Vikings fan Brian Foss shows his customized Minnesota Vikings brand prosthetic eye whereas attending the Tremendous Fan Summit Tailgate Social gathering in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin. The occasion celebrated fan tradition and workforce spirit as supporters gathered forward of the 2025 NFL Draft festivities. Apr. 25, 2025. Necessary Credit score: Sarah Kloepping-USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin through Imagn Photos.
Getting into each offseason, VikingsTerritory declares predictions in its writings, mainly outcomes it expects to unfold. After all, not all of these come to fruition, and when the summer season arrives, we discover it greatest to carry ourselves accountable.
Right here’s what we bought fallacious during the last a number of months.
Vikings’ Spring & Summer season Actuality Modified A number of Early Assumptions
Minnesota Vikings tight finish T.J. Hockenson (87) turns upfield after a reception in opposition to Atlanta Falcons security Billy Bowman Jr. (33) on September 14, 2025, at U.S. Financial institution Stadium in Minneapolis. The veteran goal labored by way of second-half contact whereas serving to Minnesota seek for rhythm within the passing recreation throughout an vital early-season dwelling matchup. Necessary Credit score: Matt Krohn-Imagn Photos.
Aaron Jones or T.J. Hockenson Would Be Launched as a Cap Casualty
There was steam that Minnesota would transfer from Jones and Hockenson as a result of their 2026 cap hits had been naughty — and we bit. Hook, line, and sinker. In actual fact, credible reporting advised that Jones, specifically, was nearly as good as gone.
Then, each males accepted paycuts. The Vikings wished Jones and Hockenson again on their phrases, and every man agreed. They doubtless requested their brokers to evaluate their market worth, studying that Minnesota’s pay minimize outshone the potential of their subsequent contract.
Subsequently, Minnesota gained’t lose veteran locker room management, and Jones and Hockenson will presumably take a look at the open market in March 2027. Particularly, we believed the Vikings may minimize ties with Hockenson and doubtlessly draft Oregon tight finish Kenyon Sadiq. No cigar.
SI.com‘s Will Ragatz noted on Jones’s paycut in March, “Keeping Jones around at roughly 60 percent of his previous base salary makes some sense for the Vikings, especially with the free agent running back class being pretty picked over already.”
“The former longtime Packer should still have some juice left as part of a committee backfield. He’s no longer as explosive as he once was, but he can get what’s blocked, run a wide range of routes out of the backfield, and serve an important pass protection role on third downs after C.J. Ham’s retirement.”
A True Middle Would Be Signed in Free Company or Drafted
Foremost, again in March throughout free company, we suspected Minnesota could be thinking about a brand new middle after Ryan Kelly retired. A number of choices had been there for the taking:
Tyler Linderbaum — BAL → LV
Elgton Jenkins — GB → CLE
Tyler Biadasz — WAS → LAC
Cade Mays — CAR → DET
Luke Fortner — NO → CAR
Austin Schlottmann — NYG → TEN
The Vikings mentioned, “No thanks — we’ve got Blake Brandel.” Thereafter, Minnesota needed to draft a middle someday earlier than the top of Spherical 4 or so, proper? Nope. The “Big Four” of rookie facilities wound up like this:
Jake Slaughter → LAC
Logan Jones → CHI
Sam Hecht → CAR
Connor Lew → CIN
In Spherical 7, Minnesota took the plunge with Cincinnati’s Gavin Gerhardt, however Seventh-Rounders are really hit or miss.
It seems to be like The Blake Brandel Present in 2026. We firmly believed the Vikings would land Fortner or Jones, for instance.
The Vikings Would Repair the RB Place with Youth
The Vikings haven’t had a very impactful younger operating again since Dalvin Cook dinner, whose profession started 9 years in the past. Previous to that, Minnesota loved sixteen years of elite expertise with Adrian Peterson and Cook dinner. Nevertheless, since 2023, the workforce’s operating again manufacturing has been decidedly common.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons operating again Demond Claiborne (1) celebrates after scoring a landing in the course of the first half on Oct. 5, 2024, at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. The explosive again produced one other spotlight in opposition to North Carolina State whereas strengthening his profile as one in all Wake Forest’s prime offensive playmakers that afternoon. Necessary Credit score: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Photos.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell, a former quarterback, usually prioritizes the passing recreation, notably when the Vikings are behind. Below his management, the run recreation has lacked consistency, fueling ongoing discussions about participant roles.
Enter Demond Claiborne.
Drafted in April, the rookie operating again has impressed early this summer season. Claiborne’s 4.37-second 40-yard sprint time injects much-needed velocity right into a backfield that has been craving it. The important thing query is whether or not the remainder of his recreation — imaginative and prescient, contact steadiness, cross safety, and tackle-breaking capacity — will translate to the skilled degree.
Whereas Sixth-Spherical operating backs can actually succeed, Claiborne’s draft place makes it much less possible that he’ll develop right into a celebrity RB1. A extra practical end result is for him to develop into an explosive RB2.
The Vikings opted to not handle the operating again place within the 2025 or 2026 NFL Draft. Now, hopes are excessive that Claiborne will show to be greater than only a summer season standout. If he doesn’t, the workforce will depend on Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason, and followers will proceed to surprise when the Vikings will make investments draft capital within the place once more.
The Pittsburgh Steelers or Baltimore Ravens Would Rent Brian Flores
Flores mentioned in the course of the 2025 offseason that he would solely depart the Vikings for a head teaching job that felt secure with a good group. Nicely, that’s Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores watches from the sideline throughout first-half motion in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 22, 2019, at Laborious Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Flores tracked the late-season matchup whereas main Miami by way of his first yr as head coach and overseeing the protection from the Dolphins’ sideline that afternoon. Necessary Credit score: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Photos.
Flores interviewed for each positions, nevertheless it by no means felt like he had momentum. Finally, the Steelers employed Mike McCarthy, and the Ravens rolled with Jesse Minter.
Flores’s lawsuit in opposition to the NFL might be holding him again from being a severe head-coaching contender, as unhappy as that’s.
Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … Extra about Dustin Baker
