ESPN Not Sold on the Minnesota Vikings for Next Three Seasons

The Minnesota Vikings have been very calculated this offseason. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has had to make some tough decisions that will likely alter the course of his tenure in Minnesota. Adofo-Mensah finally cut the cord on the Kirk Cousins saga , let a top long-standing Vikings’ edge rusher leave in free agency , while also spending future draft capital to land first-round rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy and edge rusher Dallas Turner .

Most realistic Minnesota Vikings’ fans likely would agree that the 2024 NFL season isn’t the end-all-be-all for this team. It’s a soft reboot year that could still land the Vikings in the playoff contention. What is clear… the Minnesota Vikings are preparing to be relevant for years to come. But why doesn’t ESPN see that?

Minnesota Vikings’ future power ranking is projected bottom third in NFL

According to Dan Graziano , Louis Riddick , and Aaron Schatz of ESPN, they have the Minnesota Vikings ranked 21st in their future power rankings for the 2024-2026 NFL seasons. This 21st ranking equivalates to a 77.2 composite score which is considered “average”.

Reason for hope for the Minnesota Vikings

Coach Kevin O’Connell appears to be another young star in the coaching ranks, as he was able to deftly dance through quarterback-injury raindrops for most of last season. Justin Jefferson might be the best receiver in the league — and he’s now signed long term — and 2023 first-rounder Jordan Addison shows all kinds of promise opposite him. So a lot comes down to quarterback J.J. McCarthy , but he’s in a good situation to develop quickly

Dan Graziano ( ESPN )

The initial future power ranking may rub some Vikings’ fans the wrong way, but Graziano does offer some positivity on why there is hope for this team. McCarthy is young and has a whole future ahead of him. Having some of the best offensive talent and coaching around him is a good situation to have for McCarthy to develop quickly.

Reason for concern for the Minnesota Vikings

It remains to be seen whether the defense can take a significant step in its growth toward becoming a title-contending unit. It continued to struggle to generate consistent pressure on the QB last season (21st in sacks per pass attempt at 6.4%, 18th in PRWR at 40.3%), and it didn’t force turnovers enough to impact football games (minus-12 turnover differential, 30th in the NFL). Coordinator Brian Flores will be relied on to hasten the development of first-round pass rusher Dallas Turner .

Louis Riddick ( ESPN )

Although Graziano noted some positivity for the Minnesota Vikings, Riddick took the opposite approach expressing major concerns on the defensive side of the ball. The facts are legitimate, but at the same time, it was year one under defensive coordinator Brian Flores and the defense stockpiled injuries late in the season.

Minnesota Vikings’ outlook for 2024-2026

Nobody can predict the future. Could this assessment by ESPN be correct? Sure it can, but there’s a reason why the games need to be played.

Related: 6 Vikings Training Camp Battles that Matter in 2024

It is clear that the the Minnesota Vikings’ organization isn’t going “all-in” on the 2024 season. They may have a down year this season, but the 2025 and 2026 NFL seasons look very optimistic. They’ll have financial flexibility for the first time in what seems like forever. As long as McCarthy develops into the quarterback everyone thinks he can be, the sky is the limit for this team for the foreseeable future.

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• Thibs Might be the Only Obstacle Blocking a Karl-Anthony Towns Trade to New York

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