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My mind wasn't on football much this weekend, but I'm going to keep the focus there in this edition.

Super Bowl LX will feature the Patriots and Seahawks on Feb. 8 in Northern California.

As the playoffs have reached this point, it's been an offseason filled with coaching changes across the NFL.

The NFL head coach openings reached 10 this offseason, matching 2022 when Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell was hired.

He and Tampa Bay's Todd Bowles are the only two members of that class who are still with the teams that hired them.

The following teams have hired head coaches so far:

Dolphins: Jeff Hafley (was Packers DC from 2024-25)

Falcons: Kevin Stefanski (was Browns HC from 2020-25)

Giants: John Harbaugh (was Ravens HC from 2008-25)

Ravens: Jesse Minter (was Chargers DC from 2024-25)

Steelers: Mike McCarthy (last coached as Cowboys HC from 2020-24)

Titans: Robert Saleh (was 49ers DC in 2025 after being Jets HC from 2021-24)

The Bills, Browns, Cardinals and Raiders are still working on their hires.

That means there are numerous rows of dominoes still waiting to fall.

In the meantime, Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores signed a new contract with Minnesota (his previous one had expired earlier in January). Flores has interviewed for head coach openings and could still depart if chosen by another team for one of those positions, but for now, the Vikings can continue to evaluate prospects with the idea of their fit in Flores' scheme, which is valuable considering college all-star games are happening.

Teams are evaluating prospects at the 101^st East-West Shrine Bowl in Frisco, Texas (game is this Tuesday night on NFL Network) and are sending evaluators to Mobile, Alabama, for the 77^th Senior Bowl (game is Saturday on NFL Network).

Vikings.com's Rob Kleifield is heading down to the Gulf Coast to cover this week's Senior Bowl practices, so be on the lookout for coverage from "L.A." (Lower Alabama).

Let's get to some questions.

I really enjoyed watching Jalen Redmond play this past season. The Vikings have done pretty good with UDFAs, but he's truly a cut above. I hope they sign him to a four-to-five-year extension really soon so we can keep him after a decent season. I think he'll be a bit more expensive if he keeps up his production.

— Jason Gibeaut in Gallipolis, Ohio

If anyone missed last week's position recap of the defensive line, Redmond was a central figure throughout and listed by our Lindsey Young as the group's "Unsung Hero," although we both agree that Redmond's flowers already began arriving, especially from Vikings fans. It's quite likely that his game film raised eyebrows across the NFL, and if he continues this trajectory, other fan bases will know him, as well.

Redmond scored well in metric after metric this season, showing impressive improvements from 2024 and is someone the Vikings are quite excited about continuing his career in Purple.

The in-depth, never-stop-combing scouting efforts that landed Redmond in summer of 2024 show relentlessness can yield rewards. Redmond is an exclusive rights free agent for 2026, making it highly likely he will be with Minnesota. This page from the NFL Operations Manual explains categories of free agents.

Redmond was set to become one last offseason before reaching a deal last January with the team, well ahead of free agency.

There's a baseline for what Redmond could make for 2026, but the Vikings might also consider going beyond that to avoid a future bidding battle with other teams once Redmond is no longer an ERFA. His line of 62 tackles, 12 TFLs, 6.0 sacks and five passes swatted at the line of scrimmage, along with a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries certainly generates a buzz.

Have the Vikings considered adding Malik Willis from Green Bay as a quarterback? He seems like a great option.

— D. Heine

We know that O'Connell and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah emphasized that making the QBs room as deep and talented as possible during their end-of-season press conferences.

That could involve bringing in a free agent or making a trade if a veteran addition is desired.

Carson Wentz was added right before the season on a one-year deal. He is among this year's class of pending free agents.

Spotrac.com has a convenient list of QBs who are pending free agents that include Willis, the former Titans third-round pick who has impressed as Green Bay's backup for the past two seasons. Willis will be just 27 on May 27, so there's a good bit of football ahead for him.

It will be interesting to see what the market is for the free agent QBs. I've heard some people mention Willis being a candidate for some substantial dollars heading his way. Daniel Jones is oft-mentioned as one of the most likely to generate interest, but he's coming off a late-season Achilles injury.

Note: this was sent earlier last week before Flores' new contract was announced, but I'm including to cover the second part of the question.

Will the Vikings receive compensation if they lose Brian Flores to a head coaching job since his contract actually expired?

If so, what is that compensation and what year? Sure hope to keep him as our coordinator.

— Rick in Blaine, Minnesota

I'm not exactly sure how the determination would have fallen on the awarding of any comp picks since Flores' contract had expired.

Now that Flores has signed a new deal, if he was hired by a team to be its head coach, then Minnesota would be awarded a third-round compensatory pick this year and another in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Let's keep this season in perspective! Most independent analysts predicted the Vikings to go 9-8. If the Vikings had a reasonable number of injuries, and "even Steven" luck, I think we would have hit that mark easily. No one should really expect to win the Super Bowl with essentially a rookie quarterback. It is a two-year project!

— Joe in Phoenix, Arizona

The six quarterbacks selected in the first round in 2024 — Caleb Williams (No. 1 overall), Jayden Daniels (No. 2), Drake Maye (No. 3), Michael Penix, Jr. (No. 8), J.J. McCarthy (No. 10) and Bo Nix (No. 12) — will forever be intertwined.

