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6 Vikings Who May Be Playing Their Final Year in Minnesota

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T.J. Hockenson runs after a catch against Falcons safety Billy Bowman Jr.
Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) carries the ball after a reception while defended by Atlanta Falcons safety Billy Bowman Jr. (33) during second-half action on September 14, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Hockenson’s ability to gain yards after the catch remained central to Minnesota’s passing attack as the Vikings worked to establish offensive rhythm. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images.

There have been many changes to the Vikings’ roster this offseason, but here, let’s fast forward a year and look at what might be in store for us.

Veteran Vikings Facing High-Stakes 2026 Campaigns

The futures of head coach Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores could well come under scrutiny again, depending on how the 2026 season goes. However, here I am just looking at players, particularly players who have had or could have this season, important roles on the team, and are due to hit free agency next year.

There is a case to be made that these players should be allowed to leave when that happens.

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Brian O’Neill

We start with the big name and the most difficult to replace should he move on: Brian O’Neill. The stalwart right tackle has sured up the right side of the Vikings’ offensive line for the past eight seasons since being drafted in the second round of the 2018 draft by Minnesota.

I don’t expect O’Neill’s play to drop off a cliff suddenly, but he will be 32 next September, and recent activity shows the Vikings have been parting ways with expensive veterans and getting younger on the roster.

Vikings final season in Minnesota
Nov 24, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Brian O’Neill (75) celebrates the win after the game against the New England Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

With that in mind, do the Vikings offer O’Neill another big, multi-year contract? An extension to help solve the team’s salary cap problems was an option early in the offseason, but that wasn’t taken. O’Neill could still get one before this season starts, or they could wait and see how his ninth season with the team pans out. If he has an exceptional year, a new contract can be offered; if he has a down or injury-hit season, the team has an out. 

Blake Brandel

Blake Brandel has done everything on the Vikings OL during his five seasons with the team. He is set to start Year 6 as the team’s starting center, a position he had never played before filling in for Ryan Kelly last season. Many expected the Vikings to bring in a new starting center after Kelly confirmed his retirement, but that didn’t happen. Seventh-round rookie Gavin Gerhardt is the only new addition at the position. 

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Brandel may turn out to be a success at center, but I didn’t see much evidence of that in his time playing there last season. If the move doesn’t work out, it could spell the end of Brandel’s time in Minnesota, with Ryan Van Demark signing in free agency and Caleb Tiernan drafted in the third round, taking up his role as swing tackle/interior cover.

Jay Ward

One of the stories of the Vikings’ offseason was the potential retirement of Harrison Smith and his replacement after over a decade as the Vikings’ best safety. We still await official confirmation, but as it stands, the job could be Jay Ward’s. His development has been slow and steady, and in the last year of his rookie contract, he could be about to get his chance. He has to take it, or he will likely be out the door next year.

Ivan Pace Jr.

The rise of the undrafted Ivan Pace was one of the success stories of 2023 in Minnesota. It seems like the linebacker peaked in his rookie season, and the issues that led to his going undrafted were never fully resolved. Pace is small for the position, and despite being explosive coming downhill, he misses too many tackles.

Ivan Pace Jr. plays defense during a Vikings playoff game against the Rams.
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. (0) tracks the play and stays engaged defensively during a postseason matchup Jan 13, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, as Minnesota battles the Los Angeles Rams in an NFC Wild Card game with Pace active around the ball throughout the high-stakes playoff setting. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.

With a second-round pick spent on Jake Golday, Pace could potentially go from a former starter down to fourth choice on the depth chart. He will need to earn a new contract for next year on the field, but unless there are injuries to the players ahead of him, he might not get much of a chance.

Aaron Jones

It looked like the Vikings and Aaron Jones were set to part ways this offseason, but the two sides agreed to a reduced deal that kept Jones in Minnesota. It will be one last run for Jones with the Vikings, not about to give him a new contract for a season when he will turn 33.

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In recent years, not many RBs have been able to stay relevant on a team into their 30s, which is a great credit to Jones, but his time is running out.

T.J. Hockenson

It was a similar situation for TJ Hockenson, which points to an exit for the team’s leading tight end. However, I’d suggest that it isn’t completely set in stone, and if Hockenson can return to his best form from a couple of years ago – before his knee injury – then there should be interest in retaining his services.

T.J. Hockenson warming up at U.S. Bank Stadium before a Vikings game.
Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) loosens up on the field at U.S. Bank Stadium before kickoff against the Indianapolis Colts, preparing for action during the Nov. 3, 2024 regular season matchup in Minneapolis. Hockenson went through pregame drills as fans filtered into the building. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.

Of course, Hockenson will now have the position of strength that comes with being a pending free agent.


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Proud UK Viking. Family Man. Enjoy writing about my team. Away from football an advocate for autism acceptance.

