By and large, it's been a quiet offseason for the Vikings — an effective one, too.

Minnesota finagled its way through salary cap constraints, executed several affordable free-agent signings and replenished its youth and depth (especially on defense) with nine picks in the 2026 draft.

The gains are a testament to the collaboration between the coaching staff and the scouting department, as well as the unflappable leadership demonstrated by Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski, who for three months bridged the gap created after the Vikings parted ways with former General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah at the end of January.

With the draft done and the franchise's search for its next GM officially underway, it's worth calling attention to The Athletic's Ted Nguyen including Minnesota in his list of clubs having the best offseasons.

The Vikings are one of nine teams that made the cut.

Nguyen prefaced his article with the clarification that some teams are in various stages of championship contention, so it's necessary to group them differently. He decided on defined Super Bowl contenders, teams on the brink of competing for the ultimate prize, and organizations embracing a rebuilding period.

Minnesota fell in the middle category, along with NFC East squads Dallas and the New York Giants.

The chief reasoning is straightforward: 1) The Vikings signed two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kyler Murray for the veteran minimum, with the Cardinals on the hook to cover the vast majority of his 2026 salary, which Nguyen wrote is "enormous value"; and 2) The defensive line should be stronger with large investments at the position.

"At his best, Murray has played like a top-10 QB, but even if he's average, he'll be an enormous upgrade for an offense that has one of the best receiving duos in the league and a top-tier play caller," Nguyen wrote of the 2019 No. 1 pick Murray, who will compete with incumbent J.J. McCarthy to be the starter. "Additionally, some of Kevin O'Connell's favorite passing concepts mesh with what Murray does well."

As far as the Purple defense goes, Nguyen shared the following about several of Minnesota's draft picks:

[No. 18 overall pick Caleb] Banks has the potential to be an elite disruptor if he can stay healthy, and [Domonique] Orange was one of the best run stuffers in the draft. Safety Jakobe Thomas is an intelligent, big hitter who gives Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores a good option if [Harrison] Smith doesn't return.

Nguyen also touted veteran cornerback James Pierre, an under-the-radar March signing who led the Steelers in games played since 2020, as "an ascending player" who could benefit from the Flores system.

After a five-win decline from 2024 to 2025 and a notable drop in offensive performance, Nguyen thinks that side of the ball will regain its mojo, and the defense "will keep giving opponents headaches."

In the rest of his assessment, Nguyen featured the Eagles, 49ers and Rams as title contenders who crushed the offseason; and the Raiders, Browns and Saints as rebuilding programs that made big strides.

Rookie of the Year predictions

So you're telling me there's a chance!

Ben Solak of ESPN recently revealed his shortlist of candidates for the NFL Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards, and a couple of new Vikings defenders were mentioned in the conversation.

Banks, the 18^th pick, and linebacker Jake Golday (51^st) were hyped as a "long shot" and "longer shot" to win the honor, which was clinched last year in overwhelming fashion by Browns LB Carson Schwesinger.

Here's what Solak said about Banks, who is rehabbing a broken foot:

No defensive tackle has won Rookie of the Year since Aaron Donald in 2014, and the only other tackle to do it this century was Ndamukong Suh. Banks is that sort of talent and an enticing bet accordingly. But he has a foot injury that's impossible to overlook. He also plays in a Flores defense that doesn't (regularly) allow defensive tackles to play the sort of unhinged, penetration-oriented style that leads to sacks. Sure, the Vikings spent an early pick on Banks — but as head coach of the Dolphins in 2019, Flores used the No. 13 pick on Christian Wilkins, and he had two sacks as a rookie. It's hard to see the path for Banks.

Obviously, a strong training camp for Banks could go a long way.

Solak called Golday a longer shot due to his off-ball/on-ball tweener status and likelihood that he'll be stuck behind starters at both spots, but he'll "undoubtedly have flashy plays in subpackages," Solak said.

Just so you know, there were four other linebackers evaluated by Solak in his section of "longer shots": Miami's Jacob Rodriguez, Tampa Bay's Josiah Trotter, Indianapolis' CJ Allen and Tennessee's Anthony Hill, Jr. Along with Golday, this bunch of players was selected in the second round, between picks 43-60.

Solak shared the only non-first-round defenders to be Rookie of the Year this century were early Day 2 LBs: Schwesinger (No. 33), Shaquille Leonard (36 in 2018), DeMeco Ryans (33 in 2006) and Kendrell Bell (No. 39 in 2001). Like Lloyd Christmas said, though, even one-in-a-million odds means there's a chance.

Click here to read about Solak's picks to emerge as the top-performing offensive and defensive rookies.

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