I'm an outsider on this side of things. I cover the Detroit Lions, so anything that happens with the Minnesota Vikings or any other team in the division is mostly seen from a peripheral view. 

Still, It's hard to not notice that the Vikings seem to be shedding players left and right and in all kinds of different ways. It really makes you wonder what is happening to this team that just won the NFC North championship. 

The thing is, I feel like I might know the answer to my own question. All of this feels very familiar. Let's talk about it. 

It looks like one of those classic "we're not rebuilding, we're retooling or reloading" type situations. I've seen plenty of those in Detroit. They always wind up being full blown rebuilds. I don't understand why GM's say stuff like that. 

In just a few short months, the Vikings lost Devin Tomlinson, Adam Thielen, Patrick Peterson, Eric Kendricks, Duke Shelley and Dalvin Cook. It seems lie Danielle Hunter could go any day now too after skipping mandatory mini camp. From the outside there appears to be a contract issue there. 

Some of the players the Vikings lost aren't really going to change the game a whole bunch. Thielen is still good, but he's not the same guy he was few years ago. Patrick Peterson is still good, but he's in the last days of his career. Then there's Dalvin Cook. Actually I really don't get that one. Why release a guy that ran for 1,173 yards last year. I get that running back value is not what it used to be. It doesn't make a lot of sense to tie a bunch of money into one these days. But still. 

It's a bit surprising that the Vikings have chosen to stick with Kirk Cousins after all this. His contract is set to end after the 2023 season and it doesn't seem like the Vikings will chomping at the bit to extend him. Seems like something that would have happened by now. I'm just saying, now would be the time to move him for some value instead of just letting him walk out the door. Maybe its the almost $49 million in dead cap that's stopping that from happening. 

It's not all bad for the Vikings. I loved the Jordan Addison pick. Pairing him with Justin Jefferson should be dangerous. T.J. Hockenson being there is good too. Although he's another guy with an expiring contract after the 2023 season. 

This could actually be Cousins chance to secure an extension if that's indeed what the Vikings are planning to do with him

If anything, I'm not saying the Vikings are doomed. I don't think they necessarily are. While it seems like its the Lions division to lose, anything can happen in the NFC North. We've seen it a millions times already. 

I just think that the Vikings should really commit to the full rebuild. Just go head first into it. the Vikings have been this same team for years now and there's a ceiling to what they can do. They have repeatedly hit that ceiling multiple times in the past few years and they just can't seem to break through it. 

A rebuild doesn't have to be a bad thing. The Lions are currently going through a pretty good one. It took a lot of them to get to this pretty good one, but it's pretty good nonetheless. 

The Eagles are a better example. They won the Super Bowl and then did a quick little rebuild and then went back to the Super Bowl last season. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah seems to be pretty good at scouting talent. At least it seems that way from the outside. 

Why not use his talents to make sure the Vikings can go out and build a good team around Justin Jefferson? Let me know your thoughts Vikings fans. 

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