All Things 2026 Minnesota Vikings Off-Season Thread

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As everyone else has already said, the GM hire seems like a great choice.


But then ..... why didn't this guy get to do the draft??

Unless, somehow, Rob B is going to continue handling drafts going forward? But that doesn't really make sense and I'm guessing no one thinks that's the case.
 

Ope3 said:
Because it directly refutes this statement.



Arizona gets it this year. Distant 4th in their own Division. Trying to get to a Super Bowl this year would be downright foolish.

Letting go of current assets to improve their ability to compete in the future is the correct move, IMO.
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Of course it doesn't refute it ... I'm protected by the word should. Refutement not achieved.

You haven't proven that the Cardinals aren't trying to get to the Super Bowl this year. Every team would love to go, each and every year. They're not trying to lose games.
 


GopherGrit said:
As everyone else has already said, the GM hire seems like a great choice.


But then ..... why didn't this guy get to do the draft??

Unless, somehow, Rob B is going to continue handling drafts going forward? But that doesn't really make sense and I'm guessing no one thinks that's the case.
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To keep the new GM’s hands clean as the 2026 vike season burns down.
 

GopherGrit said:
Of course it doesn't refute it ... I'm protected by the word should. Refutement not achieved.

You haven't proven that the Cardinals aren't trying to get to the Super Bowl this year. Every team would love to go, each and every year. They're not trying to lose games.
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No, the Cardinals are trying to get the highest possible #1 Draft pick. Quite a prudent decision.
 


GopherGrit said:
As everyone else has already said, the GM hire seems like a great choice.


But then ..... why didn't this guy get to do the draft??

Unless, somehow, Rob B is going to continue handling drafts going forward? But that doesn't really make sense and I'm guessing no one thinks that's the case.
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Because the Wilfs saw how poorly the last GM did while being hired late in the process prior to the 2022 Draft, with little time to hire a staff and evaluate needs.

Plus this:

Spaulding!No! said:
To keep the new GM’s hands clean as the 2026 vike season burns down.
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OR if 2026 is not an abject failure the GM can decide who he wants to keep around in Management and the Coaching room.

I'll throw the Wilfs a bone. 21+ years of failing to succeed, they decided a different path. That seems prudent.

If it works, great we get to celebrate.

If it fails the Vikes fans will be staring at 3 full decades of overwhelming mediocre results with just a couple of pop up almost shoulda coulda woulda efforts.
 


Spaulding!No! said:
To keep the new GM’s hands clean as the 2026 vike season burns down.
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Ope3 said:
Because the Wilfs saw how poorly the last GM did while being hired late in the process prior to the 2022 Draft, with little time to hire a staff and evaluate needs.

Plus this:



OR if 2026 is not an abject failure the GM can decide who he wants to keep around in Management and the Coaching room.

I'll throw the Wilfs a bone. 21+ years of failing to succeed, they decided a different path. That seems prudent.

If it works, great we get to celebrate.

If it fails the Vikes fans will be staring at 3 full decades of overwhelming mediocre results with just a couple of pop up almost shoulda coulda woulda efforts.
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Damn. I have to say I am disappointed with myself.

I like to pride myself in being cynical, thus being able to cut through the bulls--t facade that permeates almost every public-facing thing or narrative hand-crafted for our society these days.

I missed this one.


You guys nailed it -- it's so that this guy can wash his hands if 2026 goes to s--t, which could very likely happen with a Murray implosion and/or injury. We know McCarthy is a bust and won't do s--t. We know Wentz probably won't have a miracle resurgence, though I still don't put it past him to be a (very) poor man's Darnold in the very right situation, at least for a time..


I highly disagree that it will actually be Teasley's decision to fire KOC at that point. That's not how modern NFL works, nor should it be. GM and Head Coach are equals and should be reporting into the same point of the structure, very possibly the owners. It will be the Wilfs' who will have to decide to fire KOC at that point or not. (Though it could well be the GM who hands down the execution from on high.) And if they do, then they would do very well to give the head job to Flores.


I just thought that Rob B really wanted the job. Maybe that was all a ploy, so that they could hire a real GM who could then wash his hands of 26 if needed. Or maybe Rob B will continue to have an important say on something more than being a contracts and cap wizard.
 

Ope3 said:
No, the Cardinals are trying to get the highest possible #1 Draft pick. Quite a prudent decision.
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Again, you're magically declaring what the Cardinals are "trying" to do. Why do you get to declare that and make it up?

You haven't laid down any criteria or parameters for what makes each team "trying to" do this or that. Let's have it
 



GopherGrit said:
Again, you're magically declaring what the Cardinals are "trying" to do. Why do you get to declare that and make it up?

You haven't laid down any criteria or parameters for what makes each team "trying to" do this or that. Let's have it
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Just Google "Are the Arizona Cardinals tanking?"

