So we needed a draft expert of our own to weigh in on what the Purple will do. Former Vikings and Tennesse Titans general manager Jeff Diamond joins the fellas at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) to break it all down.

Things are getting down to the wire in the NFL Draft. We are two weeks out from the first day of the next era in Minnesota Vikings football, as they hold two draft picks in the first round of the upcoming draft. And we couldn’t be happier that it’s almost here.

A couple weeks ago the Vikings made a trade with the Houston Texans to acquire the 23rd pick in the draft in 2024 draft to go along with their pick (11th overall), and all the subsequent speculation centers on them trading up in the first round to grab a QB of the future. That speculation carries some weight as the Vikings lost their QB of the present in free agency, so they definitely have to make moves to secure on going forward.

Kwesi has been cookin,’ as all the kids like to say. After a banner week in free agency that saw the addition of several defensive performers, a new quarterback in Sam Darnold and the swiping of a fan-favorite running back from that rival team to the east, 

Vikings GM Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah secured a trade of draft picks with the Houston Texans that appears to signal the Vikings’ desires to move up in the 2024 NFL Draft and grab their QB of the future.

Joe Oberle and Mark Craig talk all the Free Agency moves the Vikings made in day 1 of the legal tampering. The new NFL League year started this week with the “legal tampering” period on Monday and the Vikings made a huge splash—but it was kind of a belly flop.

The NFL Combine ended last weekend and suddenly there is a little more NFL news to talk about. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell both spoke at the Combine and each made minor ripples in the vast waters of the offseason. (But we media types will create tsunamic speculation waves out of them.)

The NFL salary cap went up this week to $255.4 million for 2024 season, up record $30.6 million from 2023. What does it mean? How does it affect the free agency market? How does it affect the Vikings situation which has to figure out what to do with pricy free agents to be, including Kirk Cousins, DE Danielle Hunter and the best player on their team in wide receiver Justin Jefferson? The bottom line is that increased money helps the Purple, but by how much?

Kwesi has to upgrade his track record in both areas this offseason for the Vikings to improve and the fan base to get off his back. And that improvement starts next weekend when he heads to Indianapolis for the Combine, followed by free agency and the new league year, which being on March 13. So, the fellas at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) will take a look back at Kwesi’s record in free agency. Perhaps it will give us a guide to his way forward. The Vikings have some cap space. How is Kwesi going to use it? Tune in and check out our thoughts. 

The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions—rinse, repeat. Taylor Swift was in the house to see it. Airplanes are fast. The San Francisco 49ers did just about everything they needed to do to win the game (save for not muffing an important punt), but they came up one score short (they will be back in the conversation next season, if they don’t try to sign Kirk Cousins, that is). The season is over; let the offseason begin.

Speaking of the Vikings, anything can happen during the offseason, as well, and we here at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) will get you prepared for it. The Vikings have a number of free agents on their roster, so expect a lot of change this offseason. We will break that down. Tune in and let the speculation begin.

So, we here at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) are on hand to investigate that. As always, it starts with the quarterback, Kirk Cousins, and after seeing Brock Purdy bring the Niners back from oblivion, chances are slimmer than ever that Kirk is heading to San Fran for a coach-and-QB reunion. So, let’s talk about it. Tune in to the VT Breakdown podcast and check it out.

The Vikings and their fans watched week two of the NFL Playoffs from the sidelines, as their NFC North counterparts,

Free agency is long off, and the NFL Draft even longer, but the discussion begins now. And the fellas at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory and purplePTSD and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) are here to hammer it all out. Tune into the podcast and check it out.

Thus begins the offseason of questions—tough questions to be answered in Year 3 of the Kwesi-KOC regime. Will the team draft a QB in the first round? Will they resign Kirk Cousins and Hunter? How much will they pay Jefferson? Will Brian Flores return? How many CBs will the team need to draft? 

The Vikings hosted the Green Bay Packers for a New Year’s Eve party at U.S. Bank Stadium and the fireworks were all green and yellow. The Packers whipped up on the Vikings 33-10 and basically eliminated the Purple from the playoffs (they still have a 3 percent chance to make them). The Vikings trotted out first-year quarterback Jaren Hall to face the Packers in a (near) elimination game and the rookie proved not to be ready for prime-time play.

The Vikings lost another one-score game (30-24 versus the visiting Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium). They lost it once again at the goal line in the final minute. And they lost it one more time due to shaky quarterback play and multiple turnovers. The loss was a disappointing one in a season of them. But somehow the hapless Minnesota Vikings remain alive (but on life support) for their post-season prospects.

