Skolcial Network “Nailgun” of the Year
These predictions are completely subjective, as will the actual awards I give out at the end of the year. All we can do at this point of the offseason is make a ton of predictions about the Vikings, so that’s exactly what I did.
Vikings Comeback Player of the Year – QB Kyler Murray
Kyler Murray isn’t “coming back” to the Vikings, but he is coming back to the field in general. Kyler Murray’s 2025 season ended early, as an ankle injury he suffered in Week 5 kept him out for the rest of the year.
He’s in the midst of a QB competition with J.J. McCarthy that everyone is tired of talking about, and he’s expected to win it. If Murray can put together a solid season, and given the fact that he’s a QB, he is an obvious favorite to win this hypothetical award.
Coach/Coordinator of the Year – DC Brian Flores
While the coach that will have the “most” impact will obviously likely be head coach Kevin O’Connell, I’m predicting Brian Flores and his defense to really put the Vikings on their back again.
I’m not saying that the offense will be anywhere near as bad as they were in 2025, but teams can usually only go as far as their defense can take them. If they somehow make it further, it’s not by a lot. It’s a safe bet to assume Flores’ defense will be as good as ever in 2026, even though it just got a lot younger during the 2026 NFL Draft.
Defensive Rookie of the Year – IDL Domonique Orange
While Caleb Banks seems like a much more obvious pick for this award, I went with “Big Citrus”.
Simply put, I believe that Orange will be better “behind-the-scenes”. That includes clogging gaps and stopping the run primarily. I could see Banks being a more “boom or bust” player, with Orange being the much more consistent of the two. Jake Golday was in consideration, but I’m not sure if he’s going to get enough playing time this year to have a case.
Offensive Rookie of the Year – WR Dillon Bell
Offensive rookie was a tough one to choose, and this is definitely the prediction I present with the least conviction.
Sure, Demond Claiborne seems like the easier pick here. However, Bell seems to have a better chance of being WR4 than Claiborne does of being a RB3. I don’t think either gentleman will have major years, but somebody has to win the fake award.
Defensive Player of the Year – EDGE Andrew Van Ginkel
As good as the Vikings defense is, there’s not a ton of players that pop off the page as a potential DPOY for the team. You would hope that it’s going to be Dallas Turner, but I played it safe.
Not only is Van Ginkel a solid pressure generator, but his knack for making plays on the football are borderline-psychic. Batted balls, interceptions, pick-sixes, this guy does it all. He’s an absolute electricity factory.
Offensive Player of the Year – WR Justin Jefferson
This one feels pretty obvious. It’s revenge season for Justin Jefferson, who had to scratch and claw his way to notching 1,000 receiving yards in 2025.
If Kyler Murray is starting all season, then Jefferson could be in line for Offensive Player of the Year not just on the Vikings, but the entire NFL.
Skolcial Network ‘Nailgun’ of the Year – K Will Reichard
This award is simple and has nothing to do with the game of football. This brand new award I’m predicting for is simply about giving some credit to a cool guy.
Vikings kicker Will Reichard seems really cool. It seems like it would be fun to bowl with him on a Saturday night in downtown Minneapolis. Therefore, I predict that he will win this award.
Vikings Team MVP – QB Kyler Murray
Murray double dips, and because he’s a QB leading the Vikings to a theoretical 12-win season in 2026, he gets the prediction for Team MVP.
Surely, no one will be upset about that one.
