The Minnesota Vikings had a very disappointing 2025 season. Coming off a 14-3 year where they made the playoffs, they elected to get rid of Sam Darnold in favor of J.J. McCarthy, and it failed miserably. Their offense struggled, and their defense wasn’t as good as it was the year prior, and they ultimately missed the playoffs despite a pretty solid final stretch.

Thanks to StickToTheModel’s Be the GM tool, we can try to fix the Vikings and bring them back to the playoffs. There’s a lot of controversy around whether or not they should bring McCarthy back for another year or sign/trade/draft a new signal caller. I’m on the fence, but here’s what my perfect offseason looks like for Minnesota.

Roster Management

The Vikings will begin the offseason with the second-least cap space of any team at around negative $43 million. But that doesn’t mean they can’t create a lot of cap space with some cuts and restructures.

First, I had to make some cuts. A lot of them weren’t easy, but they had to be done.

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First, I got rid of a couple veterans in C Ryan Kelly and DT Javon Hargrave. Both were productive last season, but I was able to save almost $20 million by cutting both of them. I also let RB Aaron Jones go. His production has fallen off a cliff, and he saved $9.9 million alone.

The biggest cut I made was TE TJ Hockenson. I think he’s a really solid player, but cutting him freed up another $15.9 million, so I had to do it. Lastly, I got rid of OG Blake Brandel, saving $3.4 million.

After freeing up over $48 million, it was time to get to restructuring. WR Justin Jefferson, OT Christian Darrisaw and DL Jonathan Greenard were the big ones, saving me a total of $42.1 million in 2026. I also restructured TE Josh Oliver, OG Will Fries, CB Byron Murphy and DL Jonathan Allen, bringing my total restructure savings to $71.5 million and giving me $77 million to work with.

But before we move on to free agency, I also extended four players, starting with WR Jordan Addison, who I gave a three-year deal worth $23 million a season to. Sticking on offense, I also extended OT Brian O’Neil, who has been really solid, giving up four total sacks the past two seasons. He received $22.1 million per season for two years.

Defensively, I extended LB Blake Cashman and LB Andrew Van Ginkel to deals worth $13.1 million and $19 million per season respectively. With those extensions came some restructures, which saved me an extra $8 million in 2026, bringing my cap total to $85.7 million. Not bad.

Free Agency

Before we can get to the big money spent, I had to bring back a handful of players to provide some depth. Starting with three exclusive rights free agents, Jalen Redmond, Bo Richter and Xavier Scott, who all cost just $1 million to return on a minimum deal.

After that, I brought veteran LB Eric Wilson for $4.7 million. I also brought CB Fabian Moreau back on a $1.6 million deal to provide some more secondary depth.

Offensively, I re-signed FB CJ Ham and OT Matt Nelson for a total of $4.7 million, while bringing P Ryan Wright back on a $3.6 million deal. In total, all of these returning players cost me $17.6 million, leaving me with $68.1 million to spend.

Now for the hard part. Do I stick with McCarthy or make a move for another quarterback? I debated it, but I just don’t love the options this year. I did sign Marcus Mariota to a one-year, $4.6 million deal to be the backup, but I think you have to give McCarthy another chance. If he can’t prove it this year, there’s a very strong QB class coming out in 2027, so you go get your guy then.

With that said, I wanted to add some weapons around McCarthy so Minnesota can really find out what they have in him. The biggest signing I made offensively was TE Isaiah Likely. He hasn’t produced a ton in the league, but he’s been held back in Baltimore. If he’s given a full-time role, he can be a very explosive playmaker. I got him for $9 million a season over the next three years.

I made one more big offensive signing, bringing in RB Travis Etienne on a three-year deal worth $7 million annually. He will instantly improve the Vikings’ run game, while also giving McCarthy a weapon out of the backfield.

I also signed RB Brian Robinson and WR Calvin Austin to fill some holes at those positions. Robinson can be a very productive back when given the right offensive line and system, so having an RB2 like him is a luxury Minnesota hasn’t had for a while. As for Austin, he’s a small, speedy receiver that can play the Jalen Nailor role. Together, they cost $7.7 million in 2026.

