The Vikings Just Admitted Their Last 5 Games Didn't Matter

The Minnesota Vikings had a rough 2025 season, but anyone looking for hope could point to the last five games. The Vikings started the season 4-8 amid bad quarterback play, injuries, and just overall weird vibes. But there were several positive things to build on as they ran the table over the last five weeks, finishing the season with a 9-8 record.

The winning record is significant because it may have bought Kevin O’Connell another year as head coach. But, like many things that happened with the Vikings a year ago, it left a hollow feeling.

Minnesota confirmed that during this weekend’s NFL Draft. For a team looking to be “super competitive” and “in the hunt,” the Vikings looked like a team more interested in handing a clean slate to the next general manager. They also looked like a team that completely ignored the results of the final five games and will now do what they need to rebuild without actually saying it.

Before we look at Minnesota’s draft, let’s look at the final five games from last season. The most glaring was J.J. McCarthy's performance. After struggling to stay on the field due to an ankle injury during the first half of the season, McCarthy showed signs of life in the four games he played, completing 64.3% of his passes for 703 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions.

While he missed the Christmas Day win over the Detroit Lions and missed the second half of the season finale due to a fracture in his throwing hand, it was the type of finish to a season that could inspire confidence in a player selected with the 10th-overall pick in the 2024 draft.

The Vikings could have expressed the same optimism about Dallas Turner. Filling in for an injured Jonathan Greenard, Turner thrived in his place, logging 11 pressures, three sacks, and a 17.3% pass-rush win rate. Turner, who made O’Connell

Minnesota laid out the rest of the case for positivity to everyone. Brian Flores’ defense dominated, allowing 10.4 points per game. Harrison Smith started to look like the captain that everyone knows after battling a preseason illness. O’Connell adapted his offense to include heavier personnel and an efficient running game, and it could have been the blueprint that Minnesota was trying to use from the start of the season.

If the Vikings truly believed in these developments, it would have shown up in their draft. Instead, it appears that there are fundamental flaws they are trying to correct.

The first pick in the draft was a big opportunity for a win-now move. With Smith contemplating retirement, the Vikings were heavily projected to select Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman. The prophecy was set to come true when Thieneman was on the board as the Vikings were on the clock. Still, Minnesota took a swing on Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks instead, a potential top-10 talent who slid due to a series of foot injuries.

Minnesota’s second-round pick, Cincinnati linebacker Jake Golday, was another head-scratcher with another projected first-round safety still on the board. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren could have been another candidate to replace Smith. Instead, the Vikings are fans of Golday’s versatility, which could have him become a long-term replacement for Andrew Van Ginkel.

Third-round pick Domonique Orange could provide immediate dividends as a run-stuffing nose tackle out of Iowa State. But Northwestern offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan is another long-term play behind Brian O'Neill and Christian Darrisaw.

Miami safety Jakobe Thomas, Michigan fullback Max Bredeson, Stephen F. Austin cornerback Charles Demmings, Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne, and Cincinnati center Gavin Gerhardt all could see playing time next season. But none of those picks screamed “win now.”

It isn’t just the draft that should have Vikings fans concerned. Minnesota traded Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles, who gave the pass rusher a four-year, $100 million contract. While Turner remains on the roster, interim general manager Rob Brzezinski apparently forgot about him, even as he admitted the trade made the team worse.

“Very difficult decision for our organization,” Brzezinski said via The Athletic’s Alec Lewis. “It’s something that we understand is not making [us] a better team today.”

There’s been a similar tone when it comes to McCarthy. The last five games could have been a sign that better things are coming and given him the grace for a second season as a starter. Instead, the Vikings have constructed the most competitive quarterback room for anyone who’s in that competition, most notably adding Kyler Murray to be their projected starter.

The Murray signing isn’t completely bizarre when you consider McCarthy’s overall body of work. But there have been more weird vibes, including Justin Jefferson admitting that McCarthy “has to step it up a bit.” SI’s Albert Breer also mentioned that the Vikings pursued Murray because “he was the one guy on the market that they could see as a potential longer-range answer, rather than a one-year Band-Aid,” making McCarthy’s future even murkier than it was when last season ended.

That becomes even more interesting when you consider what the Vikings could have done. They were a 14-win team in 2024, and a winning record could have inspired them to forge ahead in a potential championship window. They still could have brought Murray aboard. However, it could have led to a draft that prioritized needs and perhaps to a similar contract to the four-year, $100 million deal with $50 million guaranteed that Greenard got from the Eagles.

Instead, the Vikings may have looked at themselves as last year’s New England Patriots, a team that took full advantage of an easy schedule and jumped to the top of their conference. After reaching the Super Bowl, many believe the Patriots could collapse the way the Vikings did, bringing some of their old concerns back into the spotlight.

The Vikings are in that situation right now, and not even the signs of promise at the end of last season could keep them from placing a bigger emphasis on their future.