2 Vikings Truths and 1 Vikings Lie: KOC QB Struggles, Hollow Drafts, and GM Foibles
Never a dull moment covering the Vikings, a team that seldom achieves elite but is consistently good.
The offseason has seen a pile of coaches depart alongside a GM who has been fired. So, too, are there quarterback rumors aplenty, questions about the in-debt salary cap, and much anxiousness about the 2026 NFL Draft. Go ahead and consider a pair of ironclad truths about Minnesota alongside a claim that appears to be a lie.
The Vikings Truths and Then a Lie
Kevin O’Connell Needs a Healthy QB
There are different ways of understanding the back and forth of (albeit modest) Vikings success.
Mike Zimmer established a tradition of getting into the playoffs without being able to get in the next year. So far, Kevin O’Connell has followed along. Is that just the way it’s going to go for the remainder of eternity? Possibly, but there could be something else going on.
Check out one central factor:
- 2022: Kirk Cousins Healthy as Vikings Make Playoffs
- 2023: Kirk Cousins Gets Hurt as Vikings Miss Playoffs
- 2024: Sam Darnold Healthy as Vikings Make Playoffs
- 2025: J.J. McCarthy Gets Hurt as Vikings Miss Playoffs
At the risk of stepping into another too-simple pit of quicksand, might we look at the passer’s health as central to Minnesota being able to compete? Consider, as well, that in 2023 and 2025, Minnesota’s QB room had injuries beyond just the starter, seeing replacement options like Jaren Hall, Nick Mullens, and Carson Wentz all need time off.
Coach O’Connell will be looking for greater health at quarterback. Give him that factor and we’ll see what happens.
At the very least, it’s true that the current playoff pattern can get mapped onto QB injuries, a truth that does help to explain some of Minnesota’s inability to get into the playoffs on an annual basis.
Hollowing Out the 2nd-Round Picks Has Depleted the Vikings
Shrewd teams know how to gain great value out of the draft.
A local example means rallying around RT Brian O’Neill. The offensive tackle got scooped up in the 2nd Round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He has since held down his position for a long time and appears to be capable of holding it down for quite a lot longer.
Other shining examples of success from the 2nd have been LB Eric Kendricks and RB Dalvin Cook. Looking outside of Minnesota could involve uplifting RB Kenneth Walker III, the Super Bowl MVP who was Seattle’s most dangerous weapon. The speedy runner was chosen in the 2nd.
For the first time since 2022, the Vikings have a 2nd-Round selection. The trades that resulted in acquiring TE T.J. Hockenson and EDGE Dallas Turner took care of the 2nd Round picks for the Vikings from 2023-2025.
Best to keep the 2nd in ’26 to scoop up a promising talent.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was a Bad GM
No doubt, Adofo-Mensah made his mistakes.
The drafting was particularly poor. Too often, easy decisions were made complicated, most evident in the decision to trade out of the No. 12 slot in 2022 instead of sticking-and-picking an All Pro defender. More broadly, the trading has sometimes been troubling, as well.
Where he shined was as a negotiator with contracts. The extensions for Justin Jefferson, Christian Darrisaw, and Josh Metellus were all nice deals. Moreover, Adofo-Mensah has often made shrewd decisions in free agency, getting great value in adding Eric Wilson, Jonathan Greenard, Blake Cashman, Andrew Van Ginkel, Aaron Jones, Isaiah Rodgers, and so on.
Furthermore, there have been some hits in the draft, most evident in AP1 kicker Will Reichard. Jordan Addison, Jay Ward, Levi Drake Rodriguez, and Donovan Jackson (among others) have demonstrated excellence and upside. Some of the UDFA adds have been nice, too.
Give it some time. Reflecting on the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era will lead to a different outlook, a more generous interpretation that sees some of his strengths instead of believing the lie that he was solely bad at his job.
