The Vikings have had a quiet offseason, but are looking forward to trying to push for a division title once again. Being in one of the best divisions in football, you have to keep up in a super close race each year. They start out by playing the Packers and Bears in weeks one and two this year, who are the two teams that finished ahead of them in the NFC North last year. A home game against the rival Packers to start the year should be a big win and a good way to get the ball rolling on the 2026 season.
The Vikings haven’t made many big acquisitions this offseason, but the ones they have made have been big. First of all, the signing of quarterback Kyler Murray surprised many by putting into question who the starter would really be. It has since come out that there will be a quarterback battle throughout camp for who will begin the season as the starter. With Murray having much more experience than 3rd year QB J.J. McCarthy, it might be a good idea to give him the role for this year and let McCarthy continue to develop because, as we saw last season, he probably isn’t quite ready yet. Although they are saying it’s a “position battle,” it might just end up being to promote competitiveness within the role and help the two to continue to improve their performance day by day.
Another key signing for the Vikings this offseason was wide receiver Jauan Jennings. Jennings has been with the San Francisco 49ers for the past few seasons. He has had continuous big-play production as a deep threat for them. Through his first five years in the league, he has caught 210 passes for 22 touchdowns. The past two seasons have been by far his most consistent, even in a limited role on the 49ers. Jauan will come to the Vikings as a more-than-solid WR3 behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. This trio should have a great year for whoever is at quarterback.
Lastly, the Vikings made some key additions in the draft this year. With nothing crazy for them when it came to picks, the Vikings went ahead and had a solid draft full of talented players. In the first round, they took a defensive tackle out of the University of Florida, who is a monster when healthy. Caleb Banks is a superhuman athlete while still being huge. He was only able to play 2 games this past year due to injury, and also hurt his foot while preparing for the NFL draft. This makes him a decently risky pick, but he could turn out huge after the loss of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargraves in free agency. They were also able to secure some other positions in later rounds, like linebacker, safety, and even got a fullback-tight end hybrid.
With this being another year that the relatively new coaching staff has under their belts, fans should expect improvement and growth in all areas. Returning head coach Kevin O’Connell should have the offense working better than last year, along with the offensive coordinator, Wes Phillips. Brian Flores also returns and has stacked even more talent onto his defense, which was stout a year ago. These Vikings should have no problem competing for a division title.