Acting like I am making this up out of thin air is being very unaware.
 

I like the GM hire. I'm not a fan of going back to the "Triangle of Authority". It feels like Rob B's job is to baby-sit KOC and the new GM and make sure they play nice. Except he obviously wasn't tasked with that for Speilman and Zim or Qwesi and KOC.
 

GopherGrit said:
Damn. I have to say I am disappointed with myself.

I like to pride myself in being cynical, thus being able to cut through the bulls--t facade that permeates almost every public-facing thing or narrative hand-crafted for our society these days.

I missed this one.


You guys nailed it -- it's so that this guy can wash his hands if 2026 goes to s--t, which could very likely happen with a Murray implosion and/or injury. We know McCarthy is a bust and won't do s--t. We know Wentz probably won't have a miracle resurgence, though I still don't put it past him to be a (very) poor man's Darnold in the very right situation, at least for a time..


I highly disagree that it will actually be Teasley's decision to fire KOC at that point. That's not how modern NFL works, nor should it be. GM and Head Coach are equals and should be reporting into the same point of the structure, very possibly the owners. It will be the Wilfs' who will have to decide to fire KOC at that point or not. (Though it could well be the GM who hands down the execution from on high.) And if they do, then they would do very well to give the head job to Flores.


I just thought that Rob B really wanted the job. Maybe that was all a ploy, so that they could hire a real GM who could then wash his hands of 26 if needed. Or maybe Rob B will continue to have an important say on something more than being a contracts and cap wizard.
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If the Vikings finish below .500 and miss the Playoffs there will most likely be a consensus between the new GM and the Wilfs that KOC needs to go.

I would hope it would not be handed off to Flores. The correct move in my opinion would be to find a guy that can be a Head Coach who is able to oversee/delegate over all phases of the ball.

Flores would at least have NFL Coaching experience. Never made the Playoffs though.

The Vikings have never hired a Head Coach with prior NLF HC experience, Ever. except for the Bud Grant redux curtain call in 1985.

EDIT - howeda7 pointed out the outlier.
 
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howeda7 said:
Bud Grant 1985...
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Great catch, I missed it because he only comes up on the list of Vikings HCs once. My bad.

Bud Grant Version 2.0 had prior NFL HC experience, though it turned into a cameo.
 

Ope3 said:
Great catch, I missed it because he only comes up on the list of Vikings HCs once. My bad.

Bud Grant Version 2.0 had prior NFL HC experience, though it turned into a cameo.
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It was before my time, but didn't he basically agree to come back for a year to clean up Steckel's mess?
 



Ope3 said:
If the Vikings finish below .500 and miss the Playoffs there will most likely be a consensus between the new GM and the Wilfs that KOC needs to go.

I would hope it would not be handed off to Flores. The correct move in my opinion would be to find a guy that can be a Head Coach who is able to oversee/delegate over all phases of the ball.

Flores would at least have NFL Coaching experience. Never made the Playoffs though.

The Vikings have never hired a Head Coach with prior NLF HC experience, Ever. except for the Bud Grant redux curtain call in 1985.

EDIT - howeda7 pointed out the outlier.
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Will be interesting to see on KOC. He has years left, but I think Kwesi did too. He has done a lot of winning here. Yet it could be felt that he has a ceiling with the way he does things.

Bold: we will likely have to agree to disagree on that. I want a brilliant, genius coordinator as head coach. There are many, many examples of very successful teams with such a guy at the helm.

What you express seems far more important in college football, than in the pros. In college you probably do need a guy at the top whose job is less football and more non-football (recruiting, gladhanding/working donors & politicians, putting out fires, dealing with press). I don't thin that is true at all in the NFL (other than dealing with press).
 

Ope3 said:
Just Google "Are the Arizona Cardinals tanking?"

Acting like I am making this up out of thin air is being very unaware.
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That other people may think that the Cardinals are not "trying to" win is not a valid definition of a criteria, for how you get to just claim what any team is or isn't "trying to" do.

Happy to drop this, you're not going to be convinced nor am I. You haven't refuted my statement, but perhaps you poked a small hole in it
 

GopherGrit said:
Will be interesting to see on KOC. He has years left, but I think Kwesi did too. He has done a lot of winning here. Yet it could be felt that he has a ceiling with the way he does things.

Bold: we will likely have to agree to disagree on that. I want a brilliant, genius coordinator as head coach. There are many, many examples of very successful teams with such a guy at the helm.

What you express seems far more important in college football, than in the pros. In college you probably do need a guy at the top whose job is less football and more non-football (recruiting, gladhanding/working donors & politicians, putting out fires, dealing with press). I don't thin that is true at all in the NFL (other than dealing with press).
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If KOC gets axed it will be because of a failing of the the Offense, Defense or Both. For simplicity, I am not considering Special Teams.