In what might be the worst loss of the season, the Vikings lost to the Cincinnati Bengals on the road in overtime. After building a 17-3 lead in the third quarter, the Vikings stalwart defense (which hadn’t given up a touchdown since the last series of the Denver Broncos game) gave up three consecutive scores in the fourth quarter and ultimately the game-winning field goal in OT for a dispiriting, debilitating and very disappointing 27-24 loss.

Coming off the bye, the Vikings heads to Las Vegas where fortunes are gained (but more often lost in the casinos) and there are so many questions pestering the Purple personnel department: Who will start at QB? How much will JJ play and contribute? How much money should they give Kirk Cousins this offseason. Will any amount of money be enough for Brian Flores to return? Why can’t we have nice things?

During their bye week, the Vikings nearly said bye-bye to their playoff chances. They held onto their 6th seed position in the NFC playoff picture, but the red-hot Green Bay Packers tied them at 6-6 and crept into the seventh spot. The Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also 6-6, so the Vikings playoff chances dropped to 41 percent and their margin for error plummeted to about zilch with five regular season games to go. It’s crunch time in Minnesota.

Considering the full gamut of odd, bad, strange, embarrassing and downright maddening losses to the Chicago Bears, the Vikings sunk to a new low. It’s always weird when these two teams play in Chicago, or even worse, if it is Halloween Night. But on Monday Night Football at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings succumbed to the glare of full moon fever and were taken down by Chicago 12-10—in a game in which the Bears were the first team this season to win without scoring a touchdown.

We've seen this before: the Vikings lose to a beatable team due to turnovers (including another one on their first drive). Even head coach agreed and said we had already learned this lesson before. But we were thinking that the Josh Dobbs Affect would erase that kind of thing. But the turnovers reared their ugly head and may have cost the Vikings a chance to win the NFC North Division in back-to-back seasons.

The Vikings hosted the NFC South Division-leading New Orleans Saints at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, and we all know what happens when these two teams get together—stranger things. In this one, the Vikings teed up a blowout in the first half and then coasted (nervously) to their fifth win in a row. 

The Vikings entered the game in position for postseason play (if the season ended then) despite losing their QB1 last week, and this win certainly doesn’t change that prospect. With two backup quarterbacks who showed poise, efficiency and promise in a season that was formerly totally off the rails, suddenly the 5-4 Vikings have something going for them. And we here at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) are here to talk about it all.

Last Monday night the Vikings outplayed a very good San Francisco 49ers team to save their season. Check. This week, they went to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Packers with a chance to get to.500 on the year and vault back into playoff contention. Check again.

It went well for the Vikings for a while—that Niner fumble was followed by a Niner missed field goal and the Vikings had a 10-0 lead. But the Niners scored before the half and then Jordan Addison got his redemption by stealing a pick from Charvarius Ward, the defending who stole reception from Addison on the third play of the game.

We won’t bail them out at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (we being, Joe Oberle from vikingsterritory and purplePTSD and Mark Craig from the Star Tribune). We will hold the offense’s feet to the fire (even though wideout Justin Jefferson was on the sidelines on Sunday) and implore them to improve quickly.

The Vikings are officially in trouble because after a season of close games, good luck and fortunate bounces of the football going their way, the opposite it is happening and the Vikings aren’t good enough to overcome those bounces. And we (Joe Oberle from vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig from the Star Tribune and startibrune.com) are here to discuss it all on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast.

Kirk Cousins had one of his worst games as a Viking, yet still threw for two touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson. The defense struggled to put much pressure on the rookie QB Bryce young early, but a number of Brian Flores blitzes, several great plays by Smith and a couple of Marcus Davenport sightings perhaps will stave off the trade Cousins and tank for Williams talk for at least a week. We will have something to say also--(Joe Oberle from vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig from the Star Tribune and startibrune.com—on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast. There is plenty to unpack in this first win and plenty to fear in this next game coming down the pipe—so tunie in and check it out!

There is always a new way to win a football game—or if you happen to be affiliated with the Minnesota Vikings (a player, coach or fan), a new way to lose one. Joe Oberle and Mark Craig talk about how the Vikings 0-3 start.

They outplayed the Eagles for parts of the game but once again fumbled, stumbled and bumbled away a winnable game. That makes it seven turnovers in the first seven quarters of the season. Mark Craig and Joe Oberle talk Vikings 0-2 start.

