In just a few weeks, Americans will take part in the tradition known as “Black Friday.” While the unofficial holiday doesn’t have the Target fist fights or human stampedes it has produced in the past, many are still willing to partake from the comfort of their homes, dropping an average of over $650 as they look to get a head start on their Christmas list.
The Minnesota Vikings haven’t been chasing a Turbo Man doll these days, but they know a thing or two about spending big. The Vikings spent over $300 million in free agency last spring, and fans have received their 4-5 record like a pair of cheap socks.
With tensions boiling over and the season reaching a must-win stage as the Chicago Bears come to town on Sunday, many want to know why this team hasn’t reached the expectations that they established at the beginning of the season. The truth is that the Vikings have been carrying their debts for years, and the bill has finally come due this season.
Some Vikings fans may know the feeling. Their nephew wants a Justin Jefferson jersey, but the overpriced screen-printed one won’t do. They want the authentic $350 one with a $50 pair of receiving gloves.
If you’re the fun uncle of the family, you’re left with two options. You can tell them to ask Santa, or you can toss it on the credit card. The latter makes you the Christmas hero Clark Griswold dreamed of being, but it also comes with a massive bill that you eventually must pay.
Looking at the 2025 Vikings, Santa had a full lap around them. Kevin O’Connell wanted to develop a young quarterback. The Wilfs wanted a team that was “super competitive.” If they didn’t get what they wanted, they were about to start screaming like a kid getting hauled out of a Toys R Us for bad behavior, and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was in the middle of it.
Unfortunately, the spending had already begun. Adofo-Mensah was tasked with helping the 2022 team do under O’Connell what they couldn’t with Mike Zimmer. While the Vikings completed that goal with a 13-win season, it also came at the cost of their draft class. Out of the 10-player class, only Jalen Nailor and Ty Chandler remain, and the trend didn’t stop there.
Jordan Addison and Jay Ward are the only players remaining from the 2023 class. The 2024 class is trending in the wrong direction unless J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner shake off their early-career doldrums, and Donovan Jackson is the only rookie getting consistent playing time from this year’s draft class.
With a dearth of young talent, the Vikings had to go to the free-agent bin this season. People have focused on disappointing signings of Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, and Will Fries. Still, it wasn’t just money Minnesota was charging to this metaphorical credit card.
In 2023, the Vikings kicked more of their costs down the road. When Kirk Cousins got hurt, Minnesota traded for Joshua Dobbs. His tenure probably put some “Passtronaut” shirts under the tree, but the seven-win campaign likely cost them a chance at Drake Maye.
That debt has already been paid and could become a net positive if McCarthy becomes a franchise quarterback. However, the 2024 Vikings charged the credit card like they were on a rage bender.
McCarthy’s injury pushed his development back a year, allowing Sam Darnold to have a full, uninterrupted season as the team’s starter. While Darnold led the team to 14 wins, he also benefited from a soft schedule and a team that barely had any significant injuries on the way to a playoff berth.
That success drove fans’ expectations through the roof, but there were things they didn’t consider. Some saw McCarthy as Daunte Culpepper 2.0, a quarterback who led the Vikings to the NFC Championship game after sitting out his rookie season. While the Vikings thought they had the infrastructure in place, several players regressed, making this look more like the 2018 team than the one Culpepper took in 2000.
Culpepper also had a full year of practice during his rookie season in 1999, while McCarthy spent his rehabbing from a major injury. Though he did all the mental exercises, things like footwork, decision-making, and game speed were still a work in progress.
The final blow was all of the injuries the Vikings have suffered along the way. McCarthy’s sprained ankle was a stroke of bad luck. Still, injuries to several players over the age of 30, including Aaron Jones, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Ryan Kelly, probably should have been seen coming.
Mix in a tougher schedule, a 10-day trip to Europe, and a fan base that is throwing a fit worthy of waiting in line for a mall Santa, and the Vikings couldn’t have been in more debt if Repo Man showed up at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Maybe paying the bill will make the Vikings more responsible, building a nucleus of young players, and accepting that it will take time for McCarthy to be the quarterback they’re hoping for. However, their patience is also running out, making it curious to see if they’ll run up their tab the next time they come to spend.