There aren't a lot of people who believe in the Minnesota Vikings ahead of the 2025 season, especially in the national media. The sportsbooks only have the Vikings with a win total of 8.5, just one year after winning 14 games with a roster that's worse than what it is now.
ESPN's Benjamin Solak is one who does have a belief in the Vikings, and it has to do with the entirety of the roster, something that I've been discussing for weeks on end.
There are two teams that could reasonably project as having the best offensive line and the best defense for the 2025 season: Minnesota and Denver. As such, Minnesota and Denver register as "Super Bowl dark horses" on my "What sort of contender are you?" scale before I even know anything about their respective young quarterbacks.
ESPN names Minnesota Vikings Super Bowl Dark Horse
The Vikings are a fascinating discussion, and the discussion starts with the entirety of the roster.
After the end of the season, where the Vikings were dominated in the trenches in the final two games, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah didn't waste any time trying to fix it
The signings of Will Fries, Ryan Kelly, Jonathan Allen, and Javon Hargrave over the first two days of free agency, along with selecting Donovan Jackson at 24th overall were huge additions to the Vikings and, as Solak said, now the Vikings could realistically have a top offensive line and defense. Those two elements are crucial to building a Super Bowl champion.
The roster is essentially quarterback-proof right now, which leads to the variable that is J.J. McCarthy. He projects to be a really good quarterback, but McCarthy has yet to take a single snap in the NFL. If he's average, the Vikings could realistically be a Super Bowl contender.
What if McCarthy is a really good quarterback from the jump, just like Sam Darnold was last season? That could vault the Vikings to another stratosphere.
Don't sleep on the Vikings, as they have the roster to be a great team from the jump.
-1747056399-q80.webp "New York Rangers Star Facing Major Departure as Signs Point to Mutual Split")
-1743127119-q80.webp "Philly Legend to Become Immediate Favorite to Coach Flyers Next")
