Vikings current championship window isn’t even close to ending

Since Mike Zimmer was hired to be the team’s head coach in 2014, the Minnesota Vikings have done their best to keep the majority of the same core players on the roster.

This offseason, however, the Vikings saw a number of their longtime contributors head out the door. Guys like Linval Joseph, Mackensie Alexander, Stefon Diggs, Trae Waynes, and Xavier Rhodes are all gone and Minnesota must now figure out how to make up for their loss.

Despite the Vikings parting ways with a good amount of notable players, their main goal for 2020 and beyond still remains the same and that is to deliver the franchise its very first Super Bowl win.

The championship window is still wide open for the Minnesota Vikings.

Due to the amount of roster turnover this year, there are some people who believe Minnesota is very near to seeing their ability to compete for a championship every season come to an end. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

What the Vikings are currently going through this year should be more viewed as them just reloading their roster with younger talent that could potentially even improve their chances to contend in the near future.

Minnesota letting go of a few aging players and guys who weren’t worth keeping around all of a sudden eliminates their shot at a championship for the next handful of seasons? No, not quite.

The Vikings still have some of the top players the NFL has to offer on their roster including Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Danielle Hunter, Kirk Cousins, Eric Kendricks, and Harrison Smith. If Minnesota’s window to contend was truly approaching the end, wouldn’t they be attempting to move the majority of their top guys to acquire as many draft assets as possible?

Wouldn’t they let Cousins’ original contract just run out in 2021 instead of giving him an extension? Wouldn’t they try to deal Cook instead of extending him in the near future as they’re expected to do?

The Vikings’ roster is full of veteran talent, but it still features a number of young players who can continue to lead the franchise on a long successful run during the next decade.

Minnesota has been able to maintain a solid amount of success during Zimmer’s tenure as the team’s head coach by drafting and developing young talent. This strategy has proved to deliver satisfying results and there aren’t a lot of reasons to think that these methods won’t continue to result in similar outcomes during the future.

So for those currently freaking out about the Vikings due to their departures this offseason and thinking it’s the beginning of the franchise starting from scratch, stop and take a deep breath. Take a step back and realize Minnesota’s roster is still full of talent and their ability to contend for a championship isn’t going to disappear anytime soon.