Tag: Minnesota Vikings

Former Vikings GM joining Jets front office after serving as consultant

The NFC North was the focus of the football world during the regular season. Now, as we are fully entrenched in the offseason, they remain the focus and the center point for all things NFL-related. From Kevin O’Connell winning Coach of the Year to …

The NFC North was the focus of the football world during the regular season. Now, as we are fully entrenched in the offseason, they remain the focus and the center point for all things NFL-related. From Kevin O’Connell winning Coach of the Year to the Lions losing two coordinators to head coaching jobs, a lot of news has come from those within the division.

One of those coordinators from the Lions was Aaron Glenn who was hired by the Jets to be their next head coach. The choice to hire Aaron Glenn came from an advisory board that is now seeing one of their people remain with the Jets.

Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team shared the news on social media on Friday that former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman would be joining the Jets front office. Spielman was with the Vikings from 2006 to 2021, serving as their Vice President of Player Personel before being promoted to General Manager.

Spielman was involved in several key moves for the Vikings over the years, such as signing Kirk Cousins and drafting Adrian Peterson and Justin Jefferson. The Jets hope his dynamic hit rate on scouting will carry over to their building.

Super Bowl 59: Vikings fans can watch a former first-round pick

A former first-round pick of Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will be playing for the Eagles on Sunday. 

On this Super Bowl Sunday, we will be watching a rematch between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs from two years ago. The game will have some new players mixed into the fold from roster building over that time, one player specifically is going to be familiar to Vikings fans.

A former first-round pick of Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will be playing for the Eagles on Sunday.

Lewis Cine was cut during the final roster cuts in August but was signed quickly by the Buffalo Bills. Cine was cut later in the season and signed with the Eagles in January ahead of the Eagles playoff run to the Super Bowl.

Cine has not played any snaps since Week 14 for the Bills where he contributed with 16 special teams snaps played. He has yet to play a snap for the Eagles, but anything is possible for Cine on a Super Bowl Sunday.

The Eagles and Chiefs will kickoff at 6:30 P.M. EST/5:30 P.M. CST on Sunday.

Where did Justin Jefferson finish in Offensive Player of the Year voting?

Justin Jefferson didn’t win Offensive Player Of the Year in 2024, but he still received runner-up votes.

Justin Jefferson has set the bar for himself so high that even when it felt like he was having a “down” year in 2024, he was still spectacular.

The fifth-year wideout finished second in the league with 1,533 yards and ten touchdowns, earning First-Team All-Pro honors for the second time in three seasons under Kevin O’Connell. This was with Sam Darnold throwing him the ball after spending his first four years primarily catching passes from Kirk Cousins.

There was little fanfare about Jefferson potentially winning the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year award, but he did receive some votes. He finished seventh in voting with 27 points. Voting was on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale, where first place was worth ten points, second place was worth five, etc.

Jefferson had to fight through some rough stretches during the season, getting held to two catches for 27 yards at Soldier Field and five receptions for 48 yards against the Jaguars.

His 90.2 yards per game were his lowest since 2020, his rookie season. However, that again shows how good Jefferson is. That mark throughout a career would still be the highest in NFL history (he’s the current all-time leader with 96.5 yards per game. Ja’Marr Chase is second with 87.5 yards per game).

Although Jefferson received no first or second-place votes, he received 14 overall votes. Saquon Barkley, ahem, ran away with the award with 406 points. Lamar Jackson finished a distant second with 183 points.

Jefferson did win the award in 2022 after catching 128 passes for 1,809 yards, both of which led the league. Could he threaten to win the award again with J.J. McCarthy throwing him passes in 2025 and beyond?

Which Vikings earned Defensive Player of the Year votes?

Two Minnesota Vikings defenders received Defensive Player Of the Year votes on Thursday night.

The Minnesota Vikings’ defense made significant strides in 2024, ranking third in EPA per play and fifth in points allowed. They also led the league with 33 takeaways, 24 of which were interceptions.

