Category: Minnesota Vikings news

The Vikings elevate a former starting quarterback to the active roster

The Vikings have made a change to their quarterback room ahead of Monday’s game against the Rams.

There is a shake-up in the Minnesota Vikings quarterback room ahead of Monday’s wild card game against the Los Angeles Rams.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Daniel Jones has been signed to the Vikings’ active roster. The Vikings waived QB Brett Rypien in a corresponding move to open up the roster spot. Jones will likely serve as the emergency third quarterback on the Vikings’ gameday roster behind Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens.

This is a move that has been expected for weeks. Jones was signed to the Vikings’ practice squad shortly after being released by the Giants on Nov. 22. There was speculation that signing Jones would help the Vikings get a compensatory pick in 2026.

Jones had to be signed to the active roster to be part of the compensatory pick formula. If he leaves via free agency this spring, he will count towards any potential compensatory pick the Vikings would get in 2026.

It was a low-risk move for both the Vikings and Jones. As a former top-10 pick, he helps strengthen the quarterback room. And because Darnold and Mullens have had success under Kevin O’Connell, there wouldn’t be pressure to thrust Jones into the starting lineup if he wasn’t ready.

For Jones, joining the Vikings allowed him to sit back and be coached by one of the league’s best coaches. He could have signed with a QB-needy team, played and failed, and hurt future opportunities around the league.

Instead, he followed what Darnold did in 2023. After a disastrous start to his career, Darnold signed with the 49ers, who have a strong offensive coaching staff. He sat on the bench behind Brock Purdy and learned how to be a professional quarterback. Whether he stays in Minnesota or elsewhere, Darnold’s career trajectory has changed going into 2025.

Jones has taken the first step in altering his quarterback journey. Meanwhile, the Vikings can help their future draft capital while also strengthening their QB room and future draft capital.

Jets request interview with Vikings front office member for GM job

The New York Jets requested an interview with a current Vikings executive who has spent time as a general manager in the past.

The New York Jets enter the 2025 off-season in need of a new general manager and head coach. One candidate for the GM job is currently employed with the Minnesota Vikings.

According to Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports, the Jets have requested to interview Vikings senior vice president of player personnel Ryan Grigson.

Grigson has been working in NFL front offices since 1999. His most notable time was spent with the Indianapolis Colts from 2012-16, when he served as the team’s general manager. They improved from 1-15 in 2011 to 11-5 and the first of three straight playoff appearances in 2012.

When Kwesi Adofo-Mensah became the Vikings’ general manager in 2022, he hired Grigson to help build the team. Adofo-Mensah had a background in economics before joining the NFL in 2013. Grigson had experience playing in college before he began working his way up from a team scout to general manager. His football acumen helped complement Adofo-Mensah’s analytical approach.

The Jets enter a pivotal off-season. They fired head coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 following a 23-17 loss to the Vikings. When things didn’t improve, they fired GM Joe Douglas on Nov. 19. They will interview several other candidates to fill the opening, but not many will have more experience than Grigson.

Is Alex Anzalone playing today against the Vikings? Injury updates for Lions LB

TEAMA POSITION PLAYER NAME (ex Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa) is dealing with a [BLANK] injury. Here are the latest updates.

The Minnesota Vikings go on the road to battle the Detroit Lions for the NFC North title and the right to be the number one seed in the NFC Playoffs. Both teams are an impressive 14-2 heading into their Primetime matchup on Sunday. Both teams are also on two different ends of the health spectrum, with the Lions potentially missing a key defensive piece.

Alex Anzalone injury update

Alex Anzalone has proven to be one of the main factors on the Lions defense ever since he joined the team in 2021. He was drafted in the third round out of Florida by the New Orleans Saints, where he was a rotational player, but in Detroit, he was a part of Dan Campbell’s cultural shift.

