Purple Insider has a curious penchant for describing the Vikings as if they are a kite dancing in a hurricane.
The FO made a series of deliberate choices. Whatever one's opinion of Cousins, he was 36 with a torn achilles. Moving on and using a high pick on a QB was the clear choice. The Vikings did that, but took a historical bust (bad play + an unbelievable lack of availability + bad make-up). Oops, busts happens to everyone. Happily, the rest of the operation was easily the most attractive landing spot in a year where a 28 year-old former pro bowler was available for the minimum. That's the clear choice now.
This is unlikely to work out, the overwhelmingly likely outcome is wanting (and ideally having the capital to) draft another QB high in 2027. But, these choices were all sound and it's impossible to have a bad 1 year, minimum salary contract. More than anyone on the roster, Murray has the best chance of providing surplus value.
This will be the best thing for JJ in my opinion, assuming he has the right attitude about it. And I think KOC probably believes that, too. I know the ankle sprain thing was real, but there was definitely a feeling with that of KOC not wanting to force JJ back into playing before he was ready. And I know part of signing Darnold and attempting to sign Jones was just standard CYA in case JJ stunk, but I think those moves were also part of his philosophy that you ruin QBs by forcing them to go out and do stuff they’re not ready for. The teams failing QBs bit is more about that than it is about giving up on QBs too early.
I agree. We can argue over JJ all day long but the fact is his overall stats sucked (though the last 5 games did reach vague competence against bad defensive teams) and his mechanics are a work in progress. That said, he showed flashes of being pretty good. Let him marinate a year. And realistically, it is not like Kyler is guaranteed to play 17 games either
Yeah, he could very well start a decent number of games this year. I would not say it’s over for JJ just because other teams never let a guy they benched back into the starter role. KOC has made it pretty clear that he does not think teams have historically done the right thing with QBs, so I think it’s not unlikely at all that JJ gets another crack at it next year even if he is benched the entire season.
Agree with everything, except "not a good shot" That part of the article is somewhat self contradictory. It compares, in one instance, the possibility of a Randall Cunningham year, 15-1, to the upcoming year. If that's a good comparison, then we were one "wide right" field goal miss from being in the Superbowl, hence a "good shot" with that team. The article also mentions the core of players that went 14-2. Although most agree that was an over achieving year, but for the O line injuries, and two bad games from Sam, perhaps it was a SB year. I would change that line to "a realistic shot" especially in a year that looks like there will be no run a way dominate team in either Conference. "why not us"
I swear I read that this morning but I read too many articles that I can’t say for sure. I know Matthew uses Over the Cap and they show $10.8M. Remember, they also have to reserve millions for their draft class. So they don’t have much wiggle room.
And one more point about that. We now have a QB with only a 1.3 million salary cap hit. That should give us a ton of space to sign elite free agents and, dare I say it, go "all in" for the coming year, like the Rams did when they won the SB.
I'm not sure what you're referencing here. Who are the elite free agents, Linderbaum? Ok, he might be the top of no. 2 tier centres. If you ignore aging curves and injuries, Hendrickson? Even if one's generous, that's it, and they're already signed.
The salary cap comment is incorrect. The Vikings are only $8M under the cap and they still have to sign their own players. They murdered their cap over the past couple years with the free agency deals.
I think the difference in salary cap may well be “true” available dollars. Money must be set aside to sign your draft picks, contingency money in case of in season injuries, etc. that said I too have seen salary cap numbers all over the place. It would help fans to be more descriptive of what the cap space quoted actually represents.
And to add to the confusion the offset language in the defensive tackles that left. I’ll admit I don’t know what the true number is but I just know they aren’t flush with cash.
Bradly P. what is your source for that? Ben Goesling on 9 to noon with P.A. would beg to differ. They restructured Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson and freed up quite a bit of cash.
As of March 13, 2026, the Minnesota Vikings have approximately
$28,299,541 in salary cap space. This figure reflects a significant turnaround from entering the offseason roughly $43 million over the cap.
The current cap situation is the result of several key moves:
Justin Jefferson
Restructure: The team executed a "simple restructure," converting $23.755 million of his salary into a signing bonus. This reduced his 2026 cap hit from approximately $38 million to $21,218,850, clearing more than $18 million in space.
T.J. Hockenson
Restructure/Pay Cut: Hockenson
agreed to a restructured deal that included a $5 million pay cut. His 2026 cap hit was reduced from $21.3 million to $15,605,000, and the final year of his contract was deleted, allowing him to become a free agent in 2027.
One other thing about Murray.. Because of some of his younger days in Arizona and the contract language (playing video games) it is easy to think he is a bit lazy... However
1. Many people mature as they age (JJ, while a grinder, did some dumb stuff... He is also 23. He will likely learn as well.). And Murray seemed both mature and excited when talking
2. Murray understands what this year means for his career. One would think that is motivation
3. Claims to have been a Viking fan growing up... Well how many fans get to be QB of their childhood team when they have the best receiver in the business? That has got to be motivation as well.