Much of the success could be attributed to edge defenders Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard, key free-agent signings last March. Greenard led the team with 12 sacks, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. Van Ginkel had 11.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and two interceptions, which he returned for touchdowns. He was the only player in the league with multiple touchdowns on defense.

Although their names weren’t mentioned much in the Defensive Player of the Year discussions, each player received at least one vote for the award. Van Ginkel finished seventh in the voting, receiving 21 points on a 10-5-3-2-1 voting scale. For example, he received ten points for his first-place vote, five points for his second-place vote, and so on.

Greenard finished with 10 points, oddly only coming from one first-place vote. Denver cornerback Patrick Surtain won the award with 330 points.

The good thing is that the two players will go into their second seasons with the Vikings, helping with name recognition. They will also have Brian Flores back as defensive coordinator. With tons of cap space in free agency, the Vikings could have an even better defense in 2025, leading to more accolades and recognition for them and their teammates.

Where did Sam Darnold finish in Comeback Player of the Year voting?

Sam Darnold didn’t win the NFL’s Comeback Player Of the Year award, but he did receive some first-place votes.

Sam Darnold had the best season of his career in 2024, throwing for 4,319 and 35 touchdowns while leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 record. Speculation continues to swirl as to whether the Vikings will bring him back in 2025 or if they will move on to 2024 rookie J.J. McCarthy.

But Darnold’s performance made him eligible for NFL Comeback Player Of the Year award on Thursday night. Although there was much debate as to his candidacy, the Associated Press said they wouldn’t throw away a vote with Darnold’s name on it.

Although he received many votes, Darnold didn’t win the award. Joe Burrow won the award after returning from a season-ending wrist injury in 2023 to throw 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns, almost dragging the Cincinnati Bengals to the playoffs.

Voting for the award came on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale, with first-place votes receiving ten points, second-place receiving five points, etc. Darnold finished with 102 points, behind Burrow (370) and Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (195).

But Darnold did finish with the second-most first-place votes, receiving eight. Besides Burrow, no one else received more than three. It makes sense, as Darnold didn’t overcome a physical ailment. But he did deserve recognition for his improved play and ability to help the Vikings return to the playoffs.

Brian Flores finishes second in Assistant Coach Of the Year voting

Although Brian Flores didn’t win the NFL’s Assistant Coach Of the Year award, he came in second, leading third-place by a wide margin.

Kevin O’Connell won the NFL’s Coach Of the Year award on Thursday night. Although Brian Flores was eligible for Assistant Coach Of the Year, he never had a chance of winning the award.

Flores finished second in voting, but the gap between him and Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson wasn’t too wide. Voting was conducted on a 10-5-3-2-1 basis, meaning a first-place vote received ten points, a second-place vote received five points, etc.

Johnson finished with 364 points, with Flores finishing a distant second with 143. The Lions’ coordinator received 29 of 50 first-place votes. Flores finished with three first-place votes.

However, Flores received 25 second and third-place votes, giving him a comfortable lead on Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who finished with 110 points.

This could lead to Flores winning the award next year, as Johnson and Glenn have been hired as head coaches. Winning the award would make it difficult for teams to continue bypassing Flores for a head coaching job.

Kevin O’Connell sheds light on Sam Darnold situation after NFL Honors

Kevin O’Connell shared his thoughts on Sam Darnold’s future after winning Coach Of the Year.

Kevin O’Connell won the NFL’s Coach Of the Year award on Thursday. The win was unsurprising, as O’Connell and the Vikings exceeded preseason expectations by going 14-3.

The preseason projections were low because the Vikings had to replace Kirk Cousins and start either rookie J.J. McCarthy or Sam Darnold.

Although McCarthy missed the season with a meniscus tear, Darnold had the best season of his professional career. He threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns en route to a Pro Bowl. However, he was only signed for one season, leading to questions about whether he will return to Minnesota or sign elsewhere.

