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The wait for the New League Year is nearly over.

The legal negotiating window between teams and agents of players with expiring contracts opens at 11 a.m. (CT) today. Signings of players with expiring contracts can begin at 3 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday.

We've seen some movement around the league already with releases taking place and retirements taking place, including of center Ryan Kelly after 10 NFL seasons.

Kelly joined Minnesota last March after garnering four Pro Bowl selections in his first nine seasons with Indianapolis.

It was an exciting addition for the Vikings to bring in a player who had 121 regular-season starts as the team rebuilt the interior of the offensive line and prepared for J.J. McCarthy's first season as starting QB.

The nature of the NFL is there are some great and classy players you get to cover for several years, some you get to cover for a few and some you wish you would have been able to cover for more than one or two years. Kelly is in that later category for me, along with former Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks. Incidentally, those two players teamed together in high school at Lakota West in Cincinnati.

I wish nothing but the best to Kelly and his family as they enter this next chapter.

Any player who has been released is permitted to sign with a club before the opening of free agency.

There have been some reports across the league that will be confirmed and others that will turn out to be rumors (or may have been tactical moves by teams or players' agents).

We'll keep you posted with news as soon as we are able to do so.

I think we're all looking forward to plans being unveiled in this unique Vikings offseason.

Let's get to some questions.

I have been a Vikings fan for half a century, have been a season ticket holder for quite some time, and am truly at a crossroads with the Vikings. I love this team so much I fly up for games from Florida to support the team.

Herein is my challenge. We have won 3 playoff games in 21 years. 3. Have a playoff record of 3-8 in that timeframe, have not been to the Super Bowl, and the team still appears to be in disarray.

We don't want to see more of the same old song and dance. Kirk Cousins is a hard no in my book. He had his shot and left for the money. Jets (Justin Jefferson) isn't getting any younger, and we have one of the oldest teams in the league.

Anointing J.J. as starting QB was an absolute bust, and I don't see him being able to lead a team for several years, if at all. I believe it is time to clean house and start over. Stop trying to put band aids on a team that cannot win a championship as is.

What are your thoughts on a complete rebuild at this point for this team? I do not see the current version making it to the playoffs again this year.

SKOL Vikes!!

— Michael Larson

The Vikings appreciate the longtime support and your extra effort of flying from Florida to Minnesota for the home games.

Michael is correct to want more than a 3-8 postseason showing since 2005, and he's not alone. People in the organization are working hard to achieve success. The Vikings have won 10 or more games in eight seasons and finished at .500 or better 13 times. There also are just two seasons in which the team has won fewer than six games in that stretch.

Earnest attempts to compete have provided for some exciting game days but haven't been fully rewarded with the ultimate prize.

The NFL's draft order is based on reverse order of finish, which means competing in a league that pulls teams to the middle lands a team further down the draft board. Chicago opted for more of a complete rebuild than the Vikings in 2022. Minnesota is 43-25 in the past four regular seasons, and Chicago is 26-42, with last season's 11-6 showing (in Ben Johnson's first campaign) as its high point.

A teardown approach does not always guarantee success. The Vikings have spoken about trying to maintain a core this offseason while working their way back under the salary cap.

One way or another, the Vikings have to play out the bet they've made on J.J. McCarthy. The sample size is smaller of the games he's played in than the ones he's missed due to injury. Still, it's very clear that he needs bona fide competition for the starting job AND someone who is willing and able to mentor him.

This morning (Thursday) I read and watched video on NFL.com regarding Kyler Murray. Yes, everyone seems to have an opinion that needs to be aired. It seems as though the experts can't stop themselves from giving views on where Kyler should go. And again, a number of these sage advisors and commentators believe that Minnesota is the first and (maybe) best choice.

Sure, the veteran minimum salary angle makes it sound appealing, but that gets us through the 2026 season. What happens then? Would the Vikings have to pony up more of Kyler's 2027 guaranteed money to retain his services? Because how much of an impact can he possibly have on J.J.'s development if he's one and done?

But Kyler Murray is the hot topic this week, soaking up the on-air time on the cable feeds and internet, so let's talk about that. And at his best, he can perform like a one-man show on the Vegas Strip or effectively throw darts through impossibly tight windows to feed our downfield threats. And even 6 years older, his scrambling ability is mesmerizing to watch.

However, lest we forget, since signing that massive contract extension in 2022, he's spent an inordinate amount of time standing on the sidelines nursing an injury. So which version of Kyler would the Vikings get? Just look in the rearview mirror at last season, and how many games did we get out of Carson Wentz before he was lost for the season?