4. SOmewhere else brought it up but Arizona (according to the players union) is not a good franchise - Minnesota (thank you Wilfs) is ranked near the top. Supposedly, Kyler was blown away by the facilities. You work harder going to place that is overall more professional
Personally, I’d love to see the Vikings keep drafting developmental QBs in later rounds. Similar to Cole Payton and Joe Fagnano (spelling?). Both seem to have a shot. Keep them on practice squad and see if they really have potential
Last season was devastating for the team, but they supported each other and their QB admirably. But that can't go on forever. I'd still love to see McCarthy flourish here in the future, and I'm very happy he's getting some time to step back and build himself into the QB he needs to be to succeed in the NFL. Not many players get that opportunity. I'm also looking forward to the potential for a highly entertaining year.
Great article. I'm cautiously hopeful that, at a minimum, KOC can get the best out of Murray (whatever that may be). It does seem like we still need some veteran vibes in the QB room though, showing these guys how to study, practice, lead. Who would the best available QB2/3 be from that perspective?
I especially like your points about Murray, being entertaining, and also possibly signing him for future seasons. Not signing Darnold, not admitting that this franchise can create great defenses, and great wide receivers, but seems to not be able to create great quarterbacks. So why not find your Favre, your Randle Cunningham, and yes hopefully Kyler Murray, and hope that route can take you to the Super Bowl every once in a while.
Sadly, Justin Jefferson might never go to the Super Bowl, but he can have a great career with many giddy touchdowns, and a record-breaking number of yards yards from scrimmage
Alas, there's a spanner in those works: Murray's a UFA after this year and he can't be tagged. So if it goes really well, he'll be looking to make more than Dak. Ironically, he'll probably get it, because Erik Burkhardt will point to the last QB who had a great season in MIN, was allowed to leave, and what his new team did next.
There’s a lot to be said for the motivating one-year contract though. Probably can’t get a Super Bowl, but Seattle just did it in year 1. So who knows?
Yes, probably true. Probably the best long term strategy is to recognize the Darnolds and just sign them to 3 years, $45 mil and roll the dice when they’re cheap. So long as we have O’Connell, I think it could work
Purple Insider has a curious penchant for describing the Vikings as if they are a kite dancing in a hurricane.
The FO made a series of deliberate choices. Whatever one's opinion of Cousins, he was 36 with a torn achilles. Moving on and using a high pick on a QB was the clear choice. The Vikings did that, but took a historical bust (bad play + an unbelievable lack of availability + bad make-up). Oops, busts happens to everyone. Happily, the rest of the operation was easily the most attractive landing spot in a year where a 28 year-old former pro bowler was available for the minimum. That's the clear choice now.
This is unlikely to work out, the overwhelmingly likely outcome is wanting (and ideally having the capital to) draft another QB high in 2027. But, these choices were all sound and it's impossible to have a bad 1 year, minimum salary contract. More than anyone on the roster, Murray has the best chance of providing surplus value.
This will be the best thing for JJ in my opinion, assuming he has the right attitude about it. And I think KOC probably believes that, too. I know the ankle sprain thing was real, but there was definitely a feeling with that of KOC not wanting to force JJ back into playing before he was ready. And I know part of signing Darnold and attempting to sign Jones was just standard CYA in case JJ stunk, but I think those moves were also part of his philosophy that you ruin QBs by forcing them to go out and do stuff they’re not ready for. The teams failing QBs bit is more about that than it is about giving up on QBs too early.
I agree. We can argue over JJ all day long but the fact is his overall stats sucked (though the last 5 games did reach vague competence against bad defensive teams) and his mechanics are a work in progress. That said, he showed flashes of being pretty good. Let him marinate a year. And realistically, it is not like Kyler is guaranteed to play 17 games either
Yeah, he could very well start a decent number of games this year. I would not say it’s over for JJ just because other teams never let a guy they benched back into the starter role. KOC has made it pretty clear that he does not think teams have historically done the right thing with QBs, so I think it’s not unlikely at all that JJ gets another crack at it next year even if he is benched the entire season.
I’m short of expectations
Agree with everything, except "not a good shot" That part of the article is somewhat self contradictory. It compares, in one instance, the possibility of a Randall Cunningham year, 15-1, to the upcoming year. If that's a good comparison, then we were one "wide right" field goal miss from being in the Superbowl, hence a "good shot" with that team. The article also mentions the core of players that went 14-2. Although most agree that was an over achieving year, but for the O line injuries, and two bad games from Sam, perhaps it was a SB year. I would change that line to "a realistic shot" especially in a year that looks like there will be no run a way dominate team in either Conference. "why not us"
I swear I read that this morning but I read too many articles that I can’t say for sure. I know Matthew uses Over the Cap and they show $10.8M. Remember, they also have to reserve millions for their draft class. So they don’t have much wiggle room.
