In a lot of ways, the Vikings pushed their chips into the middle of the table over these past couple months.

The 9-8 season was very disappointing. Former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah became the scapegoat, carrying most of the blame for the failure of a season even if there’s a pile of curious decisions to go around.

Take, for instance, the team’s skipper: Kevin O’Connell. He responded to getting walloped by the Rams with a public proclamation about needing the o-line to be sturdier. He got his wish with the additions of Donovan Jackson, Ryan Kelly (who, in fairness, was often hurt), and Will Fries. But then the top coach didn’t run the ball very much at all, only adjusting once the season was already kaput.

Part of what made that reluctance to running odd was the ongoing struggles at QB. Doesn’t running the ball make sense in those moments, especially with J.J. McCarthy being tasked with fixing his mechanics during the season? Goodness, the team knew upon drafting McCarthy that the kid found success at Michigan largely due to a great ground attack. Why not replicate a similar approach?

Coming off a Coach of the Year Award, Coach O’Connell made many befuddling moves. Minnesota’s response has nevertheless been to double down on the top coach, going all-in on him.

How the Vikings Pushed their Chips into the Middle of the Table

Now, that’s not to say that Mr. Adofo-Mensah didn’t miss the mark. Few could insist he was perfect. He didn’t secure any of Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, or Aaron Rodgers. He could have kept Nick Mullens but instead let him skedaddle for an opportunity to become a Jaguar. The broader talent that was out there in free agency was allowed to find employment essentially everywhere except Minnesota, leading to a late-April scenario where just J.J. McCarthy and Brett Rypien were options.

So, there were some issues, even with the adds of Sam Howell and Max Brosmer. McCarthy’s offseason competition was more of a coronation alongside some clunky messaging from the team that refused to acknowledge that reality.

Presumably, a major reason why Adofo-Mensah had confidence was due to his head coach. Widely regarded as a “quarterback whisperer,” Coach O’Connell was going to turn McCarthy into a franchise quarterback. Nobody expected that to be instantaneous, instead hoping for a game manager in those early weeks before improving through the season. A broad collection of factors — McCarthy getting hurt, the o-line losing a ton of snaps to injury, refusing to run, and so on — hindered what had been hoped for from the passing attack.

The Vikings didn’t cut every key decision maker. Instead, there was the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel to extract one central leader (Kwesi Adofo-Mensah) while rallying around the other (Kevin O’Connell). Since then, the Vikings have given this head coach all he could reasonably demand.

Coming back are Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Trade theories circulated around each one. With Jefferson, the thinking was that his all-world talent is being squandered; with Addison, the thinking was that he’s one more off-field issue away from putting the franchise in an extremely difficult position. They’re going to be the team’s WR1 and WR2 in 2026.

Rounding out the crew is Jauan Jennings, someone who could be the NFL’s top WR3. He’s a well-built guy who relishes blocking. So, too, is he someone who knows how to score. Inserting him into that offense beside Jefferson and Addison feels unfair to defensive backs everywhere. That’s the point, isn’t it?

Going into March, RB1 Aaron Jones and TE1 T.J. Hockenson were common cut candidates. Neither got subtracted. Instead, Rob Brzezinski found a way to make the money work, trimming their compensation along the way.

The purple cherry on top has been the signing of Kyler Murray. Getting the former Cardinal into the mix creates a scenario where the Vikings have zero excuses for not boasting a dominant offense. Sure, Murray isn’t perfect, but he’s better than most and playing for $1.3 million.

If Kevin O’Connell can’t get one of his four quarterbacks to be fantastic, then there’s a major problem in the Twin Cities.

In terms of an identity, the Vikings pushed the roster to a point where being multiple shouldn’t be a problem.

Look for O’Connell to construct a high-flying, nightmare-inducing juggernaut of an offense that carves up a secondary. All of the firepower insists that’s where this thing is going. Or, at least, where it needs to go.

Note, as well, that Max Bredeson got added to help the Vikings play bully ball. So was Demond Claiborne hired to give the ground attack a home-run hitter. The versatile, tough FB alongside the three runners — Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, and Demond Claiborne — are meant to ensure Kevin O’Connell has no excuse.

Oh, and then there’s the offensive line. The tackle tandem of Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill is the envy of most of the NFL. Donovan Jackson and Will Fries have the potential to be very good. The center position does have questions, but there is a sturdy amount of competition. The combo of Ryan Van Demark and Caleb Tiernan ensures the depth is formidable, guarding against a sunk offense if injuries hit again.

Kevin O’Connell has coached the Minnesota Vikings since 2022. His side of the ball has finished 8th, 22nd, 9th, and 26th in points per game, coinciding perfectly with the health of the passers (as O’Connell is quick to point out). The back-and-forth nature of things needs to get solved, especially since the good years still involved getting walloped in the playoffs as the offense proved unable to rise to the challenge of playoff football.

In rallying around Kevin O’Connell, a gamble is being made. Supporting that approach has been a robust effort to build the roster in a certain way, collecting an embarrassment of riches for the offense.

No time like the present to have an elite crew that becomes the reason the Vikings experience real success.