Despite rebuilding, Minnesota Vikings have a surprisingly old team. Is that a problem?

The Minnesota Vikings are in the third year of their competitive rebuild under general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah with this season having the lowest expectations of thre three. That competitive rebuild has seen the Vikings turn over the roster over the past three years to the tune of just 10 players from the 2021 season are still on the roster.

Even with that fact, the Vikings are shockingly old. They are the second-oldest team in the National Football League at 27.2 years old. That is a high number for a team in a competitive rebuild.

Is the Minnesota Vikings high average age a problem?

That's the million dollar question. Even though the age is a high number, is it something to worry about? Honestly, not really.

When you take a look at the roster construction, Harrison Smith is 35, Stephon Gilmore is 33 and C.J. Ham is 31. They also have 10 total players at or over the age of 30. It also doesn't help that long snapper Andrew DePaola is 37 years old.

One of the intriguing elements for the Vikings concerning their age is how many players they have with four or more years of experience. They are tied for third in the NFL at 33.

There arek two other factors here. The Vikings have been drafting older players due to the COVID-19 eligibility rules, as there have been much older classes than other years, especially when you get into the later rounds. The other factor is the Vikings have some older depth players. David Quessenberry is the swing tackle at 34 years old while backups Jihad Ward, Kamu Grugier-Hill, Fabian Moreau and Dan Feeney are all 30 years old. Those reserve spots are often given to younger players but the Vikings have expeience in stead.

Is it a big deal that the Vikings are older? Not really, especially when you consider the youngest team in the NFL is just two years younger. Plus, players like Justin Jefferson, Christian Darrisaw, Dallas Turner and Jordan Addison are all 25 or under and both T.J. Hockenson and Jonathan Greenard are under the age of 30. The core of the team is young and that's what matters.

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