And one more point about that. We now have a QB with only a 1.3 million salary cap hit. That should give us a ton of space to sign elite free agents and, dare I say it, go "all in" for the coming year, like the Rams did when they won the SB.
I'm not sure what you're referencing here. Who are the elite free agents, Linderbaum? Ok, he might be the top of no. 2 tier centres. If you ignore aging curves and injuries, Hendrickson? Even if one's generous, that's it, and they're already signed.
The salary cap comment is incorrect. The Vikings are only $8M under the cap and they still have to sign their own players. They murdered their cap over the past couple years with the free agency deals.
I think the difference in salary cap may well be “true” available dollars. Money must be set aside to sign your draft picks, contingency money in case of in season injuries, etc. that said I too have seen salary cap numbers all over the place. It would help fans to be more descriptive of what the cap space quoted actually represents.
And to add to the confusion the offset language in the defensive tackles that left. I’ll admit I don’t know what the true number is but I just know they aren’t flush with cash.
The details aren't out yet, but assuming no freak water-skiing accidents, Allen is going to result in an $8 credit, and Hargrave will add another $4.
Bradly P. what is your source for that? Ben Goesling on 9 to noon with P.A. would beg to differ. They restructured Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson and freed up quite a bit of cash.
As of March 13, 2026, the Minnesota Vikings have approximately
$28,299,541 in salary cap space. This figure reflects a significant turnaround from entering the offseason roughly $43 million over the cap.
The current cap situation is the result of several key moves:
Justin Jefferson
Restructure: The team executed a "simple restructure," converting $23.755 million of his salary into a signing bonus. This reduced his 2026 cap hit from approximately $38 million to $21,218,850, clearing more than $18 million in space.
T.J. Hockenson
Restructure/Pay Cut: Hockenson
agreed to a restructured deal that included a $5 million pay cut. His 2026 cap hit was reduced from $21.3 million to $15,605,000, and the final year of his contract was deleted, allowing him to become a free agent in 2027.
One other thing about Murray.. Because of some of his younger days in Arizona and the contract language (playing video games) it is easy to think he is a bit lazy... However
1. Many people mature as they age (JJ, while a grinder, did some dumb stuff... He is also 23. He will likely learn as well.). And Murray seemed both mature and excited when talking
2. Murray understands what this year means for his career. One would think that is motivation
3. Claims to have been a Viking fan growing up... Well how many fans get to be QB of their childhood team when they have the best receiver in the business? That has got to be motivation as well.
4. SOmewhere else brought it up but Arizona (according to the players union) is not a good franchise - Minnesota (thank you Wilfs) is ranked near the top. Supposedly, Kyler was blown away by the facilities. You work harder going to place that is overall more professional
Murray is ONLY option at this point... BUCKLE UP!!
Personally, I’d love to see the Vikings keep drafting developmental QBs in later rounds. Similar to Cole Payton and Joe Fagnano (spelling?). Both seem to have a shot. Keep them on practice squad and see if they really have potential
Last season was devastating for the team, but they supported each other and their QB admirably. But that can't go on forever. I'd still love to see McCarthy flourish here in the future, and I'm very happy he's getting some time to step back and build himself into the QB he needs to be to succeed in the NFL. Not many players get that opportunity. I'm also looking forward to the potential for a highly entertaining year.
SKOL! We're the Lucky duck.
Great article. I'm cautiously hopeful that, at a minimum, KOC can get the best out of Murray (whatever that may be). It does seem like we still need some veteran vibes in the QB room though, showing these guys how to study, practice, lead. Who would the best available QB2/3 be from that perspective?
I especially like your points about Murray, being entertaining, and also possibly signing him for future seasons. Not signing Darnold, not admitting that this franchise can create great defenses, and great wide receivers, but seems to not be able to create great quarterbacks. So why not find your Favre, your Randle Cunningham, and yes hopefully Kyler Murray, and hope that route can take you to the Super Bowl every once in a while.
Sadly, Justin Jefferson might never go to the Super Bowl, but he can have a great career with many giddy touchdowns, and a record-breaking number of yards yards from scrimmage
Alas, there's a spanner in those works: Murray's a UFA after this year and he can't be tagged. So if it goes really well, he'll be looking to make more than Dak. Ironically, he'll probably get it, because Erik Burkhardt will point to the last QB who had a great season in MIN, was allowed to leave, and what his new team did next.
There’s a lot to be said for the motivating one-year contract though. Probably can’t get a Super Bowl, but Seattle just did it in year 1. So who knows?
Yes, probably true. Probably the best long term strategy is to recognize the Darnolds and just sign them to 3 years, $45 mil and roll the dice when they’re cheap. So long as we have O’Connell, I think it could work