The Minnesota Vikings thought they were inches away from contending for the Super Bowl by the time they were done making key moves to their team in last year's offseason. The moves they made included signing a pair of interior offensive linemen in C Ryan Kelly and OG Will Fries who were going to strengthen the team's blockers and a dynamic linebacker in Eric Wilson who combined speed and hitting ability.
However, the Vikings miscalculated badly and the team that finished with a 14-3 record in 2024 fell out of playoff contention early in the season and ended up in third place in the NFC North with a 9-8 record. After the season ended, the Vikings parted company with general manager Kwesi Adof0-Mensah because the team badly miscalculated on what was needed to deliver a successful season.
The biggest and most crucial mistake came when the Vikings did not have a veteran quarterback on hand to either compete with untested J.J. McCarthy or take over if he was injured or ineffective. Perhaps much of this decision was based on the confidence of head coach Kevin O'Connell. He believed he could develop McCarthy into a brilliant leader and effective quarterback.
As the Vikings get set for the start of free agency, there are several areas that they need to address in the offseason. Bringing in a veteran quarterback is the most obvious, but there are also needs at center, running back, the interior of the defensive line, at center and cornerback.
Bringing back Kirk Cousins makes sense for Vikings
Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski has been more involved in the financial side of the business than he has been in personnel, but he has a strong reputation around the league. He knows how to communicate with his own staff as well as his peers around the league. He is smart and respectful, and that kind of personality should allow him to get deals done in a positive manner
The Vikings are not going to let McCarthy go into the 2026 season as the anointed quarterback. That was a mistake last year, and there are a number of quarterbacks they can pursue. Those quarterbacks include Kirk Cousins, Geno Smith, Kyler Murray and Derek Carr.
Cousins should be the No. 1 option for the Vikings. He had great success while working with O'Connell and Justin Jefferson in the 1 1/2 seasons the trio were together. He was brilliant in 2022 when the Vikings won the NFC North title and he was off to an excellent start in 2023 when he suffered a torn Achilles that ended his season.
Cousins was not a strong fit with Falcons
Cousins is 37 years old and he has played 14 seasons in the NFL. He spent six years in Washington, six seasons with the Vikings and has two years with the Falcons.
He signed as a free agent with Atlanta in 2024, but he had to be shocked when the team drafted Michael Penix in the first round shortly thereafter. The Falcons created their own quarterback controversy by bringing in both quarterbacks at the same time, and there is no way Cousins could have ever felt comfortable there.
Cousins' greatest strength is his accuracy on medium- and long-range passes. He developed a wonderful rapport with Justin Jefferson during his time in Minnesota, and that relationship got even better when O'Connell became head coach.
Cousins is a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback, and he had his best full season in 2022 when he completed 424 of 643 passes for 4,547 yards with 29 TDs and 14 interceptions. He had an 18-5 TD-intereption ratio in 2023 prior to suffering his torn Achilles.
Tyler Linderbaum and retaining Jalen Nailor are key free-agent goals
The Vikings were hoping that Kelly would turn out to be a solid center, but he was not a dominant player for the Vikings and he could not stay in the lineup. Kelly played in just eight games last season as he suffered three concussions during the year and has had six in his career.
That is not an ideal situation for an offensive lineman who has 10 years of NFL experience. The Vikings need to make a big move to sign free agent center Tyler Linderbaum of the Baltimore Ravens. The 25-year-old Linderbaum is a four-time Pro Bowler who has size and strength at 6-2 and 305 pounds along with the know-how and the athleticism needed to do an outstanding job at the crucial position
The Vikings have been missing something at the center position for multiple seasons and Linderbaum would solve that problem.
Jalen Nailor is scheduled to be a free agent for the Vikings. He is the No. 3 receiver behind Jefferson and Jordan Addison, and the Vikings want to keep him on the team.
Nailor is bound to have multiple suitors because he knows how to get open and will hold on to the football. He has been with the Vikings for four seasons and he caught 29 passes for 444 yards and 4 TDs last season. That came after his 28-414-6 season in 2024.
Look for the Vikings to make every effort to retain his services.
