The Minnesota Vikings wrapped up their offseason program on Tuesday and naturally, fans are left wanting more. The time between minicamp and training camp can be an uneventful time for football fans but thankfully the NFL’s content machine never rests.
There are several storylines to keep everyone busy before Minnesota opens training camp in August and as the Vikings get ready to go on their summer vacations, here’s a look at some stories to keep an eye on.
1. Justin Jefferson’s new contract
Vikings fans (and the front office) breathed a sigh of relief when Jefferson reported to mandatory minicamp this week but he did so without a new contract.
Jefferson was vague about negotiations on a new deal but it’s clear that he’ll cash in at some point in the coming weeks. After collecting the most receiving yards of any player in his first three seasons in NFL history, Jefferson’s new deal should reset the receiver market but ESPN’s Kevin Siefert suggested that the biggest hangup could be the length of the deal.
According to Siefert, the Vikings would like to lock Jefferson up for as long as possible while Jefferson may want a short-term deal in order to have control of his future and negotiate another deal in his late 20s.
The short-term approach was used last year when D.K. Metcalf signed a three-year, $72 million extension with the Seattle Seahawks but that deal only had $31 million in fully guaranteed money – a number should surpass when his deal is announced.
Jefferson is under team control through the 2024 season after the Vikings exercised his fifth-year option back in April but it would benefit both sides to get a deal done prior to this year. With the market constantly evolving, even a short-term deal would be a good idea, allowing both sides to move on and focus on the upcoming season.
2. Danielle Hunter’s contract resolution
Jefferson isn’t the only player with contract drama as Danielle Hunter skipped mandatory minicamp as he looks for a new deal.
Hunter is entering the final year of a five-year, $72 million contract signed prior to the 2018 season but is set to make just $4.9 million in base salary. Ian Rapaport recently reported that the Vikings tried to negotiate a “band-aid” agreement that would give Hunter more money this season but it appears Hunter and his camp are seeking a long-term deal.
Hunter put aside two straight injury-plagued seasons and Ed Donatell’s scheme to record 10.5 sacks last season but at age 28, the Vikings may have questions about his long-term effectiveness.
Even then, Hunter has proven to be more productive than Bradley Chubb, who signed a five-year, $110 million contract ($33.4 million guaranteed) with the Miami Dolphins last October and is younger than Von Miller, who signed a six-year, $120 million deal ($45 million) with the Buffalo Bills at age 33 and with a longer injury history last offseason.
It is believed that the Vikings would like to have Hunter on the roster next season, but it appears they’ll have to pay up in order to get something done.
3. T.J. Hockenson’s potential extension
Let’s do one more contract talker. We discussed that Hockenson could be in line for an extension and Siefert reported that’s another thing on the Vikings’ radar.
Hockenson is entering the final year of his deal, but he seems like he’s made himself comfortable in Minnesota going as far as buying drinks for everyone during a Wild playoff game this spring. That has continued on the field as Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell gushed about the possibilities Hockenson can bring alongside free agent signing Josh Oliver.
“There’s no rule that you can’t put three tight ends out there,” O’Connell told reporters. “There’s no rule that C.J. Ham can’t be aligned in the backfield one play and extended out in the formation on the next. There’s no rule when you’re really moving around a featured player like Justin or T.J, [K.J. Obsorn] or Oliver. …Ultimately it’s about making sure that week in and week out when that ball gets kicked off, we’ve done our part as a coaching staff to have success.”
O’Connell’s excitement and the draft capital the Vikings gave up to acquire Hockenson suggest that a deal will get done, but it remains to be seen how much Hockenson will be able to cash in.
4. Kirk Cousins on “Quarterback”
While Cousins has his own contract issues to worry about, Vikings fans can get a closer look at Cousins in the Netflix series Quarterback, which is scheduled to be released on July 12.
The series takes a look at Cousins, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota throughout the 2023 season and Cousins provided a glimpse of what fans can expect while talking to reporters last week.
“It’ll just be good to see how people respond to it,” Cousins said. “The hope was that people could maybe get a little bit more of an inside look at what it’s like…but you can only give them so much access and there were times where it’s like I would love to have you in this or that meeting and it would paint a better picture of what it’s like but we’re not going to let you in.”
The series is more of a time-killer than providing anything substantial for the upcoming season, but it will still be interesting to see how Cousins is portrayed in the docuseries.
5. Do the Vikings have one more big move up their sleeve?
We already discussed three players that could have new contracts heading into training camp but there’s a chance there could be a last-minute addition before the team reports to Eagan.
The Vikings currently have $17.8 million in cap space according to Over The Cap and while most of the top-tier free agents have already signed, there could be one more move to add depth at another position.
Could the Vikings be interested in Marcus Peters, who could provide a veteran presence to the secondary? Or could they be in the market for another edge rusher such as Robert Quinn or Justin Houston?
It’s also possible that the Vikings could be waiting to use that cap space for a big move at the trade deadline as they did by acquiring Hockenson last fall.
Whatever it may be, the Vikings have a lot more flexibility heading into this season than they did a year ago. Whether it leads to a big move is yet to be seen but it could set the stage for the next step in Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s competitive rebuild.
