How should the Minnesota Vikings shape their 2022 offseason?

 

Image Courtesy of Sportsnaut

As an extremely loyal and dedicated Vikings fan, I have seen a lot of ups and downs throughout the years. I have seen a lot of really fun seasons and a lot of mediocrity. However, one thing that all of the seasons have had in common is that they have ended in disappointment, one way or another. Nonetheless, I get very frustrated with Vikings fans in general because a lot of them have some very interesting takes and ideas on our beloved team and what should be done to make the team better. I am not here to make biased takes and take strong sides. Instead, I would just like to discuss how the offseason has gone and how things could take shape as the next few months progress.

The Vikings had another season falling just short of the playoffs, finishing the year 8-9. This season was filled with close, competitive games, and fans saw flashes of a team that looked like it could beat anybody but also a team that very well could lose to anybody. After years of not being able to get over the hump and make a Super Bowl appearance, ownership took quick action and fired longtime general manager Rick Speilman and head coach Mike Zimmer. Although I really like Coach Zim and will always think fondly of him, this was definitely the right move for the owners to make in my opinion. It seemed as if some of what had worked for Zimmer earlier in his tenure no longer led to success, and he was not willing to adjust his ways too much to fit the strengths of his roster. To me, he was basically coaching the team like he had a super good defense and a below average offense, and it was actually pretty close to the complete opposite. However, I will always be grateful for how tough the Vikings were under him. As the Vikes head coach, he was 72-56-1, which is certainly nothing to be scoffed at. Winning games is not easy in the NFL and the team was consistently competitive under him, and I think that is something that our fans should always be grateful for. And for Speilman, I am also very grateful for the contributions he made to the team as well. He was with Minnesota for over a decade and made a lot of really good draft picks, including guys like Justin Jefferson and Stefon Diggs. He kind of had a knack for finding gems in the later rounds of drafts. However, his inability to build a consistently good offensive line led to his demise. On top of that, he gave Kirk Cousins a contract plus an extension during that contract that made him one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL. Unfortunately, although Kirk has been solid for the Vikes, he has not played at the level of one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He will get touched on more in a moment.

Image courtesy of vikings.com

As of the day this blog post was written, the Vikings finished their second interview with general manager candidate Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and all signs point toward him being hired as the next general manager of the Minnesota Vikings. This hire was a bit unorthodox considering that Kwesi was not originally a football guy, but I think it was time for the Vikes to do something a little different and take a chance on a guy like this. Only time will tell if this was the correct hire, but Kwesi comes off as very intelligent and well-spoken, and is spoken very highly of by his peers.

Adofo-Mensah's first task as the new general manager will be to hire a new head coach. The Vikings have already interviewed a number of guys, and two of the favorites to get the job are Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Both are former head coaches who had some ups and downs throughout each of their individual tenures. However, I am kind of hoping that the Vikings go with someone who has no head coaching experience thus far. A couple of guys I like for the job are Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and 49ers defensive coordinator Demeco Ryans. Both of these guys are young and have received lots of praise from peers, and their defensive units have each done an excellent job this season. To go along with that, Morris has experience coaching on both sides of the ball and is said to be a really good leader, which are all things the Vikings are probably looking for.

Once he has his head coach picked out, Kwesi and his new coach will then have to make the decision on what to do with Kirk Cousins. To me, they have three options. One, they keep him and let him play the last year of his contract, where he is set to make $45 million this season, while drafting a young quarterback that can take over the following season (they could take a new guy in this draft or the next). This way, they still stay competitive this year but the new management will not be attached to Cousins long term, and they can pick out "their guy" if Kirk does not fit the mold they are looking for. Second, they extend Kirk for a couple more seasons so his cap hit isn't so bad this year. This would mean that the new general manager and coach think Kirk is their guy and they are committed to him long term. Their third option would be to trade Kirk Cousins and start fresh at quarterback right away for 2022 onward. It feels like every Minnesota sports fan has a different opinion on Cousins. Some fans think he is an elite quarterback in the NFL while others think he is pretty bad. My opinion on Kirk is that he is a slightly above average quarterback who has a lot of arm talent but has very poor pocket presence and has not shown much to be desired in the leadership aspect of the position. He gets paid to be an elite quarterback but simply does not play or lead like one. Although I think he is talented, he makes too much money for the production he gives the Vikings, so I think they should look for a new option in the draft this season if possible and keep him around for the last year of his deal. That way, if they are unable to get a guy they like, they can look to next season's draft as well. On top of that, the ownership wants to field a competitive team and they will at least stay competitive with Cousins under center.

All in all, Adofo-Mensah will have a lot of difficult decisions to make once he is officially hired by the Vikings. These decisions will most-likely have a long-lasting impact on the franchise as a whole and could even define Kwesi's tenure as the general manager of the Vikings. As a fan, I am very excited about the fresh start and am looking forward to seeing who the new head coach is and what the new front office decides to do with the roster.