The 2024 Minnesota Vikings season has once again come to a disappointing end.
There is plenty of blame to go around as to why these Vikings aren’t playing next week, but at the end of the day, the front office and coaching staff must come together and make this team better.
Let’s take a look at a few moves this team should make to help them contend in 2025.
Move No. 1
Do NOT bring Sam Darnold back
In Minnesota's final two games, Darnold showed that he is not the answer at quarterback going forward. Darnold was a nice story for the majority of the season but when the lights shined brightest, he reverted back to his former self and one cannot expect that to change in 2025.
Darnold has played himself out of any hope for trade compensation in a tag-and-trade situation, so the Vikings must hope that he fetches them a compensatory draft pick for 2026 and let the J.J. McCarthy era begin.
Move No. 2
Sign two top free-agent guards
Monday's playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams was one of the most pathetic performances from Minnesota's offensive line in the team's history.
Over the last three seasons, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has not put much value into the offensive line. This needs to change immediately.
Dalton Risner and Blake Brandel are not going to help Minnesota win a Super Bowl, and both are nothing more than backup/depth guys.
Adofo-Mensah needs to do whatever it takes to land impending free-agent guard Trey Smith this offseason, as well as another above-average guard for 2025 to help the team's young franchise quarterback.
Move No. 3
Cut or trade Garrett Bradbury for anything
Garrett Bradbury has overstayed his welcome in Minnesota. His play improved in 2022 in his first season under O’Connell, but in both 2023 and 2024, he’s reverted back to a center who is too small and struggles against bigger defensive tackles.
Minnesota's front office loves Michael Jurgens (which scares me), but they need to see what they have in him, and adding two good guards as discussed earlier might actually be able to make any center other than Bradbury serviceable.
Move No. 4
Change the run scheme
The Vikings have not been able to effectively run the ball in all three seasons with O’Connell in charge. Minnesota's head coach needs to change his run scheme next season by doing the opposite of whatever he has done in previous years.
There is a reason that Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan moved off a similar run scheme to the Vikings in recent years.
Move No. 5
Sign a top free-agent cornerback
Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin, and Byron Murphy Jr. are all slated to be free agents this offseason. There's a chance that Gilmore will retire and Griffin didn't do enough this past season to warrant bringing him back as a starter in 2025.
Murphy was named to his first Pro Bowl roster this season and should be brought back for the 2025 campaign. But he needs a running mate like D.J. Reed, Charvarius Ward, or (potentially) Jaire Alexander if/when the Green Bay Packers cut him.
Move No. 6
Select a RB on Day 1 or Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft
The Vikings cannot go into 2025 with the same running back room as 2024. O’Connell loves Aaron Jones, and when he was healthy, he was been effective for Minnesota. But the Vikings must get him some help if they bring him back.
Names like Omarion Hampton from North Carolina or Kaleb Johnson from Iowa are guys that would fit the mold. But Cam Akers and Ty Chandler cannot be the only backup options for the Vikings offense going into 2025.
BONUS HOT TAKE
Vikings must replace Brian Flores with Robert Saleh
The Vikings should want Brian Flores to get a head coaching job this offseason. Flores's defense has been figured out, especially by the elite offensive play callers in the game. Flores has failed to make adjustments and his pride and ego are too large to try anything different defensively.