Mandatory Minicamp is getting underway today. It will be nice to read all the reports about who the players look in practice especially JJ McCarthy. At the same time there is another cornerback available which will not cost a draft pick. Is Jaire Alexander worth it? Will he sign here? The snaps are going to be less than expected unless he wins a starting job. Okudah and Blackmon probably want as many snaps as possible. Competition is a good thing though. I just wonder is it will be attractive to Alexander since he would be playing for a new contract next year. He needs snaps to get a new deal. Perhaps the fans are more worried about it then Flores and company?
The next organized team activites.
The schedule is ...
Mandatory Minicamp: June 10-12
OTAs: June 16-18
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Schrager: J.J. McCarthy under more pressure than Caleb Williams in ‘25
Both quarterbacks appear to have quality infrastructures around them. McCarthy has a more proven roster and coaching staff to work with, but Williams was the higher pick who already has a year of starting experience under his belt. An interesting question that came up on ESPN’s Get Up on Monday is this: Which of the two is under more pressure in 2025?
Peter Schrager went with McCarthy.
“We’re focusing so much on Caleb this offseason and we’re just assuming that everything is fine in Minnesota, and because O’Connell and Kwesi decided to put their faith in J.J. McCarthy, that we know that this team is gonna be just as good as they were a year ago,” Schrager said. “Minnesota has everything you could want there already, it’s just plug and play. Caleb Williams, you’re asking him to learn a new coach, a new offensive coordinator, an entirely new skill set of players.”
Dan Orlovsky pushed back on that take.
“It’s really hard as a quarterback to do all that and not have the people than to do it with the people,” he said. “They (Chicago) got the people. I’ll go back to, when Sean McVay went to LA, it was like ‘oh, Jared Goff doesn’t stink.’ When Mike McDaniel went to (Miami) it was like ‘oh man, Tua can play.’ And so now, there’s not gonna be any grace (for Caleb Williams)... You have one of the hottest offensive minds in football. You’re gonna have a top-ten offensive line. You’ve got first-round pick, second-round pick, first-round pick, first-round pick at perimeter player. This is a place where a quarterback who is as talented as Caleb...”
“Sam Darnold won 14 games last year and they’re like we’re good, we got another guy,” Schrager interjected.
“But here’s the thing,” Orlovsky responded. “They will be! I love J.J. McCarthy. It’s the easiest place to go play quarterback. You should go play well there. If you’re worth a salt, you should go play well in Minnesota.”
Vikings reportedly passed on Rodgers for ‘three year window’ with J.J. McCarthy
ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler was on SportsCenter Sunday, talking about Rodgers officially signing with Pittsburgh, and he dropped an interesting factoid about the rumors connecting him to Minnesota.
“Rodgers definitely had interest in playing for the Vikings. He was looking at playing for one of those elite type play callers, like Kevin O’Connell, but the Vikings plan is clear for what I’m told, they saw this as a three year window right now to win a championship with a really good quarterback they like on a rookie deal that can build around them with some pieces,” Fowler said. “They’re going to go for it, without Rodgers officially, now.”
Should Vikings pursue newly-released Packers corner Jaire Alexander?
If there’s one thing this scary-looking Vikings defense still needs, it’s another quality starting cornerback — a veteran who can raise the floor and ceiling at a position group that’s currently Minnesota’s most glaring non-quarterback question mark. If that player is a star, even better. That’s why we wrote last week that the Vikings should look to trade for Jalen Ramsey.
Alexander feels like the exact kind of player the Vikings should go after, even if there’s plenty of risk involved. He was a Pro Bowler and second team All-Pro in 2020 and 2022. He’s earned PFF coverage grades above 77 in five of the last six seasons. He has 70 career passes defended and 12 interceptions (plus three more if you include playoffs). If he’s healthy, he could be a perfect fit in Brian Flores’ defense, joining Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, and Theo Jackson as the final piece of what would potentially be an incredible secondary.
Of course, the health aspect has to be brought up. Over the last four seasons, Alexander has played in exactly half of the Packers’ regular season games (34 of 68) due to various injuries (shoulder, back, quad, knee). He also missed a few games as a rookie and in his final season at Louisville in 2017. His difficulty staying on the field has somewhat derailed an otherwise outstanding career. Packers president Mark Murphy said candidly on Monday that the team is used to being without Alexander, whose release frees up $17 million in cap space for Green Bay this year.
New Vikings DT named as ‘under-the-radar star’ for 2025
Do the Vikings have an “under-the-radar star” on their roster this year? There are several names who could fit that mold, from ascending younger players to former Pro Bowlers who have maybe been overlooked a bit due to recent injuries.
CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell, in picking a player for the Vikings to fall under that title, went with defensive tackle Javon Hargrave.
Between 2021 and 2023, Hargrave recorded 25.5 sacks. That was tied with Aaron Donald for the second-most among defensive tackles, trailing only Chris Jones. Hargrave also had 170 pressures during that span and earned a PFF pass rush grade above 87 each year. Among interior defensive linemen to play at least 500 snaps in those seasons, here’s where his grade ranked:
2021: 91.5 (2nd out of 68)
2022: 90.8 (3rd out of 62)
2023: 87.2 (4th out of 67)
Note: Hargrave is likely to play very well because he knows the Vikings can save 1M in cap space next year if they release or trade him before June 1st
Vikings Predicted to Part Ways $21 Million Pass Catcher
KSTP’s Darren Wolfson reported that Oliver, entering the final year of his three-year, $21 million contract, is content with reaching free agency while he and the Vikings have not found common ground on an extension.
“I think, at this point, Josh Oliver hits unrestricted free agency next March, which my understanding, is he would be okay with,” Wolfson said on a June 5 appearance on SKOR North.
Wolfson did not discount the possibility that Oliver returns, however, the Vikings appear to be taking a similar stance with Oliver as they have with past pending free agents and allowing them to test the market.
Oliver, who turned 28 in March, may like to strike one more major contract in the peak of his athletic prime.
“He’s moved around already. He sure likes it here, he is banking on himself having a good year this year, then being in a position to sign a third contract, maybe even back here. But not signing a contract extension like before training camp. I don’t think that is happening unless things change. But right now, in the moment, no movement on the Josh Oliver front.”
Josh Oliver (84) is such a valuable part of the Vikings' offense and it probably doesn't get talked about enough.
9-110-1 receiving line over the last two weeks while also being maybe the best run-blocking tight end in football. A remarkable athlete at 6'5", 260. pic.twitter.com/vDwISoW3OM
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) November 12, 2024
The Vikings have one of the deepest tight-end rooms in the NFL with T.J. Hockenson and Oliver landing on the Pro Football Focus (PFF) top 32 tight end rankings.
While Hockenson landed at No. 6 on PFF’s list, Oliver was surprisingly praised for his role as a run-blocker, ranking at No. 21.
“If there were a fantasy football league that prioritized run blocking, Oliver would be one of the first off the board,” PFF’s John Kosko wrote on May 29. “His 76.5 PFF run-blocking grade over the past two seasons ranks second at the position, behind George Kittle, and his 77.2 PFF overall grade ranks eighth.”
While Hockenson is under contract through the 2027 season, the Vikings are prepared to fill a run-blocking role at tight end, drafting Gavin Bartholomew in the sixth round of this year’s draft.
According to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Jordan Addison, who played two seasons with Bartholomew at Pitt, “lit up” when asked about Bartholomew.
“[Addison’s] not the loudest guy in the room, I would say, but he’s an incredible personality and funny, once you get to know him. But we asked him about Gavin, and he lit up,” Adofo-Mensah said in a post-draft news conference. “Before he even said words, you could see in his demeanor and the smile on his face.”
Vikings Get Encouraging News From Latest NFL QB Shakeup
The more playing time Jones sees with the Colts, the better the Vikings are set up to gain a valuable compensatory pick for rostering him last season. Minnesota has landed third-round compensatory picks each of the past two years after Kirk Cousins and Darnold ultimately signed lucrative contracts elsewhere.
Vikings EDGE Dallas Turner remains a controversial player for reasons outside of his control, including a major misunderstanding
When the Vikings selected Turner, it was viewed as a coup. Now, it was an expensive coup to get the ninth-ranked player on the consensus board by trading up to 17th overall. Despite the excitement about Turner, he’s already being prematurely called a bust after just one season.
One of the main reasons why the Vikings took Turner over Jared Verse and Chop Robinson was his ability to drop into coverage. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores loves to have players who can do a little bit of everything, giving him the ability to maximize confusion for the opposing quarterback.
The one thread that links all those plays together is simple: His explosiveness metrics were at an elite level coming out of Alabama.
Bad journalism examples!!!!
Vikings Use Trade Chip to Reunite With Former Super Bowl Champion
“BREAKING: The Vikings have traded a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick to the [New Orleans] Saints in exchange for Cam Akers and a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick,” The Daily Norseman reported via its X account.
Marcus Davenport returns to Minnesota Vikings and brings Super Bowl-winning aura back to the locker room
Marcus Davenport’s return to the Minnesota Vikings is more than just a homecoming; it is a strategic move that infuses the team with the invaluable experience of a Super Bowl champion. His presence in the locker room is set to inspire and elevate a squad hungry for success.
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