IF only the D fails, then that's strictly on Flores. No consideration for the HC.

IF both O & D fail, then it's partially on Flores. Again, no consideration for the HC.

IF only the O fails, then sure Flores would be "considered" for the HC job. What on his resume would suggest he could oversee such an operation to improve that side of the ball? How did it go in Miami while he was HC?

We have heard it over and over that it's a QB driven league. I think the evidence suggests that the majority of HCs with success in the NFL skew towards towards a track record for Offense acumen.

Sure, Coach Hoodie was a D-Coordinator, but he knew offense just a well.
 

Ope3 said:
If KOC gets axed it will be because of a failing of the the Offense, Defense or Both. For simplicity, I am not considering Special Teams.

IF only the D fails, then that's strictly on Flores. No consideration for the HC.

IF both O & D fail, then it's partially on Flores. Again, no consideration for the HC.

IF only the O fails, then sure Flores would be "considered" for the HC job. What on his resume would suggest he could oversee such an operation to improve that side of the ball? How did it go in Miami while he was HC?

We have heard it over and over that it's a QB driven league. I think the evidence suggests that the majority of HCs with success in the NFL skew towards towards a track record for Offense acumen.

Sure, Coach Hoodie was a D-Coordinator, but he knew offense just a well.
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I think the guy that just won the Super Bowl may have shown that things are tilting a bit more again. Ditto on Vrabel and Ryans. The NFL is cyclical.

Think the OC as HC idea got put en vogue by McVay and Shanahan showing success as young guys who could do it, but they both show strong understanding of both sides of the ball. It can't be just one or you're going to flame out over and over again even if your teams have talent.

It's part of why I don't think Flores is a HC guy to me. Some guys are super good coordinators but just lose it a bit when they become HCs. Kind of seems that way to me for him based on what has been said about him. Now he may have grown and changed, but do you want to be the one taking that swing?
 

None of these scenarios will be this clear at seasons end. Thor is correct - the current set up is to avoid the 3 card monte at seasons end.
 

upnorthkid said:
I think the guy that just won the Super Bowl may have shown that things are tilting a bit more again. Ditto on Vrabel and Ryans. The NFL is cyclical.

Think the OC as HC idea got put en vogue by McVay and Shanahan showing success as young guys who could do it, but they both show strong understanding of both sides of the ball. It can't be just one or you're going to flame out over and over again even if your teams have talent.

It's part of why I don't think Flores is a HC guy to me. Some guys are super good coordinators but just lose it a bit when they become HCs. Kind of seems that way to me for him based on what has been said about him. Now he may have grown and changed, but do you want to be the one taking that swing?
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Flores lawsuit is continuing to move forward.

I don’t think he ever becomes an NFL HC again; I believe the suit and the discrimination he believes is pervasive, and needs to be addressed is more important to him; he has a cause and believes in it.

www.nytimes.com

Supreme Court denies NFL appeal, allowing Brian Flores’ discrimination lawsuit to proceed

The league had sought to have Flores' case settled in arbitration rather than open court in New York.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
 



Gopher_In_NYC said:
Flores lawsuit is continuing to move forward.

I don’t think he ever becomes an NFL HC again; I believe the suit and the discrimination he believes is pervasive, and needs to be addressed is more important to him; he has a cause and believes in it.

www.nytimes.com

Supreme Court denies NFL appeal, allowing Brian Flores’ discrimination lawsuit to proceed

The league had sought to have Flores' case settled in arbitration rather than open court in New York.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
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I think the only way he's a head coach anytime soon is if it's the Vikings, and that seems unlikely too. Sucks for him but good for the Vikings if they get to keep him long-term.
 

howeda7 said:
I think the only way he's a head coach anytime soon is if it's the Vikings, and that seems unlikely too. Sucks for him but good for the Vikings if they get to keep him long-term.
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I think for him the discrimination issue is more important and a bigger legacy than being an HC again.
 


Gopher_In_NYC said:
I think for him the discrimination issue is more important and a bigger legacy than being an HC again.
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I've said from the beginning that I think Flores is getting some seriously bad legal advice. I just don't know what the end game is here. The burden of proof here is going to awfully hard to achieve (depending on what court he gets in front of obviously), and the fact that the Dolphins had a minority GM running their team before and after Flores' tenure won't exactly help his argument.

I also think this possibly makes it more difficult for other minority candidates to get jobs. What team wants to deal with something like this if they don't have to? Lastly, as a business owner, I can't fathom any scenario on the planet where I would consider hiring someone who has a history of suing their former employer. The circumstances would have to be extreme to even remotely consider it.

Flores holds an incredibly elite position, one of only 32 DC's in the NFL and as Howie said, more than likely one of the highest paid DC's, and he doesn't have to deal with the bullshit of being a HC. I couldn't think of a better position to be in as one of the most respected DCs in all of football
 

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