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Rishabh Pant joins unwanted captain list, fined after LSG’s win against CSK

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IPL 2026: Rishabh Pant joins unwanted captain list, fined after LSG's win against CSK

LSG Captain Rishabh Pant (PTI photo)

Rishabh Pant has been fined INR 12 lakh after Lucknow Super Giants were found guilty of maintaining a slow over-rate during their IPL 2026 clash against Chennai Super Kings at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.As captain of the franchise, Pant is responsible for ensuring the team completes its 20 overs within the stipulated time limit. However, LSG failed to meet the required over-rate during the match, leading to disciplinary action from the IPL Governing Council.The IPL confirmed that Pant breached Article 2.22 of the tournament’s Code of Conduct, which relates to minimum over-rate offences. Since it was Lucknow’s first such offence of the season, Pant received a fine of INR 12 lakh.In an official statement, the IPL said:“Rishabh Pant, Captain, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during Match No. 59 of TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Friday.”The statement further clarified:“As this was his team’s first offence of the season under Article 2.22 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which pertains to minimum over-rate offences, Rishabh Pant was fined INR 12 lakhs.”Here’s list of captain penalised for slow-over rate in IPL 2026:

Match No. Captain Team Offence Count Penalty Amount Opponent
Match 4 Shreyas Iyer Punjab Kings First Rs 12 lakh Gujarat Titans
Match 7 Shreyas Iyer Punjab Kings Second Rs 24 lakh Chennai Super Kings
Match 14 Shubman Gill Gujarat Titans First Rs 12 lakh Delhi Capitals
Match 18 Ruturaj Gaikwad Chennai Super Kings First Rs 12 lakh Delhi Capitals
Match 20 Hardik Pandya Mumbai Indians First Rs 12 lakh Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Match 22 Ajinkya Rahane Kolkata Knight Riders First Rs 12 lakh Chennai Super Kings
Match 55 Axar Patel Delhi Capitals First Rs 12 lakh Punjab Kings
Match 56 Pat Cummins Sunrisers Hyderabad First Rs 12 lakh Gujarat Titans
Match 59 Rishabh Pant Lucknow Super Giants First Rs 12 lakh Chennai Super Kings

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Ambati Rayudu terms Akash Singh viral ‘chit’ celebration ‘rubbish’

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‘Ban these chits!’: Ambati Rayudu terms Akash Singh viral ‘chit’ celebration 'rubbish'

Akash Singh’s celebration (Image: X)

Akash Singh made an unforgettable first appearance of IPL 2026 for Lucknow Super Giants, not only because of his crucial wickets against Chennai Super Kings but also due to a unique celebration that quickly went viral during the clash at the Ekana Stadium on Friday.The left-arm pacer struck twice inside the powerplay, dismissing CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and opener Sanju Samson, before celebrating by pulling out a folded paper chit carrying a self-written message.The celebration instantly grabbed attention across social media and television broadcasts, but not everyone appeared impressed, especially former CSK batter Ambati Rayudu.Akash Singh’s celebration steals spotlightPlaying his first match of the season, Akash made an immediate impact in just his second over. He removed Gaikwad for 13 off 9 balls after the CSK captain mistimed a pull shot straight to Nicholas Pooran.Moments after the dismissal, Akash reached into his pocket, unfolded a small chit and displayed it toward the crowd and cameras. The message read:“Akki on fire – Akash knows how to take wickets in T20 game.”The celebration quickly became one of the biggest talking points of the match.Akash struck again in the sixth over when Samson, who had started cautiously, flicked a delivery straight to Mukul Choudhary in the deep. The pacer once again pulled out the same chit while celebrating with teammates. The double blow reduced CSK from 31 without loss to 36/2, handing the momentum firmly to Lucknow.

Rayudu calls celebration ‘rubbish’

The celebration quickly became a major talking point online, and former CSK batter Ambati Rayudu could not resist joining the fun during ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show.Rather than harsh criticism, Rayudu took a humorous dig at the celebration and jokingly suggested such “chits” should not be allowed on the field.“I just think that’s his manifestation. It may not go well with a lot of people, but it’s kind of funny and a bit rubbish,” Rayudu said.“I think they should ban these kind of chits, absolute nonsense. I mean, I don’t think you are supposed to bring chits into an examination hall,” he added.

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Detroit Tigers broadcasters rip MLB replay after calls are overturned: ‘This is gonna get ugly in a hurry’

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Tigers broadcaster Jason Benetti can’t believe what he’s witnessing from MLB‘s replay office.

Is someone drunk? Are the replay officials even looking at the footage that fans at home are watching? Benetti and Tigers color analyst Andy Dirks worked a game Thursday that featured two calls that ended up in the hands of officials that went in favor of the Mets, who won the game 9-4 for a three-game sweep.

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Gage Workman tagged out by Brett Baty at Citi Field during baseball game

Gage Workman of the Detroit Tigers is tagged out by Brett Baty of the New York Mets during their game at Citi Field in New York City on May 14, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

“This is going to get ugly in a hurry,” Dirks said seconds after the home-plate umpire announced that the New York office overturned a 5th inning call. To be fair, the game got ugly in the top of the 4th when Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was kicked out of the game after getting into a screaming match with the ump over a call at third base.

