Less Expectations Mean More Excitement For 2024 Vikings
Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Over the last six years, Minnesota Vikings’ fans have eyed a deep playoff run as their baseline expectation. But anyone honest, who looks back at that time, can see that there was little shot of that actually happening. As the Mike Zimmer and Kirk Cousins Eras went on, fans were stuck in the prison of a constant win-now mentality with a team that just couldn’t win anything significant.
For the first time in years, the Vikings come into the season with no expectations. There is no Super Bowl chatter, and few are even talking about the playoffs. While that may seem bleak, it sets the team up for a season full of excitement.
Not having lofty hopes isn’t something to champion, as at the end of the day, everyone wants to be a contender. It does, however, give the fan base a refreshing viewing experience. Instead of watching every play with a do-or-die mentality, fans can enjoy a different perspective, one that focuses on the bigger picture.
The average age of the roster doesn’t suggest it, but youth is in abundance in Minnesota. Between Ivan Pace Jr., Dallas Turner, Jordan Addison, and the wealth of UDFA talent Kwesi Adof0-Mensah keeps bringing in, there will be someone to watch out for on every single snap. Can Pace make another leap? Will Dallas Turner be Defensive Rookie of the Year? What young players will surprise and make their mark this season? There are countless storylines to tune in for. And with little pressure to win now, Minnesota can afford to let their youth movement figure things out.
In addition to the young talent, the defense looks primed to take another leap under Brian Flores. The additions of Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel will make the Vikings pass rush something to fear again, and the secondary will also be fascinating to watch, whether good or bad. We may even witness the farewell tour for Vikings legend Harrison Smith.
The new era doesn’t just include new faces, though. The team locked up Justin Jefferson for at least four more years, meaning fans get to watch the best receiver on the planet for at least 68 more Sundays. No matter how shaky Sam Darnold might be this year, Jefferson will still make things interesting on offense as he makes a run at his second Offensive Player of the Year.
Aaron Jones presents us a good story in the backfield with a chance to stick his finger in the eye of the Green Bay Packers, which is always welcome. Beyond that, he gives Minnesota a serious threat on the ground, the likes of which we haven’t seen since Dalvin Cook was in his prime. If he still has it, that’s another fun thing fans can watch out for.
The beauty in the inaugural season of this new era is we have no idea where it might take us. The team has enough talent that Sam Darnold could have a good year under center, leading this team to shock the football world with a playoff appearance. And if they’re bad? Who cares? In fact, they could be bad enough to get fans excited for a top-five pick and the chance to draft an elite cornerback like Will Johnson or Travis Hunter. Everyone has their presumptions about where the team could go (Personally? I have them at 6-11) but there are so many variables that it’s impossible to guess. We don’t know, and that’s a reason to tune in every week.
So is the fact that the 2024 season could set up the Vikings for success in 2025 and beyond. Minnesota will be flush with cap space going into the offseason, which means the next 17 games will help dictate what kind of players they will target in free agency or the draft. These games still matter, even if the Vikings wind up irrelevant to the playoff picture.
It’s a retooling year, sure, but that makes it the most compelling season since (arguably) the Vikings brought in Cousins in 2018. The die was cast in every season since then, and the possibilities were limited. Now it’s a new era, which might be scary, but that’s what makes it fun. Everything is on the table, hope is in abundance, and there is almost no pressure. The Vikings have the entire season to answer all the questions they might have about the makeup of the team so that they can properly prepare for the J.J. McCarthy Era. Enjoy the ride.
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