A lot is happening with the Minnesota Vikings.
On Thursday, it was announced that superstar defensive end Danielle Hunter would miss the entire season due to herniated disc surgery. On the same day, they traded superstar defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to the Baltimore Ravens for draft picks.
Despite that, they are not rebuilding. At least, that's what general manager Rick Spielman is telling everyone, according to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune.
Spielman: "You want to win as many games as we can, and that's going to be our objective for the year. But also, when you have an opportunity to continue to add, with the 15 draft picks, you're seeing most of them having to play right now."
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) October 22, 2020
No other vets have requested trades, Spielman said.
He said Wilfs have been "extremely supportive," and added, "No one thinks the season's over right now."
Can the Vikings compete in NFCN? With 5 division games left, including next 3, "We're going to find out pretty quick."
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) October 22, 2020
Minnesota is certainly dealing with a lot right now. According to Christopher Gates of SB Nation's Daily Norseman, safety George Iloka tore his ACL in practice and was also placed on the injured reserve list to finish his season on Thursday.
So with all of that coupling with a 1-5 start to the season, you could make an obvious case for the team to rebuild. Their GM does not see it that way, though.
Spielman points to some of the talent on the roster. Specifically he points out that Dalvin Cook is “one of the top running backs in the league.” That seems to be one of the main reasons he refuses to call the team a “rebuild” at the moment.
Spielman also points to the unlucky streak they have had with injuries this year.
Finally, he mentions the rest of their schedule and notes that they have five division games left (and three in a row coming up). It will be much easier to evaluate where the Vikings are at after that stretch of games.
However, for right now it's really hard to pretend like things are going all that well for Minnesota. They have looked bad on the field and have dealt with some major injuries. Even the play of quarterback Kirk Cousins has brought about some questions as to whether he might get benched or not.
Now they have officially traded away one of their biggest stars.
While Spielman does not believe they are in rebuild mode (or is not admitting it), evidence shows that they might be pointing in that direction.
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