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The very next inning, Benetti and Dirks had seen enough. “I’ll tell you what, the Tigers have a good right to believe that something isn’t on their side right now, whether it’s the baseball gods or whatever,” Benetti added after Dirks’ comment. “The first one was ridiculous. The first one should have been safe. This one, I just don’t know that we’ve seen clear proof of anything.”

“If that one wasn’t clear proof at third, how do you have clear proof at first? I’m just beside myself with trying to understand what these rules mean and who’s got discretion of what,” Dirks fired back.

MLB maintains a page on its website where it shows multiple angles of replay challenges. Here’s the play in the 4th inning. Even the Mets booth says the Tigers runner was safe. New York replay officials didn’t see it that way. You make the call. Based on the extra footage provided by MLB, the 5th inning overturn appears to be the right call.

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To Dirks’ point, how is the fifth-inning call any different from the fourth? Watch the videos and you tell me. What’s clear is that baseball now needs to find a way to determine a definitive angle. And show fans in real time. They shouldn’t have to visit MLB’s replay archive on a nightly basis.

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PGA Championship pace of play dispute angers Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley

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After a slow first round at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia on Thursday, pace of play was a point of emphasis at the PGA Championship on Friday.

However, when an official approached Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley, they became animated.

Thomas, a longtime Team USA Ryder Cup member, and Bradley, last year’s United States captain, were on the fourth hole when they were approached by an official in a cart, and the conversation quickly turned into finger-pointing.

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Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley standing on the tenth green at Aronimink Golf Club

Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley watch from the tenth green during the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Thomas said after the round that he, Bradley and fellow USA Ryder Cupper Cameron Young, who won the Cadillac Championship earlier this month, were put on the clock, with the official telling them to pick up the pace. However, both Bradley and Thomas appeared to point at the group in front of them.

“We just didn’t really agree with it,” Thomas said, citing course conditions, high winds and tough pins. “We were behind. That wasn’t our issue… It’s just the fact that we weren’t holding up the group behind us.”

Thomas said they were caught up with the pace on the very next hole.

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Justin Thomas playing a golf shot on the 15th tee.

Justin Thomas plays his shot on the 15th tee during the second round of the PGA Championship in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)

GARRICK HIGGO SHARES BAFFLING COMMENTS WHILE REACTING TO TWO-SHOT PENALTY AT PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Thomas had a lengthy conversation with the official, while Bradley appeared to make his point short and sweet — though he was definitely not happy with the call.

It is a large PGA Championship field, with 156 golfers at the course and groups even starting their rounds on the back nine. The scores have also been rather high, with just 25 players below par at the time of publishing.

Aronimink also features a shared tee box on 1 and 10, holes 9 and 17 crossing paths, and a lengthy par-3 eighth hole that’s causing problems. Three par-3s are over 200 yards on the course, and there is also a 457-yard par 4 on the fourth.

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Keegan Bradley preparing to putt on the 14th green at Aronimink Golf Club

Keegan Bradley prepares to putt on the 14th green during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)

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As Chris Gotterup put it on Friday, “You’re not going to get any four-and-a-half hour rounds out here.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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Hum to doobe tumko bhi saath lekar doobenge

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Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 7 wickets in the 59th match of IPL 2026 on Friday, May 15, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. However, LSG remained at the bottom of the points table with eight points after playing 12 games.

After being asked to bat first, CSK managed to score 187/5 in 20 overs on the back of an anchoring knock of 71 (42) from uncapped youngster Kartik Sharma. Shivam Dube assisted him with a cameo of 32 (16), providing a blazing finish to the Super Kings in the death overs.

Dewald Brevis (25) chipped in with a breezy contribution in the middle overs. Akash Maharaj Singh stole the show for LSG in the bowling department by picking up three wickets.

Lucknow opener Mitchell Marsh then played a sensational knock of 90 (38) to set a great platform for his side in the chase. He smashed seven sixes and nine fours before departing in the 12th over after putting his side in the driver’s seat. LSG then reached the target comfortably in 16.4 overs to seal the victory.

The IPL 2026 match between CSK and LSG entertained the fans with some intriguing moments. They conveyed their reactions by sharing hilarious memes on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Here are some of the best memes related to the game:

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“Hum to doobe tumko bhi saath lekar doobenge,” an X post read.


“Sometimes you have to accept that the opposition simply played better cricket”- Ruturaj Gaikwad after CSK’s loss vs LSG in IPL 2026

At the post-match presentation, Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad reflected on the loss, saying

“I felt there was definitely something in the pitch for the fast bowlers, especially when they hit hard lengths consistently. Their bowlers executed those areas really well and made scoring difficult for us. At one stage, we were probably looking at around 160 or 170, so getting to 180 still felt like a decent effort from the batting group. Credit to their batters as well because they played some exceptional shots during the chase.”

He continued:

“Mitchell Marsh is someone who handles the short ball really well, so the plan was more about hitting those test-match lengths and forcing mistakes. There were moments where we executed well, but they also played some outstanding cricket, especially through the opening partnership. Sometimes you have to accept that the opposition simply played better cricket on the day.”


What were your top moments from this IPL 2026 match? Let us know in the comments section.