ESPN: Shhh, quiet please.....men at work

[StickierBuns]

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/4822...ler-murray

"After talking to sources inside and outside the organization, the best way to think of the Vikings' current approach is an aggressive right-sizing of their roster finances. The Wilfs did not order a lower cash payroll this season, multiple sources confirmed. The NFL is not structured for teams to have indefinite annual spending at the rate the Vikings have in recent years, and essentially the Vikings decided that 2026 was the time to eat their vegetables.

"We had a plan that we devised together," Brzezinski said, "and I'm just really proud of the way everybody worked together, identifying some targets that we were able to reach agreements with. There's others we weren't, but I think I'm really most proud of the patience. ... Really grateful also for [Hockenson and Jones] reworking their contracts to find a middle ground. These were two players and two people that are really important to our football team and to [coach Kevin O'Connell] in our locker room.

"So I feel like we've navigated responsibly the future versus being competitive this year. And I feel like we're in a really good spot, but like we keep saying, there's a long way to go."

What are the Vikings doing? They're planning a run at the playoffs while resuscitating their financial outlook and adjusting, for at least one year, a quarterback plan that went awry."

- Kevin Seifert, ESPN

[StickierBuns]

The Purple Persuasion
@TPPSkol
·
17m
Great to hear the Vikings are planning on giving Jordan Addison an extension ?

@SeifertESPN
with a nugget that the Vikings "have budgeted for" new deals for RT Brian O'Neill and WR Jordan Addison.

"That served as a reminder that teams don't just use cap space on free agency, but also -- and often more importantly -- on signing their existing players to contract extensions. Right tackle Brian O'Neill and receiver Jordan Addison are among the upcoming deals the Vikings have budgeted for. It's also worth noting that Brzezinski described the Vikings' 2026 roster build as being "barely out of the gate here," implying there are other ways than free agency to make substantive roster improvements."

[supafreak84]

It's also worth noting that Brzezinski described the Vikings' 2026 roster build as being "barely out of the gate here," implying there are other ways than free agency to make substantive roster improvements."

Lol, as in hitting on draft picks we've whiffed on the last four years under a totally unqualified Wilf hire. You don't say...

[medaille]

“We’re not not willing to spend money, we’re just not willing to spend money.”

“Planning a run at the playoffs” while at the same time limiting yourself from one of the two ways you improve your team is sort of an oxymoron. “We’re going to take on the best teams in the league, while playing with one hand tied behind our back”. Ok sure.

Like I think we all get it, we spent enough cash for two seasons last year, so there’s less cash to spend this year. That doesn’t mean we couldn’t spend more future cap space if we wanted to as we have plenty of future cap space. and assuming the cash was available. I think they could just say that the Wilfs want the Vikings to spend cash more evenly year to year rather than have a boom or bust cycle and we’d all understand.

I just don’t get this thing where people make it seem like we don’t have cap space to spend, when we just started the rebuilding portion of the rebuild two years ago, when we clearly have cap space to spend, and every other team in the league can deficit spend multiple years in a row.

If they said something like, “We’ve become overly dependent on free agency, and this year we want to focus on better drafting and better development of those draft picks”, I think we’d all accept that as well.

[purplefaithful]

“We’re not not willing to spend money, we’re just not willing to spend money.”

“Planning a run at the playoffs” while at the same time limiting yourself from one of the two ways you improve your team is sort of an oxymoron.  “We’re going to take on the best teams in the league, while playing with one hand tied behind our back”.  Ok sure.

Like I think we all get it, we spent enough cash for two seasons last year, so there’s less cash to spend this year.  That doesn’t mean we couldn’t spend more future cap space if we wanted to as we have plenty of future cap space. and assuming the cash was available.  I think they could just say that the Wilfs want the Vikings to spend cash more evenly year to year rather than have a boom or bust cycle and we’d all understand.

I just don’t get this thing where people make it seem like we don’t have cap space to spend, when we just started the rebuilding portion of the rebuild two years ago, when we clearly have cap space to spend, and every other team in the league can deficit spend multiple years in a row.

If they said something like, “We’ve become overly dependent on free agency, and this year we want to focus on better drafting and better development of those draft picks”, I think we’d all accept that as well.

I agree it doesnt feel very transparent, and I'm kinda jonesing for a shower after reading their comments. But they wont throw KAM under the bus like that...It wouldnt help their future hire initiatives if they did.

[medaille]

I agree it doesnt feel very transparent, and I'm kinda jonesing for a shower after reading their comments. But they wont throw KAM under the bus like that...It wouldnt help their future hire initiatives if they did.

IDK, KAM was getting reamed in the rumor mill after he was fired.  Like maybe they aren’t officially ever going to say bad things about anyway, but we’re kind of left up to speculation on whether or not the Vikings were leaking the rumors or if the journalists were just saying stuff.

[purplefaithful]

IDK, KAM was getting reamed in the rumor mill after he was fired.  Like maybe they aren’t officially ever going to say bad things about anyway, but we’re kind of left up to speculation on whether or not the Vikings were leaking the rumors or if the journalists were just saying stuff.

I also think they believe they have a playoff caliber roster now...And especially with improved QB play in 26. I tend to agree with em as long as the defense doesnt take two steps back for some reason.

[Vikesrock]

I also think they believe they have a playoff caliber roster now...And especially with improved QB play in 26. I tend to agree with em as long as the defense doesnt take two steps back for some reason.

I agree that they "think" they have a playoff caliber roster, but I disagree that they actually do.  I look at the following teams to be playoff contenders and I find it hard to find the Vikings ultimately beating them out, injuries aside:

East:
Philadelphia

North:
Detroit
Green Bay
Chicago

West:
Rams
Seahawks
9ers

South:
Someone has to make it

Thats 8 teams.  I guess you could debate on the North Teams, but Detroit has a 4th place schedule, Chicago won the division and won their 1st round playoff game (Something KOC has yet to do) and Green Bay always seems to be in the middle of it.

I would speculate a 10-7 season at best for the Vikings and that's IF Murray stay healthy and even if they make the playoffs it's another 1st round exit.  This is all the same happy horseshit they have been feeding us for years...

[greediron]

I agree that they "think" they have a playoff caliber roster, but I disagree that they actually do.  I look at the following teams to be playoff contenders and I find it hard to find the Vikings ultimately beating them out, injuries aside:

East:
Philadelphia

North:
Detroit
Green Bay
Chicago

West:
Rams
Seahawks
9ers

South:
Someone has to make it

Thats 8 teams.  I guess you could debate on the North Teams, but Detroit has a 4th place schedule, Chicago won the division and won their 1st round playoff game (Something KOC has yet to do) and Green Bay always seems to be in the middle of it.

I would speculate a 10-7 season at best for the Vikings and that's IF Murray stay healthy and even if they make the playoffs it's another 1st round exit.  This is all the same happy horseshit they have been feeding us for years...

Well we beat Detroit twice last year (once with Brosmer), almost beat chicago twice except for one long return.  Could have beat Philly with decent QB play, competitive with Seahawks with any kind of QB play.

[medaille]

We’ve fired 2/3 our Dline, are threatening to trade our best defensive player, and probably are losing a HOF caliber safety to retirement, so we got excuses lined up if we do take a step back, but in general I trust Flores to make midlevel talent into a top tier defense.