If there is good news for the Vikings coming off a disappointing 2025 season and in the early stages of what looks to be a volatile offseason, it’s that the narrative in the NFL can quickly change for the positive.
Proof? The two teams in the Super Bowl, the Patriots and Seahawks, weren’t even in the playoffs a year ago. Heck, New England only won four games in 2024.
If there’s bad news for the Vikings, it’s that they also embodied that spirit of dramatic narrative shift over the past year. Only for them it was in a negative way.
On Tuesday’s Daily Delivery podcast, Star Tribune Vikings writer Andrew Krammer and I continued the discussion of why Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired as GM on Friday, Jan. 30, and what it means going forward — particularly for head coach Kevin O’Connell and quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
At the start of today’s 10 things to know, here are a few ways in which our thinking about the Vikings has changed considerably since early 2025.
- The Vikings were 14-2 and playing for the No. 1 seed in the NFC before a blowout loss to the Lions in the 2024 regular-season finale. Sam Darnold sputtered badly in that game and in a playoff loss to the Rams, feeding two narratives: Darnold couldn’t be trusted to win a big game and the Vikings would be justified in turning the team over to McCarthy in 2025. Now Darnold is in the Super Bowl and McCarthy’s career path is in doubt.
- Part of the reason the transition to McCarthy seemed so doable was the reputation of O’Connell as a “quarterback whisperer.” But with McCarthy (and, to a lesser degree in terms of importance, Max Brosmer) struggling in extended NFL action, there are now valid questions about the development of young QBs within O’Connell’s system.
- A key reason for the Vikings’ 2024 success was the ability of Adofo-Mensah to offset bad drafts with home runs in free agency. The Vikings’ ability to compete in 2025 hinged on the same thesis and it was reasonable to think Kwesi and Co. could pull it off again. But this year’s free-agent class, as we found out, was far less effective and probably contributed to Adofo-Mensah’s firing.
- One thing that struck me about the big Vikings news and Twins news Friday is that there are a lot of individuals and teams in this market that could simply use some time off. The Vikings (and particularly KOC) could use some time out of the spotlight and probably can’t wait for the Darnold Super Bowl to be over and the constant NFL chatter to stop for a couple of weeks (at least until the scouting combine later this month).
- Derek Falvey, whose departure as Twins president on Jan. 30 was described as a mutual decision with controlling owner Tom Pohlad, looked like the weight of the world had been taken off his shoulders during a Zoom call. I know it’s hard to glean much from a screen, but that was my impression. Some time away from the grind and havoc of running the Twins should be good for him personally.
- The Wolves could use two things: the Thursday trade deadline to come and go plus eight days off (Feb. 12-19) starting next week for the All-Star break. The Wolves have sputtered into the deadline in recent seasons, as I talked about on Tuesday’s podcast, perhaps showing the emotional wear and tear that comes with trade rumors. As a team lacking depth, some time off will do them good.
- The Wild have three weeks between games following their last pre-Olympic game Wednesday at Nashville. They’ve been winning with high-octane offense lately. They could use the upcoming reset.
- The Gophers men’s basketball team has lost seven consecutive Big Ten games, five of them in relatively heartbreaking fashion. They could use a break, but they won’t really get one until season’s end.
- Speaking of the Wolves, even if they don’t land Giannis Antetokounmpo, they reportedly could be active at the deadline in their search for a guard.
- Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins is expected to be my guest on Wednesday’s podcast.
