Training camp is underway and reports are flowing in which helps to build the excitement. It is tough to not get excited for a new season no matter what you might feel the outcome will be. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has the team headed in a hopefully great direction. The team currently has 17.9M in cap space while carrying 57.383M in dead money (which is the third most league wide). The average age of the roster is 26.2 years. The only players that are 29 right now and under contract for 2025 are Andrew Depaola, Andrew Van Ginkel, Brian O’Neill, Garrett Bradbury, & CJ Ham.
He has locked up his star Receiver and Left Tackle. He has drafted his hopeful Quarterback of the Future and a top Edge rusher. He traded for a top Tight End who hopefully will make a full recovery. He drafted another young Receiver in the first round last year to try and make the group even more dangerous. He tried to get a good young Safety to take over for future Hall of Famer Harrison Smith. There is still hope for Lewis Cine and the team is doing the right thing by allowing him all the time he needs to get back to normal after that terrible freak injury. If he starts to show the form that got him selected in the first round (and ranked highly pre-draft) then that will be great for the team and for Cine.
There are some more areas that need to be upgraded specifically defensive tackle and unfortunately, cornerback. Interior offensive line will forever be a concern and I just do not think it ever will be settled.
In 2025, the Vikings have 53.665M in effective cap space according to overthecap and the only free agent you might want to give a large deal to is Camryn Bynum. Every other free agent is either older and have to prove they should be extended. The 2025 free agents might be exciting and the team could spend big considering they do not have many draft picks but the cost could be prohibitive especially for Defensive Tackles. It is going to be interesting.
Yes, the team is in very good shape.
Shout out to Capt Stubing er. Rick Spielman for some of the foundational pieces still remaining on the team. JJ, Darrisaw, and O’Neill. Bynum, Mettelus, Bradbury, and Brandel are not bad either.
https://www.vikings.com/video/training-camp-highlights-july-26-x6558
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Vikings training camp recap, Day 2: J.J. McCarthy impresses, another CB injury scare
Sam Darnold is still the Vikings’ clear-cut QB1 right now, but the biggest takeaway from Day 2 of camp at TCO Performance Center was the performance of McCarthy, the highest-drafted quarterback in franchise history. He had an impressive day, making quick decisions and ripping balls with velocity into tight windows.
For the second straight day, Darnold was solid but far from perfect. One of his other highs was a ball he layered with touch to Josh Oliver for a chunk gain, and he also connected with Jefferson a few times. There were a couple misses later on in practice, including a Griffin interception and a ball that was just out of Jefferson’s reach.
Another CB injury scare
For a moment, it looked like the Vikings may have lost another of their top cornerbacks to a serious injury. Griffin jumped a route for an interception — though to be fair to Darnold, there were flags on the play that may have been on the defense — and then went down while running with the ball. He was evaluated by medical personnel on the sideline and didn’t return to practice, but it doesn’t appear to be anything serious. Griffin was seen walking fine under his own power after practice.
* Akayleb Evans is CB3 in the wake of Blackmon’s injury. He was working with the first-team defense all day. After Griffin left, Duke Shelley slid into the nickel spot and Murphy went out wide. Andrew Booth Jr. also saw at least one first-team rep.
Darnold & McCarthy Create ‘Refreshing’ Environment as Vikings QBs Progress
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell is emphasizing a specific mantra this training camp:
“The process is the progress.”
It’s a theme that especially shows up in the quarterbacks room, where four players are demonstrating mutual respect and a shared desire for growth and development as they compete.
“I believe I said at the end of the spring, Sam was the No. 1 quarterback. He had taken a lot of the reps and most of the reps with the 1s. Sam had a great spring,” O’Connell noted. “J.J. came in here after being drafted and had a really productive spring, as well. So my message to those is, ‘I want a really competitive situation.’ “
He added that Darnold will continue receiving the majority of his reps with the first-team offense, but McCarthy may also get his opportunities with that group.
“But also, it’s about the quality as much as the volume of those reps throughout camp, to really continue to holistically attack this quarterback development program and process for J.J.,” O’Connell said. “That doesn’t mean the expectation is that Sam doesn’t have a process, either. We’ve got individualized plans for all our guys, and where that depth chart falls for our first game? We get a whole lot of time on the grass and three preseason opportunities, two joint practices, to really work through exactly where each guy is.
“I also don’t want J.J. to feel like he’s got any kind of preset ceiling – or floor – to where he’s at,” O’Connell later said. “He’s had a great offseason and a great summer leading into this. He’s ready to go [for camp]. Sam got off to a really great start in the spring, and I’m looking forward to him to really take that momentum and start running.”
Matthew Coller: After signing new deal, Vikings star Darrisaw looks to find his voice
The Vikings’ left tackle is so soft spoken that he has flown under the radar as one of the best players at his position in the NFL. Despite ranking No. 2 in 2022 and No. 6 in 2023 among all tackles by PFF, he didn’t get a Pro Bowl nod in either season.
With a four-year, $113 million contract in hand that made him the highest paid left tackle in the NFL, Darrisaw thinks it’s time to make himself heard a bit more in the huddle.
“Having that deal, guys are looking up to you and it’s special,” Darrisaw said.
