A late win streak lifted the Vikings to 9–8, but cap concerns, quarterback questions, and urgency now shape a pivotal 2026 offseason.
The Minnesota Vikings' tumultuous 2025 season is over. They were never able to regain the magic they played with in 2024, starting 3-2 before losing six of their next seven games.
However, the Vikings did take advantage of a softer schedule to end the season. They won five games to finish the year at 9-8, beating teams like the Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, and New York Giants.
So even though Minnesota was eliminated from the playoffs in Week 15, their win streak affected their draft position. They are officially slated to pick 18th overall in April's draft, the lowest selection among non-playoff teams.
That will give them plenty of flexibility, as the middle of the draft is a prime spot to move up for players that slide down the board, or trade back if another team covets someone who falls to pick 18.
The win streak did more than affect draft positioning. Because they swept the Detroit Lions, Minnesota earned the tiebreaker in the NFC North. That means the Vikings finished third in the NFC North, meaning they will face a third-place schedule in 2026.
In 2026, Minnesota will now have home games against the other third-place teams from the NFC East (Washington Commanders) and the AFC South (Indianapolis Colts). They have a road game against the San Francisco 49ers, the third-place team from the NFC West. That looks a little different than games against the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, and Arizona Cardinals.
But who the Vikings play isn't as important as who plays for Minnesota. Kevin O'Connell was non-committal to quarterback J.J. McCarthy after the 16-3 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
At the extreme end, that could even spark speculative conversations about blockbuster quarterback trades — names like Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, or Lamar Jackson — even if those scenarios remain highly unlikely.
The Vikings will have tough decisions to make about several veterans to get cap-compliant as well. According to Spotrac, Minnesota is nearly $29 million over the cap, meaning they will have to cut, trade, or restructure some big names.
Brian O'Neill, Jonathan Greenard, T.J. Hockenson, Javon Hargrave, and Aaron Jones make up five of the top 11 cap hits the Vikings have for the 2026 season. O'Neill and Greenard feel like candidates to restructure and bring back, while Hockenson, Hargrave, and Jones feel like they won't be back.
Minnesota believed they had a roster capable of making a Super Bowl run in 2025. Now, they have to move on from several names they believed in entering the season. They also need to assess McCarthy's future and just how aggressive they want to get in replacing him.
The pressure is on O'Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. They are entering Year 5, and although they have been 42-25 since arriving in Minnesota, they have yet to win a playoff game.
Changes have to be made across the roster if the Vikings want to change that in 2026. If they can't break through, leadership changes could follow in 2027.