With that, here are some quick good news/bad news bullet points of the 2024 campaign:
Good news: The Vikings appear to have gotten it right with the head coach hire in Kevin O’Connell. He’s the only Vikes coach in franchise history to have multiple seasons of 13 or more wins.
Bad news: In his three seasons at the helm, O’Connell has guided his club to the postseason twice, going “one and done” both times.
Good news: Through the first 16 games of the 2024 regular season, QB Sam Darnold lived up to the hype that resulted in his being the #3 overall draft pick in 2018. His borderline MVP performance was projected to land him a free agent contract in the neighborhood of 4 years, $220 million.
Bad news: The ’24 regular season finale and Monday’s playoff game show why he was written off after his first few seasons. Those awful performances also likely cost him nearly nine figures in guaranteed money.
Good news: The Vikings have identified their franchise quarterback, having selected JJ McCarthy #10 overall in the 2024 draft.
Bad news: The club may take a step back in the early part of next year due to McCarthy having zero experience playing in an NFL regular season.
Good news: The expectations were absurdly low for the Vikings coming into this season, but they proved they have legit talent all over the roster.
Bad news: They’re still woefully deficient on the interior offensive line (a decade-plus problem) and red zone running game.
Good news: The Vikings should be able to adequately shore up their weaknesses given they have nearly $70 million in salary cap space going into the offseason.
Bad news: They can't miss on any of the free agent signings since their 2025 draft capital is scarce. As of right now they possess merely three picks (first round selection and two fifth rounders).
Good news: Even with little salary cap flexibility last offseason (they had a $25 million dead cap hit from Kirk Cousins’ contract), the Vikings shored up their defense with the acquisitions of pass rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel (both Pro Bowl selections) as well as LB Blake Cashman. As a result, they allowed the fifth fewest points in 2024.
Bad news: With the D’s stellar performance, this may well result in the unit’s architect, Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores, being hired as a head coach elsewhere.
Good news: With stud WR Justin Jefferson locked into a long-term contract extension and the temptation removed to retain Darnold, people can finally STFU about either Jefferson or McCarthy being traded.
Bad news: These same trade speculation idiots are now glomming onto a report of teams inquiring about a trade for coach O’Connell.
On to 2025!
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