The Minnesota Vikings are in an interesting situation, as they’re coming off a season in which they missed the playoffs, but they have a talented offense and an intriguing incoming rookie quarterback in J.J. McCarthy.
Their biggest weapon on offense is wide receiver Justin Jefferson, and one could make an argument that he’s the best player at his position in the NFL.
Jefferson is entering the final year of his contract, yet general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah doesn’t sound worried about coming to an agreement with him on an extension, per The Purple Persuasion on Twitter.
“I will say that, yeah, I don’t view this as stressful at all, and I don’t personally think there’s going to be a bad ending. Obviously, you get to this place where you get talking about a unique talent, a unique player, a unique competitor, and an organization that wants to make right by him,” the GM was quoted as saying.
Jefferson was slowed by a hamstring injury last season, but he still managed to go over the 1,000-yard mark despite playing in just 10 games.
He did finish second in receiving yards per game with 107.4, behind only Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins.
Minnesota’s season was torpedoed by the Achilles injury to quarterback Kirk Cousins in late October, and weeks ago, Cousins left in free agency to join the Atlanta Falcons.
Now the hope is that McCarthy, who was arguably the most intriguing QB prospect in this year’s draft, will be good right out of the gate, which would likely make Minnesota competitive again.
In addition to Jefferson, they have wideout Jordan Addison, who had an excellent rookie year in 2023, plus star tight end T.J. Hockenson.
But the rest of the NFC has gotten better, and in particular, the NFC North could be a battle, which will likely complicate the Vikings’ efforts to return to the playoffs and do something significant there.
