With Organized Team Activity practices (OTAs) in full swing, most of the major offseason checkpoints and happenings are already old news, so it's fair game to pass early judgement.

ESPN's Bill Barnwell on Thursday put on his evaluation cap to continue assessing the bulk of the NFL offseason, which never pauses, after he offered thoughts on moves by each AFC organization last week.

This time, he dished on the NFC. More specifically, his favorite and least favorite decision for every team.

For some clubs, Barnwell identified broad topics, such as Chicago fortifying its offensive line but failing to address its pressure off the edge. For others, like Atlanta, he praised the Falcons signing QB Tua Tagovailoa at an affordable price, but he disapproved of possibly overspending to land WR Jahan Dotson.

Barnwell unpacks his selections with statistical evidence and logic. He also points out his choices aren't necessarily the most prominent or impactful moves, but maybe ones he preferred because they filled a need or were of good value, or ones he disliked because they had potential but weren't actually realized.

You can check out his full article here, and we'll jump straight to the Vikings.

Firstly, Barnwell joined the consensus that Minnesota's signing of QB Kyler Murray "offers virtually no downside and a massive amount of upside." He noted the Vikings only have to pay Murray the league minimum since the Cardinals are on the hook to pay the vast majority of the two-time Pro Bowl player's 2026 salary. Also, relative to what other retread quarterbacks, such as Daniel Jones, Malik Willis and Justin Fields have received in free agency in recent years, the deal with the 2019 No. 1 overall pick is a steal.

On the opposite end, Barnwell understood but didn't love Minnesota trading away outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard in the prime of his career to the Eagles in exchange for two third-round draft picks.

However, he hinted at third-year OLB Dallas Turner waiting in the wings.

Barnwell wrote the following of Greenard, who was a team captain in 2025:

Although he was excellent when healthy in his two years with Minnesota, injuries limited him to three sacks in 12 games in Year 2 after he racked up 12 sacks in Year 1. The Vikings traded significant draft capital in 2024 to move up for Turner in the first round, and while I'm not sure his eight-sack total from 2025 really reflects Turner's true impact on the field, you can understand why the Vikings want to open up a starting role for the Alabama product. With Greenard wanting a new contract, a trade made sense.

Barnwell said he appreciates "wanting to open up more snaps for Turner" but nitpicked the return after witnessing interior defensive linemen Quinnen Williams and Dexter Lawrence command first-round picks when they were dealt to Dallas and Cincinnati, and edge rusher Maxx Crosby (briefly) netting a pair of firsts before his trade to Baltimore was rescinded. Barnwell suggested two thirds "isn't a ton for a player as explosive as Greenard, who was still blowing by people on tape at less than 100 percent" last season.

Barnwell, however, recognized that the team's hands were practically tied at the time due to salary cap constraints.

Vikings Executive Director of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski, who saw the team through the 2026 NFL Draft in the wake of former General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah being relieved of his duties, acknowledged the difficult decision of trading Greenard.

"We have a pie, a salary cap pie," Brzezinski said. "Regardless of what people say, the salary cap is real. You might not be paying the bill the very day that you're writing the check, but it comes due. We can understand how people are wondering how we could let a player and a person as phenomenal as J.G. leave our building, but again, there's a lot of factors involved in those decisions."

Celebrity Softball Game

The tradition continues Thursday night at CHS Field in St. Paul with brats, beverages and boomsticks.

Recently retired Vikings Adam Thielen and C.J. Ham are in the mix on Team Offense for the 2026 UNRL Celebrity Softball Game put on by the Thielen Foundation. They will be joined by about 40 current players, including quarterbacks Murray, J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer on their side, and top defenders Joshua Metellus, Byron Murphy, Jr., and Turner, among many others, on Team Defense.

The defensive squad includes specialists, too.

After Team Defense won in 2023-24, T.J. Hockenson helped Team Offense return to the win column with a key 3-run homer in a 10-7 victory last year. Hockenson also collected hardware in the Home Run Derby.

The inaugural event was introduced by Thielen in 2019 in a unique format pitting athletes from several sports — Joe Mauer, Darryl Strawberry and Alex Stalock to name a few — against media members such as Chris Hawkey and Ben Leber. Ham kept the tradition alive in 2023-25 when Thielen was with Carolina.

Gates will open at 4:30 p.m. before the Home Run Derby at 6 p.m. precedes the 7 p.m. first pitch.

Funds raised throughout the evening, which also features a silent auction, in-game giveaways and merchandise for sale, will support the Thielen Foundation and its aim to equip and empower the youth.

Click here to purchase tickets while they last and champion a good cause.

See the Vikings 2026 Schedule.

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See more about the 2028 NFL Draft in Minnesota.