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I wanted to start by mentioning Good Morning America hosted Khyree Jackson's family on Friday, shining a light on the work being done by the Khyree Jackson Foundation and revealing a special surprise that Raymond Jackson, Ebbony Jackson and Kolston Jackson will be attending Super Bowl LX.

The family should be so proud of the way they are continuing the legacy of the 2024 Vikings draft selection who was tragically killed in a car wreck in July 2024.

The word "legacy" is one I've thought about quite a bit this January.

The in-game tributes to C.J. Ham and Harrison Smith at U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 18 were a primer for this line of thinking because it is clear the legacies each player has developed with fans over the years for doing things the right way. The thoughts on legacy continued last week when Adam Thielen played his final NFL game and announced his retirement.

Thielen's social media announcement happened on the same day a celebration of life service brought decades of Vikings past and present together to memorialize Paul Wiggin, who passed away in mid-December, bringing to a close 40 years of working with the Vikings in some capacity (first as an assistant coach and then as a personnel executive).

I genuinely appreciated the opportunity to attend the service in honor of "Coach" Wiggin, having benefitted from overlapping with him for more than a decade.

The qualities that stand out the most about Wiggin to me are his wide-ranging wisdom, impeccable integrity and honorable humility.

Anyone fortunate enough to have a conversation with Wiggin quickly benefitted from his wisdom. Coaches, players, scouts, staffers, the organization and state observed his steadfast integrity. The humility with which such an accomplished man operated might be the most impressive.

People traveled from various parts of the country to pay their respects to a great man.

I've never posted here before. Simple request: Please let (or ask) Adam Thielen retire as a Viking. It would mean the world to most of us die-hard Vikings fans, and I'm sure it would mean the world to him and his family!

— Katy Theiss

Welcome to the Mailbag, and we hope this isn't your only submission.

In case anyone didn't see this awesome graphic by True North, I wanted to post here.

As mentioned in the copy, the team plans to celebrate Thielen later this offseason (and VEN will have some content to go with it).

His story and Ham's story as tryout players who eventually became team captains and Vikings Community Man of the Year winners are the fabric of dreams come true.

I hope Hitman comes back for another two years. It's obvious he can still play.

Why did we let Danielle Hunter and Eric Kendricks go? It's obvious they too can still play. Maybe we could let our team evolve with the great players we have. Yes, it's always great to get talent, but would we have been better with those two players and Sam Darnold?

I do like J.J. McCarthy and think he will someday be great. He could have been a backup for another year or two.

Again, just a thought. A Vikings fan since 1970 and will always be. On yes, and I live in New England. Go Vikes.

— Thomas Dateo, Jr.

Appreciate the support over in the Northeastern U.S. The Vikings will be facing the Patriots at New England at some point in the 2026 season (likely announced in May).

When the Vikings are eliminated from contention, I do continue to wish well for any former Vikings who are on teams that are still playing. During Wild Card weekend, Hunter wreaked havoc for Houston's defense, and Kendricks (I'm not well-adjusted to him in No. 43 for the 49ers) came up with the clinching pass breakup against the Eagles, reminding many of us at the Vikings of his key PBU at Dallas in the 2019 Sunday Night Football game. Darnold and the Seahawks were able to have the bye, and I'm actually filing Mailbag before this weekend's games.

As much as a team can love a player, sometimes the contract math doesn't work. Minnesota wanted to address multiple positions on its defense in 2024 and tried to steer actions to best fit Brian Flores' plans. That meant adding edge defenders Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, which was a major success. Unfortunately, both players missed some time in 2025, but the silver lining was more snaps for Dallas Turner's development.

The Vikings could have franchise-tagged Darnold to buy one more season of practice development for McCarthy, but that obviously would have affected other offseason moves that were made with a reasonable process but didn't quite pan out because of injuries. Darnold can relate to the encouraging flashes of greatness and growing pains that McCarthy experienced in his first season as a starter.

Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah held their end-of-season press conferences last Tuesday and discussed the QB position and said their goal is to increase talent and depth in the QB room this offseason.

I loved how strong the Vikings finished their season. Usually, a season ends with an unhappy performance or a loss in the playoffs. This felt different. Considering the injuries and struggles, a five-game win streak at the end was great and bodes well for next year. I am still high on McCarthy. He is only 22 and should develop with time. The defense is first class. I like the future of this ream.

