If you would have said the 2025 Minnesota Vikings would be the class of the National Football League right before the Wilf family purchased the team, it would have been hard to see.
Right beofre they did purchase the team, things were not great for the Vikings. Former ownership nickel and dimed things so much that they were combining coaching roles and the facilities. Luckily, the Wilf family have completely transformed the organization.
Vikings culture sets them apart
Over the 20 years of the Wilf's owning the Vikings, they have done a fantastic job in maximizing the effectiveness of what resources they have. It's also a sign of how good the culture is.
One thing that the Vikings have done is emphasizing camaraderie. Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson made an appearance on the Green Light podcast with Chris Long and talked about that aspect, including multiple golf trips.
"We all try to hang out outside of the building. So we just went on a golf trip. You know, we've got guys that are in this system already, that are, that are awesome to be around. And again, you know, we, we're boys. We hang out outside of here. We're on a golf trip again, you know. And so I used it to build that relationship with Ryan, who's new. I've only known him for a couple weeks, but now it feels like I've known him for a long time, just after a few days, just him, us, and the boys. It's a lot of fun.
"So that's the best part about this place, dude, is they encourage you to go do stuff outside the building. They encourage you to go hang out outside of the building. And that always translates to Sunday, and that's something that you've got to hear from upstairs. I want you guys to go out. I want you guys to go have fun. I want you guys to live the life, rather than football all the time, and which is, you got to have football. You got to be there when you're there. But to build relationships outside the building with these guys, because I'm communicating with them on Sunday, and I got to make sure that he knows that I got his back, and I know that he got he has mine. So those things are massive, and that's, that's all that we do is build that inside this facility.
That element is huge within those four walls. If you have your players bonded like that, it's a massive element in seeing sustained success. It's one of the main reasons why the Vikings have finished top two in all three years of the NFLPA survey.
It also shows a major element in enhancing the win/loss total. Culture is the most important thing you can have. Pair that with talent and you have a recipe for success, along with being a destination for players.
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