It's just the way its going to be (got to be) at this stage of the off-season...

I also wonder if Frank Smith will be one of those under the radar coaching hires that can make an impact?

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PHOENIX – An air of satisfaction hung over Vikings brass early this week at the NFL’s annual league meeting.

That’s deserved, at least for now. In the month since the last league-wide gathering, the NFL scouting combine, they achieved exactly what they said they wanted to at the quarterback position, even with salary cap constraints: build a competitive room from which a bona fide, 17-game starter can emerge.

In March, they added Kyler Murray the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, at a league minimum price tag. And they re-signed veteran Carson Wentz, who was the fill-in starter last season until injured.

The Vikings say they still believe in developing youngsters J.J. McCarthy, who ran the team at the start of the 2025 season, and Max Brosmer, who was thrown into the fire as an undrafted free-agent rookie.

“That blend is going to be great in the room,” Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf said Monday, March 30. “Both experience and development, and talent on all fronts. It’s a great situation to have, and we’re going to come out a lot better for it.”

The Vikings would prefer, as coach Kevin O’Connell has said more than once, to have to start only one quarterback in a season instead of three or four. After a cheeky comment following Murray’s signing that a starter didn’t need to be named in March, O’Connell said Monday that it’s too early to even begin thinking about how reps are divided in the lead-up to the season.

His approach in the next phase of the calendar, organized team activities starting in late May, centers on “learning and teaching.”

O’Connell said he expects OTAs will include the full group of receivers, including Justin Jefferson, who had a voice in the quarterback discussions this offseason as the Vikings’ franchise player. Jefferson attended OTAs in full last year, too, as the Vikings looked to build his chemistry with McCarthy.

Getting every quarterback a high amount of reps with every member of that receiving group and the rest of the offense is more important to O’Connell than funneling them all to a potential No. 1.

“You can’t go into it with a mindset of trying to elevate your quarterback room and get as many talented players as you can in there and then start carving out the reps in March,” O’Connell said. “It really doesn’t work like that.”

It helps, then, that the four QBs are already spending time in Minnesota working together and establishing rapport.

Murray, whose signing last month comes after seven years living in Arizona while with the Cardinals, is in town a few days a week. The two-time Pro Bowl choice and former Heisman Trophy winner is the presumed 2026 starter. It’s hard to imagine the outcome any other way, with the Cardinals paying the bulk of his $36.8 million salary (the Vikings are paying him the league minimum $1.3 million) after he chose Minnesota as the place to try to rejuvenate his career.

The one obstacle could be Murray struggling to pick up O’Connell’s scheme, though that seems unlikely, too. The 28-year-old’s football IQ and recall have been lauded by members of the organization. Additionally, O’Connell seems open to adapting his offense to fit some of Murray’s skill set and previous experience, particularly as an elusive runner.

The Vikings coach also brought in Frank Smith as assistant head coach ahead of Murray’s signing to help adapt the Vikings’ running game and evolve the overall offense.

“I see a lot of ways that we’ll be able to continue the evolution of our offense here in Year 5, but at the same time, principles that I believe Kyler will be able to not only make his own but provide different layers to what we do with some of his experiences,” O’Connell said.

McCarthy, meanwhile, returned recently from training in Southern California with former NFL QB and 3DQB trainer John Beck. O’Connell said he believes McCarthy gained “perspective” through his 10 starts last season, but the Vikings would still like to see a level of consistency from McCarthy on and off the field that they didn’t quite get in 2025.

That is as much a reason for their building out of the quarterback room as anything else: giving McCarthy room to develop and ample resources to help him do so.

The Vikings seem to have a better plan in place than they did before last season, although Wentz is recovering from a season-ending shoulder injury.

Does Murray have the smarts and talent to be the key to the Vikings’ first playoff win five years into O’Connell’s tenure?

“We feel really good about the combination of depth, talent and the fact that we’ve got a room that’s going to push each other,” O’Connell said. “All those guys are gonna have great offseasons and be ready to rock and roll.”

Strib

SleeperNFL

@SleeperNFL
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19h
Adam Schefter on the market for Anthony Richardson:

“If there was a market for him, the Colts would have traded him" 

@PatMcAfeeShow

#Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell on what he told JJ McCarthy before signing Kyler Murray:

“I was honest with him. I said ‘We are going to elevate the room as a whole’… We know that there’s a standard to playing that position, that we need, through a competitive environment, get all of our QB’s to play to that standard, and when we do that we’re gonna win football games.”