Jordan Addison is another story. I hate criticizing players, and I understand why O'Connell and Adofo-Mensah wouldn't want to comment. It is too early in the legal process, and you don't want to unnecessarily reduce Addison's value, whether you decide to keep or trade him. However, as a fan, I have had enough. He is either not very bright, immature, spoiled, or all three. Three strikes, throw him out. It doesn't matter what the details of the incident are at this point. He seems to consistently be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He has talent, but he is unreliable and a public image nightmare.

— Jerry Carrier in Lakeville, Minnesota

I understand why "nothing to play for" creeps into the conversation once teams are eliminated from postseason contention, but what this squad showed is it felt it had everyone in the locker room to play for, a nod to the culture in the building, as well as the sincere appreciation players have for the way they're supported by Vikings fans.

Happy early birthday to J.J., by the way. McCarthy turns 23 on Tuesday. It's the nature of the business and the position, but he's had quite a bit on his shoulders for this past trip around the sun. He's been developing in real time and constantly in public view. There were so many aspects where he did improve, and most importantly, he's not rehabbing a significant injury.

"He wants it more than anybody I've ever been around," Adofo-Mensah said during his press conference. "And he's got an offseason where he's going to have time to not rehab an injury, and so we're excited to see what development he takes."

I'll also wish an early happy birthday to Addison, who turns 24 on Jan. 27. I'm a long way removed from my early 20s at this point, but most people that age have a degree of anonymity during their maturation years. Based on three years of some direct interactions in the locker room and other settings, I don't think it's a brightness or spoiled component.

I also think players, coaches and the personnel staffers who have spent more time around Addison sincerely value him and care for him. Adofo-Mensah was asked about Addison Tuesday and said the following:

"Jordan is unique, because 99% of the days that Jordan Addison is a Viking, he is a joy to be around. He is incredibly intelligent, confident, responsible, and then it's like all of us. It's what are you like on those 1% days? Is it the type of thing that draws attention or not? And obviously that's something we have to consider."

After two great seasons, Addison didn't have the same results in 2025. He is under contract for 2026, and the Vikings would have a club option on him in 2027 since he was a first-round pick in 2023.

I cannot believe the Vikings are going into this draft with K.O. and this GM. They have learned nothing from the past decision-making — a $300 million bust and are keeping the same HC and OC for '26. All other teams in the North are going to improve, but Vikings in last place seems about right for '26.

— Robert Hernandez Anaheim, California

The dust is still settling on the 2025 campaign. O'Connell held an exit interview with every player on the roster and with all coaches.

He made it clear in his media sessions that this was not the standard the Vikings want to be at. That said, it was an incredibly tough division, the only one this season with all four teams posting winning records.

And while it seems division rivals are positioned to be pesky for quite some time, Minnesota seemed to face a headwind no matter which way the ship turned in 2025. Perhaps the Vikings can put some tailwinds in their sails in 2026.

If the Vikings are unable to keep Brian Flores, perhaps they should offer that to Harrison Smith. Smith has seen a lot of offenses and knows what our players are capable of doing.

— Marty

If Flores does leave and Smith does retire, that will be a challenging combination to replace because of the aggressive "mad scientist" component brought by Flores and the way Smith was able to communicate changes to teammates and fully activate the havoc.

There are a few players with multiple years in the system now who might be able to step in for the on-field role, but it's never easy to replace a player who is deserving of Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement. Playing, even as an extension of the coaching staff, and coaching are different animals.

Hello Vikings,

This is Cash, and I wanted to know about the QB situation because I know J.J. has developed over the last few weeks but when you played Dallas, you told J.J. "no Griddy," but he did it anyway. That is why I am wondering if there are any locker room issues that are disturbing. Another question I have is, what is the defense going to look like next season because I know the roster is getting older and Harrison might retire. That's why I'm going to ask what is your plan for the defense, as an example: we build around the line more and go pass rush heavy or build up the secondary with prospects?

Sincerely Skol,

— Cash Dobson

As mentioned, the emphasis O'Connell and Adofo-Mensah placed when discussing the QB situation is to provide as much talent and depth to the room as possible. There are a few ways to go about this, and it will be interesting to see what is eventually done.

Coaches love ball security, especially during a season in which there was an instance of a ball being dropped by a player just shy of the goal line. The lights, the setting and the emotion were quite high on the bootleg TD trot, and that was quite enticing once it was ultimately clear an easy score was on the way.

The plan for the defense depends first and foremost on if Flores is back. He's evaluating options and has interviewed for head coaching and defensive coordinator roles.

If the Vikings do need to replace Flores, then it will depend on the system that the new coordinator wants to implement. The Vikings have been developing assistants on that side of the ball, so a promotion could occur, or the team could hire from the outside.

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