“What I’ve seen from him whether it’s his interactions with a Dallas Turner in the spring of talking through pass rush with him or every once in a while, you’ll see him take some of the young tackles with [Brian O’Neill] and then they’ll be talking through technique and fundamentals, what works for them, but maybe what might be a tool for their toolbox as they grow and develop,” O’Connell said. “You’re seeing more of that mentorship role. He’s a little more vocal in the O-line room. He’s a little bit more vocal across our offensive unit.”
“If I see something, correct it,” Darrisaw said. “Let the guys know right from wrong. When we’re out there on the field someone might take a bad step or something or mess up on a play, I can go up to that guy and be like, ‘yo, this is how you do it, brush it off, we have more opportunities to attack it.’ I feel like I wasn’t doing that at first coming up in the league as a young player. Now I feel like I can be more vocal in that way.”
“Usually I let my game do the talking and stay out of the way,” Darrisaw said.
Kevin O’Connell speaks at Khyree Jackson’s funeral: ‘Thank you, Khyree’
O’Connell spoke at the funeral and told a story of how Jackson put the team first.
“I personally can tell you I tried to talk him into getting his shoulder fixed, knowing how important he was to the future of our organization,” O’Connell said before pausing for a moment to compose his emotions, “it was a decision that quite honestly most players in our league don’t think twice about. They shouldn’t, they should get it fixed, they should think about themselves and the betterment of their career and how they can be the best versions of themself. I wouldn’t have held it against him for one bit if he decided it was time to fix that shoulder, but not Khyree. He looked at me and said, ‘Nope, I can play. I have to be out there with my brothers. I would rather do what I have to do and fight through it to be there and try to help my team win.’”
“He made an impact,” O’Connell said in closing, according to People. “Thank you, Khyree, for being everything that we hoped for when we drafted you… There was just something about you that drew us closer and closer… We promise that you will be with us every step of the way.”
8 free agent cornerbacks Vikings could target after Mekhi Blackmon’s injury
Vikings instantly make Stephen Jones eat crow as Cowboys refuse to pay CeeDee Lamb
A few weeks ago, Stephen Jones told The Athletic that the Vikings don’t have anyone making $20 million per year, which made it easier for them to give superstar receiver Justin Jefferson $35 million annually, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league.
As if they heard Jones’ comment, Minnesota this week gave left tackle Christian Darrisaw a four-year extension worth $113 million an $77million guaranteed. Darrisaw’s $26 million AAV makes him the highest-paid LT in the game.
Jones brought up the Vikings’ salary cap again on Thursday. He mentioned that they aren’t paying big-money to anyone but Jefferson and that’s why they can afford him. This shows how out of touch the Joneses are with the current NFL. One would think they’d be update to date on notable happenings around the league before their annual state of the union presser.
Beyond that, Jones’ knowledge of the cap is totally erroneous.
Of the 14 teams whose quarterbacks make $40 million per year, only three don’t have another player making $20 million on a multi-year contract: the COWBOYS, Bengals and Texans. The rival Eagles lead the way with five players. There are also a handful of teams around the league that are paying two receivers $20 million annually.
How Bout Dem Cowboys?
Former Vikings LB joins front office as director of player engagement
Former Vikings linebacker Jasper Brinkley is back with the franchise, joining the front office as Minnesota’s director of player engagement. The team also announced that former Wake Forest RB Arkeem Byrd is their new assistant director of player engagement. Both new hires will work under Vikings executive director of player development Les Pico.
Some notable contract details for Vikings’ Christian Darrisaw, J.J. McCarthy
Let’s take a look at the details and structure of Christian Darrisaw’s four-year contract extension, which was reported as being worth up to $113 million (breakdowns courtesy of Spotrac and OverTheCap).
Really, it’s a four-year extension with $104 million in new money, of which $77.5 million is guaranteed. He got $43.725 million fully guaranteed at signing, which includes his $18 million signing bonus and a $22.25 million option bonus. Another $15 million becomes guaranteed next March, then another $8.375 million in both March 2026 and March 2027. Darrisaw also has $8.25 million in total roster and workout bonuses, plus a total of $9 million available in incentives from 2026-2029 based on playing time, Pro Bowl, and All-Pro nods.
It’s an advantageous deal for the Vikings because they were able to extend Darrisaw while he still had two years left on his rookie contract. He’s now under contract for the next six seasons with the following cap hits:
* 2024: $6.4M
* 2025: $10.5M
* 2026: $23.1M
* 2027: $24.8M
* 2028: $31M
* 2029: $28.4M
Darrisaw’s 2025 cap hit, which was previously around $16 million on his fifth-year option, actually went down with the way this deal was structured. By the time his biggest cap hits roll around in 2028 and 2029, the Vikings could potentially extend him again to lower those numbers. Assuming the cap continues increasing year over year, those figures may not even be that expensive for a player of his caliber.
Yore Mock
Trades:
Trade Partner: Falcons
Sent: 1:9
Received 1:21; 2:53; 2026 4th
...
PICK: 21 RND: 1 Kenneth Grant DT Michigan 6’3” 339
PICK: 53 RND: 2 Denzel Burke CB Ohio State 6’0” 193
PICK: 137 RND: 5 Jaydn Ott RB California 6’0” 210
PICK: 145 RND: 5 Jaeden Roberts OG Alabama 6’5” 316
PICK: 169 RND: 6 Alfred Collins DT Texas 6’5” 320
PICK: 195 RND: 7 CJ Daniels WR LSU 6’2” 200
PICK: 201 RND: 7 Fentrell Cypress II CB Florida State 6’0” 188
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