Anzalone had been on injured reserve for the past four weeks, but on Friday, the Lions activated him on the 53-man roster. This is a strong indication that Anzalone will, in fact, play on Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings. Aaron Jones and Cam Akers will have their work cut out for them navigating Anzalone and Jack Campbell.

Lions LB depth chart

  • Alex Anzalone
  • Jack Campbell
  • Ben Niemann
  • Jalen Reeves-Maybin
  • Anthony Pittman
  • Ezekial Turner

Kevin O’Connell is the favorite to win the Coach of the Year award

Kevin O’Connell is the runaway favorite for Coach of the Year after leading the Vikings to a 14-2 record.

Kevin O’Connell is now the runaway favorite to win the NFL’s Coach of the Year award after leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-2 record. They are one win away from winning the NFC North and securing home-field advantage in the playoffs.

O’Connell’s odds of winning Coach of the Year are -1200, according to BetMGM. Dan Campbell is the only head coach who has any shot of catching him, but he is still a long shot at +600. Andy Reid and Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn are tied for third with odds of +4000.

This isn’t the first time O’Connell has been a candidate for the award. He finished sixth in voting after leading the Vikings to a 13-4 record in 2022. Fellow first-year head coach Brian Daboll won the award when he led the New York Giants to a 9-8 record.

A loss to Campbell and the Lions this Sunday likely won’t affect O’Connell’s odds too much. But a victory would all but clinch the award.

Poll shows the added importance of home-field advantage for the Vikings

Players rank U.S. Bank Stadium as the NFL’s 3rd-toughest place to play. A hostile purple sea could be key for the Vikings’ playoff push.

ESPN recently surveyed 111 NFL players to rank the league’s toughest places to play. The ranked voting system gave two points for a first-place vote, one point for a second-place vote, and half a point for a third-place vote.

Players ranked U.S. Bank Stadium among the toughest venues in the league.. Minnesota finished with 28.5 points, which ranked third. Kansas City finished first with 57 points, and Seattle was second with 41.5. The three teams were in Tier 1, places that can leave you “scarred.”

Despite U.S. Bank Stadium being indoors, players noted how intimidating the environment feels.

“You feel it,” New York Giants receiver Darius Slayton said. “As soon as you walk in there, everything is purple.

“You feel like you’re out of place there. That is what a good atmosphere does. It makes you feel like you’re in the wrong place. If you’re in a different color, you feel like you don’t belong in there.”

One AFC South player, who wished to remain anonymous, admitted to getting rattled by the noise.

“I heard that ‘Skol’ chant early and often,” he said. “Kind of scarred from that. But it’s a cool place.”

This shows how important it would be for the Vikings to get home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. The energy from fans gets ramped up in the playoffs, too. There is also the natural advantage of being the No. 1 seed. The top seeds are 6-2 since the NFL expanded to seven playoff teams per conference in 2020.

Other playoff teams in the NFC that received votes included Philadelphia (4th, 18.5 points), Green Bay (8th, 11.5 points), Detroit (10th, 9.5 points), and Los Angeles (tied-20th, 0.5 points).

The stage is set for a winner-take-all between the Lions and Vikings

The Week 18 game between the Vikings and Lions will determine plenty for the NFC playoff picture.

Some might say the Vikings found themselves looking ahead after they had a comfortable 27-10 lead over Green Bay on Sunday. For those who say that, you might’ve been right. The Packers surged back and found themselves down two points, but an incredible catch by Cam Akers put the game out of reach and let the Vikings win 27-25 over their arch-rival.

With the win to put Minnesota 14-2 on the season, everything will be on the line next week for the Vikings. Minnesota will travel to Detroit to face the red-hot Lions’ team. The winner will win the NFC North and the winner could wind up with the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Lions play Monday night against San Francisco and the Lions would need to win that game and next week to have the top seed.

Detroit came out on top earlier in the season in Minnesota. The Lions beat the Vikings 31-29 back in October.

Kevin O’Connell sheds light on key injuried for the Vikings

Following the win in Seattle Kevin O’Connell provided an injury update on two key injuries for the Vikings.

