Sports
3 Offseason Decisions the Vikings Absolutely Got Right
The first mighty domino has fallen in the Minnesota Vikings’ offseason, as the main part of free agency is over. Of course, Minnesota didn’t do much in the first couple of days, until it netted its big-fish quarterback from the Arizona Cardinals.
Minnesota has made a few sharp moves already, with April still on deck.
The offseason still has a long way to go, but here are the best decisions to date, and they’re not too controversial.
Three Early Calls Already Strengthened Minnesota’s Outlook
Next stop? The draft in less than six weeks.
1. Retaining Brian Flores
Had Flores walked — the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers interviewed for then-vacant head coaching jobs — the Vikings would’ve started from scratch on defense during the Kyler Murray seasons. Keeping him paved the way for Minnesota to contend for the Super Bowl in 2026.
Flores’s defense became the driving force behind Minnesota’s 2025 campaign, propelling them to nine wins after a rocky 4–8 start. This resurgence was largely due to Flores’s scheme, which consistently manufactured pressure, created confusion, and generated favorable field position.
The overall statistics underscore Flores’s impact. Over the past two seasons, Minnesota led the NFL in EPA per play allowed. In 2025 alone, Flores’ unit ranked third in EPA/Play, trailing only the Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans.
Flores’ coaching performance in Minnesota is impressive, as evidenced by the following rankings:
- 1st in Pass Rush Win Rate
- 2nd in Yards Allowed
- 3rd in Defense DVOA
- 3rd in EPA/Play
- 4th in Defensive 3rd-Down Conversion Percentage
- 7th in Points Allowed
The results speak volumes, and Minnesota rewarded Flores for the turnaround with a $6 million-per-year extension, signaling the team’s belief that his defense is crucial to their future success.
The newfound Murray-infused momentum would be tainted without Flores back in the saddle.
2. Firing Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
In four drafts, the Vikings only truly hit on about 5-6 rookies: Jordan Addison, Will Reichard, Dallas Turner, Jalen Nailor, Levi Drake Rodriguez, and perhaps Donovan Jackson.
The verdict is still out on these men (or the verdict is just plain bad):
- Brian Asamoah
- Gavin Bartholomew
- Mekhi Blackmon
- Andrew Booth
- Ty Chandler
- Lewis Cine
- Akayleb Evans
- Tai Felton
- Jaren Hall
- Ed Ingram
- Kobe King
- Vederian Lowe
- DeWayne McBride
- J.J. McCarthy
- Nick Muse
- Esezi Otomewo
- Jaquelin Roy
That’s about roughly a 20% success rate if the person counting is in a generous mood, calling Jackson and Drake Rodriguez hits.
The success rate was not conducive to Super Bowl team-building. And when Adofo-Mensah swung and missed on expensive free agents like Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen last offseason, well, the roster aged rather quickly and became less formidable.
What’s more, that’s all on top of letting Sam Darnold leave in free agency for a Lombardi trophy in Seattle. Adofo-Mensah had too many curiously bad decisions, on top of a dreadful draft record, to keep his job.
Minnesota needed a change, if only to give someone more competent a chance to draft players. The draft is the only place in sports for teams to get players for free.
3. Signing Kyler Murray for $1.3 Million
Across a 17-game sample, Murray averages about 4,000 passing yards, 600 rushing yards, and 30 total touchdowns, along with the fifth-most accurate completion percentage in NFL history.
Yeah, the Vikings got that guy for cheaper than a long snapper’s contract.
Murray grew up as a Vikings fan, so it wasn’t difficult to woo him. Ultimately, though, Minnesota landed the perfect guy to partner with J.J. McCarthy this season, and a two-time Pro Bowler at that. The NFL considered Murray the single-hottest quarterback prospect in the world seven years ago; now that guy plays for the Vikings.
ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss on Murray to Minnesota: “Murray has a ton to prove. His time in Arizona was unfulfilled from both production and win standpoints. He has heard all the criticism over the years that he’s too small or runs too much or doesn’t run enough or can’t win the big games ÿ and he’s ready to show the rest of the NFL that he can, indeed, be a productive quarterback.”
“Losing as much as he has — 38-48-1 in seven NFL seasons — hasn’t been easy on Murray. Although he has become accustomed to the fact that losing is part of the NFL, he never got used to the act of losing. Murray wants to play for a team where he can win quickly and believe he has the infrastructure — on the field and organizationally — to do that, according to a source.”
Minnesota pulled off an offseason masterclass by getting Murray for the league’s version of free. It’s actually unbelievable that cosmos allowed Murray to shimmy to Kevin O’Connell’s team.