The teams of Maye and Nix advanced to the AFC Championship, but Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the Divisional Round. Maye now has a chance at winning Super Bowl LX. Daniels and the Commanders made it to the NFC Championship Game in his rookie season before hobbling through a rough 2025. Williams and the Bears made it to the Divisional Round but were outlasted by the Rams.

That leaves Penix and McCarthy as the only two so far who are waiting for their first postseason action, but McCarthy is the only one in the bunch who has had only one season as a starter.

He turned 23 last Tuesday. Williams turned 24 in November, Daniels turned 25 in December, Maye will be 24 in August, Penix will be 26 in May, and Nix will be 26 in February.

While all are through the second year of their rookie deals, there's more of a runway for McCarthy's development, which can be among factors in draft decisions.

Minnesota winning 14 games in 2024 with Sam Darnold on a one-year deal guided the conversations about the Vikings to being a team in "win now" mode. Instead of using the franchise tag on Darnold for an extra year of his services or trying to counter the substantial (and dividend-yielding) deal offered by Super Bowl-bound Seattle, the Vikings pivoted to McCarthy and tried to implement what they thought would best fit around a QB who was learning in real time with every rep. McCarthy going into this full NFL offseason healthy should be quite helpful for his development.

The Vikings do readily admit room for team improvements so that results are above the 9-8 record thanks to an encouraging finish.

Kwesi and Kevin,

Can you please sign Aaron Rodgers so we can get to the playoffs and possibly the Super Bowl? We now know for sure McCarthy isn't ready yet and couldn't have a better mentor for a season than a three-time MVP and Super Bowl Winner! Get our o-line right, and Rodgers will take us to new heights I and thousands of other fans haven't felt since we had Brett Favre!

— Dan Staton in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Favre turned 40 during the 2009 season that nearly ended with the ultimate dream for Vikings fans. Rodgers turned 42 in December, and while he and the Steelers topped Minnesota in Dublin, Pittsburgh finished with a 10-7 showing that won the AFC North before losing in the first round of the playoffs.

I'm not sure if Rodgers will decide this was the end of the train tracks or if he'll want another chance with Pittsburgh (and a reunion with Mike McCarthy) or to go to another team. I did think he looked more in 2025 like what we've come to expect from Rodgers than he did in 2024 when he was in his first season back from the Achilles injury.

I didn't realize this, but Rodgers' most recent playoff victory was Jan. 16, 2021.

I mentioned in my previous response that I think McCarthy stands to benefit significantly from a full, healthy offseason, as well as the in-game experiences he had during his first 10 career starts.

Dan's comments about getting the o-line "right" are valid because I think any QB would have struggled for a team using 26 different combinations of offensive linemen. Experience perhaps could have masked some weaknesses, but the Steelers offensive line showed to be no match for Houston's defensive line in the Wild Card, and it affected a first-ballot Hall of Fame QB.

As a fan for over 50 years, I'm starting to wonder if I will ever see that first Super Bowl win. I believe in K.O. as the head coach, but I think Kwesi's drafts have been awful!! If you look at the roster, how many of the starters and key players were drafted by Rick Spielman? He had misses, too, but look at the roster and see how many core players were drafted more than four years ago under a different system vs. the past four. I hope he figures it out soon, as I just watched Bo Nix take his team to the AFC Championship, and he was drafted after J.J. And we all know about the safety he passed on that is an All-Pro with Baltimore, and Kwesi drafted one that's out of the league.

— Dave in Rapid City, South Dakota

Everyone has hits and misses in drafting. It's then about how much the hits can offset the misses or how quickly a miss can be stop-gapped.

There are some residual players selected with drafts led by Spielman that have continued to be important foundational players. Adofo-Mensah's first draft class (2022) included 10 selections with five on offense and five on defense, and the results were not what anyone envisioned.

Only running back Ty Chandler and receiver Jalen Nailor remained with the team in 2025. Chandler's fourth season was impacted adversely by a knee injury suffered in Week 1. Nailor had some nice games and a couple of down moments but showed a general growth every season where he could become a free agent sought by multiple other teams this offseason.

Switching defensive coordinators and schemes one year after the first draft was one factor, but there were others in play, including the severe leg injury Lewis Cine suffered a few games into his career. Another impact affecting playing time for more recent draft picks has been Minnesota's success in free agency.

We've seen some of Spielman's later-round picks develop (Joshua Metellus and Blake Brandel come to mind) and be re-signed by the current administration. We've also seen the current administration mine the undrafted free agent market for a difference maker like Myles Price.

Nix definitely made some plays, particularly key ones near the end of the Divisional Round game against Buffalo, but it is worth noting the Broncos ranked No. 3 in points against and No. 2 in yards allowed this season. Yes, I do know that Minnesota finished No. 7 and No. 3 in those categories.

Ideally the expected general continuity of coaching staff with Flores in line to stay, will position Minnesota's defense to start 2026 the way it closed 2025 (even if some personnel changes occur), and the offense can take the necessary steps forward to be a more complete team in position of making a deep postseason run.

Seattle went 10-7 in 2024, losing a tiebreaker to the Rams for the NFC West and missing the playoffs by one spot. The moves the Seahawks made this offseason elevated that team to the No. 1 seed and sent the squad to the franchise's fourth Super Bowl appearance.