Minnesota Vikings Mock Offseason 2.0: Kevin O’Connell gets J.J. McCarthy competition, and Brian Flores’ defense gets massive haul

This would be a massive home run for the Minnesota Vikings.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Jan 4, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell looks on against the Green Bay Packers during the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings are among the more fascinating teams to watch over the next six weeks. They aren’t just going to be signing competition for J.J. McCarthy, they could be signing the quarterback of the future.

There are a multitude of different directions the Vikings could go with their large collection of needs on both sides of the football. In February, I released my mock offseason 1.0 with a bevy of interesting options, and there are some major changes as we head into free agency.

Minnesota Vikings mock offseason 2.0

In-house contract restructures, extensions, and cuts

  • Restructure WR Justin Jefferson: $16.99 million in savings
  • Restructure LT Christian Darrisaw: $9,968,947 in savings
  • Extend EDGE Jonathan Greenard: $13.71 million in savings
  • Extend RT Brian O’Neill: $15,115,657 in savings
  • Trade DT Javon Hargrave: $14,497,500 in savings
  • Cut RB Aaron Jones: $7.75 million
  • Cut C Ryan Kelly (retired): $8,347,647 in savings
  • Total cap savings: $86,379,751
  • Cap space: $46,223,398
  • Effective cap space: $33,229,389

There are a lot of different ways the Vikings can end up maneuvering with the salary cap. It’s pretty easy to work things out with how the cap is structured, short and long-term. The news of Jonathan Greenard potentially being traded is due to wanting a raise, and in this simulation, the Vikings give him that.

We know that Jones and Hargrave are going to be cut if a trade can’t be worked out, but the lack of defensive tackles in both the NFL Draft and free agency will end up being why a trade gets facilitated.

Free agency signings and re-signings

  • RB Kenneth Walker III: 3 years, $39 million, $5.5 million cap hit year one
  • QB Kyler Murray: 1 year, $1.3 million fully guaranteed
  • LB Quincy Williams: 1 year, $5 million, $3 million cap hit year one
  • LB Eric Wilson: 1 year, $4 million, $4 million cap hit year one
  • DT D.J Reader: 1 year, $5 million, $5 million cap hit year one
  • P Ryan Wright: 3 years, $8 million, $2 milion cap hit year one
  • QB Carson Wentz: 1 year, $1.3 million, $3 million max value with incentives
  • CB Eric Stokes: 2 years, $11 million, $3.5 million cap hit in year one
  • S Andre Cisco: 1 year, $4 million, $4 million cap hit in year one

You want to keep around $10 million available for in-season signings and the practice squad, and this will do just that, with approximately $9.1 million in cap space left over.

The big thing with this free agency class is to fortify positions that need it, while also getting an explosive player to help the offense. Walker would be a huge coup for the Vikings, as he would pair perfectly with Jordan Mason to create a thunder and lightning dynamic. They haven’t had anyone with that kind of explosiveness in quite some time.

Fortifying the defense with solid players who will fill roles is what this group does. Cisco and Stokes give defensive coordinator Brian Flores veterans to work with, while they have the ability to fortify their depth in the NFL Draft. Signing two depth linebackers gives stability for the Vikings in 2026, but they need to work on figuring out what that room will look like long-term.

Murray is the most likely quarterback option for the Vikings, and they have been continuously linked to him over the last few weeks. Will it work? Who knows, but he at least has the high-end arm talent for a reclamation project. Wentz is just another veteran backup, who the Vikings love after how hard he played through injury last year.

The other big addition here is Redmond. They don’t have to give him an extension this year since he’s an exclusive rights free agent, but it’s something they should seriously consider doing now before the price goes sky high.

Vikings 7-round NFL mock draft

  • Round 1, pick 18: Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
  • Round 2, pick 49: A.J. Haulcy, S, LSU
  • Round 3, pick 82: Kyle Louis, LB, Pitt
  • Round 3, pick 97: Darrell Jackson Jr., DT, Florida State
  • Round 5, pick 161: Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State
  • Round 6, pick 195: Logan Jones, C, Iowa
  • Round 7, pick 234: Eli Heidenreich, RB, Navy
  • Round 7, pick 235: Lorenzo Styles Jr., S, Ohio State
  • Round 7, pick 244: Ahmari Harvey, CB, Georgia Tech

This mock draft is built to complement the free agency class, which is why the first pick was at cornerback. They still need to get depth at the position, and Terrell can play both inside and outside with excellent versatility and ball skills.

Every pick in this draft addresses a need with either a very good or great athlete. Plus, there are a lot of core special teamers on this roster, and Harvey might be the top sleeper in the class for me. He’s a third-round prospect that the Vikings steal in round seven.

Don’t sleep on Heidenreich either. He ran a 4.44 40-yard dash, and has extensive experience in a multitude of running styles, having played at Navy.

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