Well, there will be no beer sold the rest of the season at U.S. Bank Stadium . . . because the Vikings lost the opener. (Okay, that’s an old joke and is likely stale, but not as stale as the taste of this loss.) The Vikings were beaten by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-17 on the home turf and it already puts them behind the eight-ball in the NFC North. 

At long last, here we are—the start of the 2023 NFL Regular Season and the Vikings’ opening game of the year at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That’s a Bucs team that is not defending a Super Bowl title and does not have The G.O.A.T., seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady behind center. Unless he somehow un-retires this week.

Stuff is starting to get real. The Vikings made their roster cuts this week and have been busy ever since that time backfilling holes in the roster for depth. GM Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah has frantically signed several players as head coach Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores have put in requests for more players. Stuff is getting real with one week to go before the start of the 2023 NFL Regular Season.

It was a spaghetti western for the Vikings in their preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday—the good, the bad and the ugly. The good was some of what we’ve come to expect this offseason: Ivan Pace with another good game, Lewis Cine with a flash defensive play, Najee Thompson killing it on special teams. We saw that in week one and saw it again against the Titans on Saturday night.

The Vikings are a third of the way through their preseason games and one half of the way through their two joint practices with the Tennessee Titans, so what do we know so far? Joe Oberle and Mark Craig talk 1st preseason game and what to expect for game 2. 

The Vikings are making moves as they were well into their second week of training camp at TCO Performance Center. The injury bug has jumped up and bit them and forced several moves to fill out their training camp roster. 

The deal is done. DE and edge rusher Danielle Hunter has signed a contract. The Purple faithful let out the collective breath they’ve been holding. Hunter signed a one-year deal for 17 mill and three mill in incentives. 

Jeff Diamond is the perfect guest as training camp gets underway as the front office of current GM Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah works hard to get all his players happy with their compensation and on the field prepping for the season.

There is plenty of fodder to talk over—including the number of hits he received last season (the most), how much the game means to Cousins on and off the course and his relationship with his new head coach Kevin O’Connell. Joe Oberle, senior writer for vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com, joins Mark Craig, Vikings writer and NFL Insider from the Star Tribune and startribune.com to hash it all over on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast.

Kevin O’Connell finished his first season as an NFL head coach with a record of 13-4, an NFC North Division title for the Minnesota Vikings and a first-round exit in the playoffs. 

Believe it or not, there are some things worth discussing about the Vikings. True, it is early July, but it is later than you think as we wind down the offseason toward training camp near the end of August.

With the month of June nearly gone and training camp just around . . .  a couple corners, things are starting to heat up for the Vikings as they head toward 2023 season. Well, at least the temperature outside is heating up.

If you want to have a discussion about the hot issues of the Vikings, the best place to start is with quarterback Kirk Cousins. 

The Vikings are no longer “Cook-ing” with Dalvin. Last week, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah finally pulled the trigger on the worst-kept secret personnel move of the offseason and released the seven-year running back. The Vikings and Cook reportedly could not reach an agreement on several things: a contract reduction, a restructuring so that they could trade him and, perhaps, even a reduced role in the wake of the re-signing of his backup Alexander Mattison for a cool seven million (starting running back money these days). 

It ranked near the bottom last season, so any improvement the team makes on its 13-4 record with a first-round playoff exit is dependent upon the defense becoming much better in 2023. We all know that. The coaches know that. 

In the 2023 season, the Vikings will go as the defense goes. With new defensive coordinator Brian Flores (B-Flo as he is known) in the house, the entirety of Purple Nation is hoping to see him take the Vikings' defense out of the basement and into relevance

So, there’s no draft this past week. No schedule release. No football news?!! What ever will the league do to tackle our attention? How about making some changes, such as flexing games out of or into Thursday Night Football? That seemed to work as far as getting all of us rubes chirping on social media.

There is indeed much planning to do around these games—and much analysis to do around the schedule (who’d have ever thunk it) and Mark Craig from the Star Tribune joins Joe Oberle from the vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com to do just that on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast. Tune in and check it out. You must start planning where you will be watching the 2023 Vikings games.

And so it begins. The Vikings will hold a rookie mini-camp this week that will include the six players they drafted in the 2023 NFL draft and the many undrafted free agents they picked up after its conclusion. It is an opportunity for them all to shine, begin to get acquainted with the game at the NFL level and for some, make a solid case for making the team.