Glad the dude is in purple. Wishing the Coach of the Year a great birthday. 

Harrison Ford out doing errands last week.  For 82 this is re-damn-diculous     Now I have to go coax my self-esteem back out from under the bed 

J.J. McCarthy, roster health and other ingredients key to Vikings success in 2025
EAGAN, MINNESOTA - JUNE 04: J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings throws the ball during Minnesota Vikings mandatory minicamp at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center on June 04, 2024 in Eagan, Minnesota.(Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

Alec Lewis
Alec Lewis
May 22, 2025
Bruce Buffer voice: It’s … tiiiiiiimmmmme!

Next week, for the first time since last fall, quarterback J.J. McCarthy will work out in a competitive environment. The Minnesota Vikings will begin organized team activities on Wednesday. They’ll continue for several weeks before three days of mandatory minicamp beginning June 10.

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This will be the first opportunity to assess the roster ahead of the 2025 season. In an attempt to set the stage, here are five key ingredients for the Vikings to put together a successful season that matches fans’ high hopes:

McCarthy’s play will be massive

Not too long ago, I asked a colleague for the top five key ingredients to a winning season in Minnesota. Their answer: “McCarthy’s knee, McCarthy’s arm, McCarthy’s feet, McCarthy’s eyes and McCarthy’s mind.” And that’s not just hyperbole.

Elite quarterback play remains the most important requirement in achieving sustained success. In fact, over the last three seasons, the team that posted the higher passing EPA (a metric accounting for success on a play-by-play basis) in games won 77 percent of the time, according to TruMedia. Quarterbacks have the heaviest hand in turnover margin. Quarterbacks control the pace. The position’s impact on the final result is why most of the questions coach Kevin O’Connell will have to answer in the next few months will revolve around McCarthy.

But there are plenty of reasons for optimism. First and foremost, McCarthy impressed the coaching staff last fall in training camp. After he showed good processing speed and accuracy, the team planned to increase his first-team reps following his preseason showing against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Second, and maybe just as important, the Vikings have produced three years of stellar quarterback infrastructure. The starting quarterback has not been consistent since O’Connell arrived in 2022 — from Kirk Cousins the first two years to Sam Darnold last season —  but the statistics have been. Minnesota has thrown for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in each of the last three seasons. The more advanced efficiency data is nearly identical from year to year.

It’s hard to imagine, but McCarthy will be taking the reins with an even stronger supporting cast than Cousins or Darnold had. Minnesota overhauled all three interior offensive line spots and added a more bruising running back in Jordan Mason. Unlike last year, tight end T.J. Hockenson should begin the season healthy. McCarthy does not have to do all of the heavy lifting. Any production close to what the Vikings have gotten in the last few years will make for a fun fall ride.

The Vikings pivoted to a more aggressive approach following the 2025 NFL draft, nearly tripling their spending on undrafted rookies compared to recent offseasons.

This came after the Vikings made just five selections, tied with the Falcons and Commanders for the fewest.

So General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the front office effectively spent sixth-round guarantees to sign their most coveted undrafted players. While this Vikings roster is not short on experience, there are openings for developmental players. This year’s class is small and only about half — 12 of 23 players — selected in the 2022-2024 classes are still rostered.

The Vikings have signed 22 college players since the draft concluded, including nine players who got sixth-round money like Georgia tight end Ben Yurosek ($254,000 guaranteed), Auburn linebacker Austin Keys ($249,000), Utah cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn ($249,000), and Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer ($246,000), according to OverTheCap.com.

Former BYU edge rusher Tyler Batty got an undrafted rookie-high $259,000 guaranteed at signing — or the equivalent of this year’s 181st-overall selection, an early sixth-round pick.

Overall, the Vikings guaranteed $2,881,000 to undrafted rookies. The previous high under Adofo-Mensah, hired in 2022, was nearly $1.2 million in 2023.

“There’s some people in there we think could compete for a roster spot‚" Adofo-Mensah said of undrafted free agency on April 26 while the seventh round was still going on.

The Vikings didn’t set a spending record for any one player; Army edge rusher Andre Carter II’s $340,000 guaranteed in 2023 remains the most handed out by this front office. But they spent a record total in the hope of landing multiple contributors.

Money doesn’t guarantee much beyond getting talent in the door.

Coach Kevin O’Connell said recently that he tells tryout players about success stories like fullback C.J. Ham, who made the team on a tryout with nothing guaranteed, or a more recent example: edge rusher Bo Richter, who carved out a special teams role last year as an undrafted rookie signed for $15,000 guaranteed.

Brosmer, who led the 8-5 Gophers last fall after transferring from New Hampshire, was asked at May 9 rookie minicamp whether he preferred going undrafted because he got late-round money while having some choice in his destination.

“I think if you do too much and try to get out of your mind and control too much, you get ahead of yourself,” Brosmer said. “Letting things happen — they happen for a reason, whether I get drafted in the third round, drafted in the seventh round or go undrafted, like, there’s a reason why I’m here. I do my best to live each day with that mentality; gratitude, curiosity, empathy, and I think it kind of just all unfolded as it should be.”

Source: Startribune

This is fantasy focused, but still some good thoughts on Mason, who was the only back recommended by three writers. I agree. Mason will not only be a great handcuff, but should have good stand-alone value. I might even be tempted to draft him before Jones. 

Jordan Mason (RB – MIN)
“The Minnesota Vikings traded for Jordan Mason this offseason, and he is one Aaron Jones injury away from a full workload. The Vikings didn’t draft any backs in this year’s draft, and Ty Chandler fell out of favor on the depth chart last season. This is going to be a two-headed monster in Minnesota behind a revamped interior offensive line that has done nothing but upgrade with the acquisitions of Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, and Donovan Jackson. In addition to finishing fourth in yards over expected per attempt and seventh in rushing yards after contact last season, Mason ranked second in total rushing yards (667) before his injury in Week 8. I fully expect Mason to take on a larger role near the goal line, given that Jones struggled immensely in this area in 2024 (-14.4 EPA generated in goal-to-goal situations last season).”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)

“Jordan Mason is going to be a middle-round target for me. I think he’ll be a hand-in-glove for Kevin O’Connell’s zone-heavy run scheme. Aaron Jones is going to be the starter, but Mason could get enough work to have stand-alone value, and if the 30-year-old Jones were to miss any time, Mason’s value would skyrocket. We saw how valuable Mason was when Christian McCaffrey missed time early last season. Over the first five weeks of the season, before he sustained a shoulder injury in Week 6, Mason was averaging 107.2 rushing yards a game and 5.1 yards per carry for the 49ers, making him the RB5 in half-point PPR fantasy scoring over that stretch. Mason is a sneaky-good value in the early double-digit rounds.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)

“Jordan Mason is likely to be the chalky answer here… at least to my mind. Mason lands in an excellent offensive scheme in Minnesota with a novice QB in need of run support to help him through his first season as the starter. Aaron Jones is the incumbent RB, but he’s entering his age-30 season and earned the most touches of his career in 2024. Clearly, Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings staff sought to both limit his workload and add a bigger-bodied back for short-yardage and goal-line situations. I like Jones enough, but Mason’s value as the current RB40 is too good to pass up.”
– Jeremy Shulman (Fantasy Football Universe)

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