Picture it: Ham in sweats, headset strapped on, coaching up young backs on the sideline like he’s been auditioning for the job all summer. He’s never been the rah-rah type in uniform, but suddenly he’s Mr. Clipboard? This isn’t rehab. This is a trial run for the next phase of his career.
Houston shows up Saturday afternoon to see if the foundation is as wobbly as it looks on paper.
So here we go. Game 1 of the Preseason of Prayer. QB1 J.J. McCarthy gets the start. The hype machine is revved up. The fanbase is ready. And the Vikings are rolling the dice with a rookie quarterback, a patchwork roster, and a hope-filled shrug. It’s a very Vikings thing to do.
The Wilfs — and let’s just call it like it is — chose not to invest in your prime. They picked the cheaper path, then wrapped it in branding and buzzwords and Kevin O’Connell’s “quarterback lab” fantasy. You’re now the face of a franchise that seems more focused on optics than outcome.
Are the Wilfs actually in this to win? Because if you strip away the branding, the marketing jargon, and the empty optimism, the facts paint a troubling picture: the ownership group is acting like financial strategists, not football visionaries.
EAGAN — You can slap a fresh coat of purple optimism on it, you can flood the team site with highlight reels and slo-mo cutups of third-stringers catching wobblers in shorts, but make no mistake — this Vikings camp ain’t a reload. It’s a teardown in denial. And the folks
Let’s start with the truth no one in Eagan will say out loud: the Wilf family doesn’t want to spend real money on a starting quarterback. Not this year. Not when they can pitch a rookie lottery ticket, cash in on “development” buzz, and pocket the difference.
But let’s not pretend McCarthy walked into this job. The Vikings didn’t sign a bridge quarterback to block him — they didn’t even really try. They rolled the dice on him winning the job by default, not dominance. And in 2025, that might be enough.
But the NFL might still have its say. Under the league’s personal conduct policy, a suspension — possibly three games — could be in the cards, regardless of how the case played out in court.
So buckle up, Minnesota. Stock the fridge. Keep the jumper cables handy. And get ready to add one more page to our scrapbook of heartbreak. Because odds are, by next January we’ll be saying the same old line we’ve polished to perfection: “Hey, at least it’s almost Twins season.”
The Vikings open with rookies reporting July 20, veterans following on July 22, and practices heating up shortly after. A pair of joint sessions with the Patriots and three preseason games in August will accelerate evaluations ahead of final roster cuts.
By HOWIE HANSON Let’s talk blunt truths about the Minnesota Vikings. This team — entering 2025 on the fragile hopes pinned to an untested rookie quarterback — is about to find out whether it can pound out victories the old-fashioned way. Because for all the modern spread concepts and glitzy route
"All I've told Christian is, 'Let's worry about that when it's time to worry about that, and all you can control is the here and now, and just continue to set weekly goals,' that he is crushing in a really positive way." -- Kevin O'Connell on Christian Darrisaw, who is rehabbing from a knee injury
By Lindsey Young Josh Oliver is stickin' around a while. The Vikings on Tuesday announced they have agreed to terms with Oliver on a three-year extension to keep the tight end in Purple through the 2028 season. During the 2024 season, Oliver posted single-season career highs in receiving yards
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