The Vikings were down a pair of key defensive pieces on Sunday when Minnesota marched into Seattle to play the Seahawks. Although Minnesota got the win 27-24 to move to 13-2 on the season, the injuries loomed large for the Vikings.

Minnesota was without linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., who has had some injury issues this year, and the Vikings were shockingly without star safety Harrison Smith. Theo Jackson played in place of Smith, who played well, but the Vikings need Smith for a playoff run.

Following the game, head coach Kevin O’Connell was asked about the injuries and it all sounds promising moving forward.

Smith’s status was more precautionary, and it sounds very short-term. He has a good chance to return to the field next Sunday when Minnesota plays Green Bay.

Also, Pace Jr.’s return is looming and he could also see the field when the Vikings take on the Packers.

J.J. McCarthy campaigns for Kevin O’Connell to win Coach of the Year

The Vikings’ first-round QB is choosing O’Connell as his Coach of the Year.

Kevin O’Connell has taken the Minnesota Vikings to new heights this season. Most analysts predicted the Vikings to be one of the worst teams in the NFC this season and even a few had Minnesota picking first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.

But Minnesota defeated Seattle on Sunday to move to 13-2 on the year and the Vikings are battling both the Lions and Eagles for the top seed for the playoffs.

Following the win over the Seahawks, the Vikings’ No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, J.J. McCarthy, was seen on X (formerly Twitter) campaigning for O’Connell to win Coach of the Year.

McCarthy sustained a season-ending knee injury in the preseason and was forced to miss his rookie season. The former Michigan star was selected to become the Vikings’ next franchise gun-slinger, but with how well O’Connell has Sam Darnold playing, Darnold is being talked about as that quarterback.

Either way, O’Connell has this Minnesota offense humming right along.

Aaron Jones Sr. joins elite company with run against Seattle

The first-year Viking surpassed 1,000 yards against Seattle.

Aaron Jones Sr. joined elite company on Sunday when he broke 1,000 yards on the season against Seattle. With surpassing 1,000 yards on the ground, Jones Sr. is just the third Viking ever to rush for 1,000 yards in their first season with Minnesota. The other two?

Chester Taylor (1,216 in 2006) and Adrian Peterson (1,341 in 2007). Taylor came over to the Vikings from Baltimore, and then Minnesota drafted Peterson, in which he became one of the greatest backs in football history.

After Alexander Mattison struggled with holding onto the football last season, the Vikings signed Jones Sr. to a one-year deal from rival Green Bay. Jones Sr. was a prominent part of the Packers’ offense, but after the team signed Josh Jacobs and wanted to decrease Jones Sr.’s pay, he walked.

Although he’s had a few fumble issues, having a capable running back has helped the Viking offense drastically. Teams can no longer just gear up against the pass when a player like Jones Sr. is on the field.

Will Stephon Gilmore play this week? Injury updates for Vikings CB

TEAMA POSITION PLAYER NAME (ex Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa) is dealing with a [BLANK] injury. Here are the latest updates.

Veteran cornerback and former Defensive Player of the Year, Stephon Gilmore, has been out for the last two weeks dealing with a hamstring injury. He was limited in practice all week heading into the team’s Week 16 matchup with the Seahawks on Sunday.

On Friday, on the team’s final injury report, we got some clarification on his status heading into the game.

Stephone Gilmore injury update

Stephone Gilmore was a full participant in practice on Friday, and he will be playing against the Seahawks. Their receiving corp, led by D.K. Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, is going to pose a threat to the Vikings’ secondary.

Having all hands on deck with Gilmore returning could make a bigger impact than people may realize. Look for Gilmore and Byron Murphy Jr. to be used in tandem to cover the duo that Seahawks boast.

TEAMX POSITION depth chart

  • Stephon Gilmore
  • Byron Murphy Jr.
  • Shaq Griffin
  • Dwight McGlothern