After winning the Coach Of the Year award, O’Connell clarified earlier comments that speculated about Darnold’s future. The Vikings coach spoke with the local media and gave the following statement:

Look, you guys know how I feel about Sam. He is a guy that we identified last year as somebody who could come in and be successful. And really, no matter where he was at before he arrived in his quarterback journey, it was about maximizing our time together. And I think we did that and I think it was a very special year for Sam. And what that earned him is, everybody in our league now thinks he’s a bona fide legitimate starting quarterback in our league and can win a lot of football games. He won 14 of them. So he’s earned the right to be a free agent, but we will continue to have ongoing dialogue and discussions with him and his representation as well as being really excited about J.J. McCarthy and where he’s at in his rehab. He’s really hit the ground running as the true offseason has begun.

I’ve talked about it all season long, about the depth of that quarterback room this year. But now, we’ve got to see what that room is going to look like as we try to put together the best possible team for 2025. That’s really what the answer should have been, and probably it was closer to that, but that doesn’t take away from my feelings for Sam Darnold or what I believe he accomplished this year and how proud I was to be right alongside with him.

Thankfully, free agency starts next month, and we can finally get a resolution on the Darnold debate. If O’Connell’s quote tells us anything, Darnold will be playing elsewhere in 2025.

Ex-Chiefs DE Jared Allen inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame

Former Kansas City #Chiefs DE Jared Allen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Thursday ahead of Super Bowl LIX.

On Thursday, former Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame as one of four members of the Class of 2025.

Allen entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick of the Chiefs in the 2004 NFL draft after a productive collegiate career at Idaho State.

He spent four seasons in Kansas City and was named to the PFWA NFL All-Rookie team during his time with the Chiefs. Allen was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for an impressive package of draft picks in 2007, one of which was used to select star running back Jamaal Charles.

The Chiefs paid homage to Allen in a post on Twitter after news broke of his induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame:

During his time in Minnesota, Allen earned First-team All-Pro honors four times and represented the Vikings in the NFL Pro Bowl five times.

Given Allen’s lengthy and impressive career, it was only a matter of time until he earned his spot among the NFL’s most beloved legends.

Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell wins NFL Coach of the Year Award

On Thursday night the NFL recognized it when they voted Kevin O’Connell the league’s coach of the year. 

The 2024 season for the Minnesota Vikings could have gone any way imaginable. From being projected to earn the top pick in the draft to winning 14 games is quite a stretch to overcome.

This season went well, and on Thursday night, the NFL recognized it by naming Kevin O’Connell the league’s coach of the year.

O’Connell did more than just win games. He had players at nearly every position have breakout years or overall productive ones. The biggest indication of how well he coached was what he was able to achieve for and with Sam Darnold.

The veteran quarterback went from journeyman to MVP candidate. The coaching job has Darnold set to be paid handsomely, and O’Connell is now in Minnesota for the long haul.

The Vikings coach beat out Lions coach Dan Campbell by 78 voting points for the award.

Vikings legend Jared Allen named to Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025

The result of voting this year has Jared Allen set to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

After coming so close for so many years, Jared Allen can finally jump on his horse and ride to Canton. The Vikings legendary pass rusher finally heard his name on Thursday be officially tied to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The result of voting this year has Jared Allen set to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Allen played a total of 12 years in the NFL, six of which came with the Minnesota Vikings. Those six years proved to be his most fruitful in his career as he would accumulate a whopping 85.5 of his 136 sacks in his career. While a member of the Vikings, Allen woudl also be named to three All-Pro teams and be a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year twice.

Allen’s best year came in 2011 when he racked up 22 sacks coming within one sack of breaking Michael Strahan’s all-time record for a season.

Jared Allen will be one of four modern members inducted into the Hall of Fame. Alongside him will be Antonio Gates, Sterling Sharpe, and Eric Allen.

They will be inducted on August 2, 2025 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremony in Canton, Ohio.