Souhan: Vikings’ offseason moves need to start with QB, defensive coordinator

The most important figure in an NFL offense is the quarterback.

The most important figure in an NFL defense is the coordinator.

After a festive end to the regular season at U.S. Bank Stadium — a victory over the Packers in which the Vikings celebrated the seemingly imminent retirements of Harrison Smith and C.J. Ham — reality is about to set in.

The Vikings don’t yet know who their 2026 quarterback and defensive coordinator will be.

J.J. McCarthy hasn’t finished a game since Dec. 14.

While both sides have been diplomatic, defensive coordinator Brian Flores is without a contract.

How the Vikings add to their quarterback room, and whether they re-sign Flores, will be the two biggest stories of the winter.

All they need is …

Another quarterback, either to compete with McCarthy, or to back him up. Finding just the right player will be difficult, as was proven this season, when they tried out Sam Howell, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer and missed the playoffs because none of them were good enough.

A center. Ryan Kelly is an outstanding player when healthy, but he should retire rather than risk another concussion or three.

A healthy Christian Darrisaw. Maybe being another season removed from his knee surgery will make him feel more comfortable playing on a weekly basis. That would help, since he’s probably the second-best player on the team.

A tight end like T.J. Hockenson. That might be Hockenson returning to the form he showed in 2022 and 2023, or it might be someone replacing Hockenson, who has had two poor seasons in a row.

The Bears invested heavily in their running game and won the division. The Packers rely heavily on power runner Josh Jacobs, and they made the playoffs. The Lions have the best back in the division in Jahmyr Gibbs, who made them Super Bowl contenders the previous two seasons before they fell out of contention because they didn’t run the ball as well.

The Vikings need to run the ball better and more often. They planned to do so this season but didn’t. In 2024, with Sam Darnold performing at a high level as quarterback, the Vikings ran the ball 45% of the time. In 2025, with three different quarterbacks mostly struggling, the Vikings ran the ball 46% of the time (if you round up.)

More from their 2025 class of veteran free agents. The Vikings invested heavily in defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, then watched the undrafted Jalen Redmond outperform both of them.

More Harry. It would be difficult for Smith to return after the Vikings put on such a great farewell party for him, but he should play the Favre card — let the Vikings chase him when they realize early in training camp that they desperately need him. Smith would get to skip most of camp, get a big check and help the franchise he loves.

A better version of Jordan Addison. He dropped too many passes and was far too unproductive for a former first-round draft pick. He needs an offseason in which he doesn’t run afoul of the law, and a regular season in which he plays like a true No. 2 receiver.

A good draft. This roster needs an infusion of young talent. Dallas Turner and Donovan Jackson appear to be on their way to nice careers, but they could use some help in propping up an old roster.

Linebacker health. Just because the Vikings have depth at linebacker doesn’t mean they don’t need injury luck at that position. If they could have Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Turner, Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson healthy at the same time, they could play all kinds of mind games with quarterbacks and offensive coordinators.