Obviously Kevin O'Connell and Rob Brzezinski are better equipped to handle these decisions. But I hope they weigh the scales evenly and take into consideration the long-term impact of their choices. Kyler wants to be a starter and likely still has the mad skills to justify a shot at that. J.J. needs a mentor more than anything to check his impulses and advise him on making both better and faster decisions.

To me that sounds more like Kirk Cousins than Kyler (or Tua Tagovailoa). Sure, there's less sizzle in the skillet, but that also implies there's more meat than fat on that hunk of bacon.

Sincerely,

— David A. (From the North Shore but stuck in the South)

Selecting McCarthy in 2024 and moving to him becoming the starter last year after he suffered the torn meniscus as a rookie led to mixed results and a 9-8 record in 2025. He went 6-4 in 10 starts despite dealing with multiple injuries.

At the time I'm writing this, Murray is still under contract with the Cardinals, so I'll keep things basic with regard to the 2019 No. 1 overall pick and only player ever drafted in the first round of two major sports leagues (NFL and MLB).

Murray is 38-48-1 in 87 regular-season starts with a career completion rate of 67.1 percent and a passer rating of 92.2.

Minnesota's passers in 2025 combined to complete 61.6 percent of passes and compile a passer rating of 75.3. Both categories have room for improvement, particularly passer rating, which is affected significantly by touchdowns (positive impact) and interceptions (negative impact).

Personally, I believe time on task (in a competitive environment) could be one of the most important factors for McCarthy's development. The Vikings have stayed consistent in saying they want to create a more competitive QB room.

Wentz's status — he is a pending free agent, but the Vikings haven't ruled out the possibility of bringing him back — is another interesting element to keep an eye on because of his significant experience, and it's quite possible Minnesota will go into training camp with four quarterbacks.

A SAFETY, CORNERBACK or LINEBACKER should be your selection at 18. PERIOD. Try & get a quarterback that's not a choker in pressure situations, too. I'VE BEEN WATCHING & WAITING FOR 50 YEARS NOW FOR this organization not to flounder, especially under pressure.

— Brian T. from Florida

Defensive back (including safeties and cornerbacks) has been the most commonly mocked position to the Vikings so far, and it seems many experts believe there will be options to pick from at each of those positions.

Linebacker might be considered, but that position could also be impacted by what happens with Eric Wilson, who is a pending free agent. He was somewhat of an under-the-radar signing last season but is an example of the types of players it will be helpful to land while the team is conducting salary cap aerobics.

I think and hope a lot of players will restructure their contracts so we can do more adding and minimal subtracting. Injuries derailed us last year. It would be nice to reload and have a relatively healthy year. We are due.

— Gerald Goblirsch

There were some reports of simple restructures happening with Justin Jefferson, Christian Darrisaw and Byron Murphy, Jr., on Friday. Those are three core players for the Vikings who have considerable contracts.

Some subtractions will be occurring this week, but there will be some additions. Ideally the injury bug will bite less hard in 2026 than it did in 2025.

Demond Claiborne, RB from Wake Forest, shined at combine. Vikings, look for him in third round. Do you think Tua would be good with us?

— William W.

Claiborne ran the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds with a 10-yard split of 1.59. He broad jumped 10 feet, 2 inches.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein described Claiborne as a "twitched-up, elusive slasher who can turn minimal gains into explosive runs."

Claiborne measured in at 5-10 and 188 pounds, so he might benefit from a little more weight, as long as it doesn't take away from the explosiveness.

This past season, he rushed 179 times for 907 yards and 10 scores and added 28 receptions for 140 yards for the Demon Deacons. Claiborne played in 44 games from 2022-25 and teamed with Vikings center Michael Jurgens for two seasons before Jurgens was selected in 2024.

Do we look at the possibility of trading away a talent like Jordan Addison to Washington? They need a wide receiver with his talents, and we could pick up an elite running back like Jeremiyah Love or a needed defensive pick up like Caleb Downs. Washington, then would get our 18^th pick.

— Curt R.

Addison is three seasons into his rookie deal, and Minnesota must decide by May if it will exercise the fifth-year option on the receiver. The last time a high-profile Vikings receiver was traded involving picks, Minnesota sent Stefon Diggs and a 2020 seventh-round pick to Buffalo and received first-, fifth- and sixth-round picks in 2020 and a conditional 2021 selection that became a fourth-rounder.

Washington is set to select from the No. 7 spot. The Vikings haven't said anything about Addison being on the trade block, but it's likely if he was that the asking price would be higher than a pick swap, even if it is 11 spots in the first round.

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