The Minnesota Vikings kicked off their organized team activities recently, and these are the first times the 2026 version of the team is taking the field. It's one of the most exciting parts of the spring.
The Vikings have had a busy offseason where they moved on from a lot of veterans, either by releasing or trading, and added plenty of new blood via free agency and the draft. While those changes bring excitement, they also bring a handful of questions.
What are the biggest questions Minnesota will be looking to answer as they continue this year's organized team activities?
Biggest questions facing the Minnesota Vikings during OTAs
Who will be the starting quarterback?
This is the biggest question facing the 2026 Vikings. After an embarrassingly abysmal quarterback room in 2025, Minnesota bolstered the unit by bringing in Kyler Murray and re-signing Carson Wentz to form a nice little trio at the position. Wentz will likely be the insurance option, but the battle will be between J.J. McCarthy and Murray for the starting job.
It's widely assumed that Murray will win the job as he looks to get his career back on track, and the question of whether this will truly be a real competition has been asked since his signing was announced. OTAs will give Vikings fans the first look at the pecking order of who will be with the ones, the twos, and the scout team. If Murray and McCarthy split reps, that will point to a fair and honest competition.
If Murray is taking all first-team reps, then that'll show that it's his job to lose.
Murray is no doubt the favorite, and McCarthy's only chance of winning the starting job is if he improves by leaps and bounds and is clearly the best option for Kevin O'Connell and his offense.
When will the team hire a general manager?
As of this writing, the Vikings have yet to hire a general manager. There have been plenty of names tossed into the ring, including options from the current regime like Rob Brzezinski and Ryan Grigson, to outsiders like Terrance Gray from the Buffalo Bills.
It's an odd occurrence to hire a general manager after a draft, but there's apparently a lot of interest in Minnesota's opening, and the team has to make a decision sooner rather than later.
The general manager should be in place when Organized Team Activities begin. The guy making the final say of who is or isn't on the final roster should be there the moment these players take the field and begin vying for a spot on this team.
That's the only way he or she can make a true assessment of these players' abilities and how they fit into what the coaches need them to do.
The general manager also needs to be in place immediately to assess how to fill the remaining holes on this team and what amount of money should be allocated to address those issues.
The Vikings' general manager situation is truly a unique one, and one that has to be resolved before the start of OTAs.
Will the Vikings make any more free agent additions?
This question ties into the general manager one above, but will the team bring in more free-agent help? The big hole at wide receiver has been filled with the recent signing of Jauan Jennings, but more holes remain.
Edge is another position that could be bolstered with some outside help. Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel are a fine duo at the top, but depth is a major concern.
Are the Vikings okay with Jake Golday playing edge with Bo Richter and Tyler Batty rounding out the depth?
Again, maybe seeing these guys in organized team activities will spark them to make a move, and if they don't, that'll show that they are fine with the depth for this season.
Is Harrison Smith coming back?
This question seemed like it was definitively answered at the end of the 2025 season. We saw Harrison Smith come in on offense and take a final snap, and he was awarded with a standing ovation from the home crowd.
It was a fitting send-off for a guy who played his heart out for the Vikings with every single snap of his professional career.
As the offseason progressed, we saw CJ Ham and Adam Thielen officially announce their retirements, but nothing from The Hitman. The rumblings that his retirement was imminent suddenly became "ifs," and the pendulum began swinging back toward him returning to the field.
The Vikings did address the safety position early in the draft with the selection of Jakobe Thomas, so they do have a replacement on the roster, but one can't shut the door on Smith's return.
Kevin O'Connell has been asked about it at press conferences and has openly admitted that he keeps in contact with the eventual Hall of Famer, gently asking about his future.
The team also used a post-June 1st release designation on his contract, which could open the door for him to play for a 15th season with Minnesota.
The Vikings have to be moving forward with the thought that Smith won't be back. That leaves question marks about the overall depth and who will be playing which roles on the back end of this defense.
If Smith does return, that unit looks a lot stronger and could even be one of the deepest on this defense.
How impactful will the rookie class be?
The Vikings relied heavily on the draft to improve their team this season. They didn't have much money to spend in free agency and had to maximize the value on their nine selections this April.
At face value, it looks like they accomplished that task. Both Caleb Banks and Dominique Orange are expected to start, with players like Jake Golday, Jakobe Thomas, Charles Demmings, and Demond Claiborne all expected to be contributors.
While that's the expectation, OTAs are where the rumblings should begin. Hopefully, reports are coming out about how healthy Banks looks and how well he's moving.
The power of Dominque Orange, the burst of Demond Claiborne, and Jake Golday getting mixed in at the edge rotation are also rumblings that will be a joy to hear as the tweets come trickling in from the organized activities.
This Vikings' rookie class is geared to have one of the biggest impacts this season, and OTAs will be the first test to see if that is indeed going to be the case in 2026.
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