I also added C Danny Pinter for $3.3 million to give a solid backup at center.

Defensively, I knew I had to upgrade the secondary, so I went out and added S Bryan Cook and CB Eric Stokes to three-year deals worth $12.3 million and $17.1 million respectively (I backloaded Stokes’ deal, so it cost $13 million in 2026). They’re both 26, but have multiple years of experience and are coming off the best seasons of their career. They’re instant upgrades at safety and corner.

Finally, I signed DT Dre’Mont Jones to a two-year deal worth $8 million per season to play alongside Jalen Redmond. It’s not the best solution to the DT position, but I feel like those two are serviceable, especially if Redmond takes another jump in 2026.

I didn’t break the bank for many guys, but I feel like almost all of them can all have big contributions in 2026.

NFL Draft

I know I filled some holes at safety and corner in free agency, but I still felt the need to get better, and more importantly younger, at those two positions. So, with the 18th pick in the draft, I selected CB Avieon Terrell. He’s 21 years old, extremely fast and athletic, and has produced at a high level his entire career. He’s a day one starter.

But I wasn’t done in the first round. I paid a hefty price (picks 49 and 82 plus a 2027 second and sixth) to move back into the first round to select S Dillon Thieneman 24th overall. He’s getting a lot of hype right now, and if it weren’t for Caleb Downs, he’d be the No. 1 safety off the board. Now, Minnesota has a cornerback and safety duo that are all under 26 years old.

After losing my second and one of my third round pick in that trade, the next pick I made was at No. 97, where I selected C Brian Parker. He was a tackle in college, but he’s making the transition to the interior. He’s an incredible pass blocker (definitely aided by his time at tackle), and he’s also really strong in the run game. He might take a year or two to get used to his new spot, but he’s got a ton of upside.

In round five, I added to the receiver room with Bryce Lance out of SDSU. He’s 6-foot-3, 209 pounds with incredible ball skills. He can’t run the entire route tree, but he can high point the football and come down with a lot of contested catches, which would add a lot to this offense.

With my two sixth round picks I added to the defensive line with DT Chris McLellan and DE Patrick Payton. I don’t know if they’ll ever become starters, but they can provide some depth along the DL.

Finally, in round seven, I took QB Diego Pavia, because why not? See if he doesn’t have a little something to him.

Starting Lineup

Here’s what the Vikings’ starting lineup would look like with the changes I made.

Offense

QB: J.J. McCarthy

RB: Travis Etienne, Brian Robinson

WR: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Calvin Austin, Bryce Lance

TE: Isaiah Likely

OL: Christian Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson, Brian Parker, Will Fries, Brian O’Neil

A lot of you would love to see McCarthy gone, but they invested so much into him, I think they have to give him one more year. Mainly because next year’s QB crop is so much better than this year’s, so if he stinks, they have a good shot at landing their replacement next year.

I feel like the run and pass game would be much better with this roster. Adding Travis Etienne, Brian Robinson, Calvin Austin, Bryce Lance and Isaiah Likely to the mix would give McCarthy so many more weapons to work with.

I also liked what Minnesota had going on up front, but I wanted to get better and cheaper at center, and I think Brian Parker has a ton of potential.

Overall, I think this is an offense that could make the playoffs if McCarthy is just average.

Defense

DL: Dallas Turner, Jonathan Allen, Jalen Redmond

LB: Blake Cashman, Eric Wilson, Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Gienkel

CB: Avieon Terrell, Eric Stokes, Theo Jackson

S: Bryan Cook, Dillon Thieneman

I would’ve really liked to add another edge rusher to the mix, but I think Minnesota has a rotation that can be serviceable, and if Redmond takes another jump this year on the interior, it’ll make everyone better.

I really love the changes I made to the secondary. Minnesota comes into the offseason with a lot of holes to fill on the backend, but a couple signings in free agency and a couple of draft picks can instantly change the outlook of this defense for 2026.

This is a team that could easily make the playoffs in 2026 if everyone stays healthy. It would just all come down to how McCarthy plays. I don’t know if he’s a franchise quarterback, but I think they have to give him one more year.