(NFLOnNBC via YouTube)

PHOENIX -- NFL owners approved two significant changes to the league's replay review system Tuesday, one that is contingent on the NFL using replacement officials this season and one that will take effect whether or not there is an officiating work stoppage.

The NFL and NFL Referees Association broke off collective bargaining last week as a May 31 expiration of their contract looms. The league has already begun collecting names of college officials who could serve as replacements during the preseason and possibly the regular season, if needed.

The first set of Tuesday's approved changes will create a massive expansion of authority for staffers in the league's officiating command center in New York City, allowing them to consult with the on-field referee on a wide variety of called and uncalled penalties and other administrative procedures.

Rich McKay, co-chairman of the NFL's competition committee, said the league would reallocate existing gameday employees to ensure appropriate staffing levels to cover each game if a work stoppage activates these rule changes. NFL owners are "alarmed" about the state of negotiations, sources said over the weekend, and NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said Tuesday that owners are "insistent upon" a new CBA that provides avenues to improve the state of NFL officiating.

"That's where we are in these negotiations," Miller said, "and that's exactly where we're going to stay."

According to verbiage in the rule, staff members in New York could alert a replacement referee if they see clear and obvious evidence of an uncalled foul for roughing the passer, intentional grounding or an act that would normally lead to disqualification.

Those staff members would also be permitted to alert replacement referees that a flag shouldn't have been thrown if there is clear and obvious video evidence that "at least one element of the foul called is not present," according to the verbiage.

Fouls eligible for this alert include: twisting, pulling, or turning the face mask; roughing the passer; intentional grounding; horse-collar tackles; illegal contact; pass interference; and disqualification.

In 2019, the NFL conducted a one-year experiment that subjected pass interference to replay review. The effort bogged down amid a muddled standard for overturning an on-field decision. In Tuesday's approved rule, the competition committee limited league staff members' involvement only to circumstances where "there was inadvertent tangling of feet when both players were playing the ball or neither player was playing the ball."

In addition, after the two-minute warning or in overtime, the list of called or uncalled penalties that league staff members could provide referees with would expand to include unsportsmanlike conduct based on punching or kicking at an opponent. During kicks, league staff members could also consult on the leverage and leaping rules.

Finally, throughout a game, league staff members could assist on discerning whether a foul should be classified as roughing or running into the kicker.

NFL team employees received a memo over the weekend prohibiting public discussion of the NFLRA negotiations.

Dallas Cowboys owner and CEO and co-chair of the competition committee Stephen Jones declined to talk about the contingency plan Monday, "out of respect for the process and ongoing negotiations." Multiple head coaches also declined to comment on officiating throughout the meetings.

New England Patriots coach and competition committee member Mike Vrabel said in jest, "I think we should just have coaches call fouls."

"I trust the league," San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York told ESPN on Monday. "I don't deal with that piece of the NFL. I'm not on any committees that deal with it, so whatever they're going to do, I trust the league's operations."

Another club owner who requested anonymity told ESPN: "We have to be prepared for everything."

Meanwhile, the second change to replay review will represent a notable shift for owners who have previously sought to limit its scope. For the first time, replay officials in New York will have the authority to both disqualify a player and direct that a penalty be enforced even if on-field officials had not thrown a flag, in the case of either a flagrant football act or non-football act. It takes effect independent of negotiations with the NFLRA.

Previously, owners have not wanted replay officials to throw a flag because they wanted to preserve that for the discretion of on-field officials. 

The original wording of Tuesday's rule change did not allow replay officials to throw a flag. But McKay said it was amended when multiple coaches said there should be an on-field impact if the act is flagrant enough to merit disqualification.

"They said, 'Hey, if we're going to do this, we have to put a flag on, because we cannot have a 4th-and-2 show up, they disqualified a player from the previous play for a non-football act -- he's punched somebody, he's done whatever -- and the team still has to punt,'" McKay said.

McKay said he foresees a continued effort to expand replay review and assist in the near future but said: "We've stayed true to the idea that we want replay assist, and we want New York to be able to help, and we just don't want to move too fast. We don't want to add too much to it."

In other changes, owners approved:

• A rule that eliminates a team's incentive to kick the ball out of bounds on kickoffs from the 50-yard line.

• Allowing teams to declare an onside kick at any point in a game. This change arose because teams wanted to be able to use an onside kick if a penalty enforcement led to them kicking off from the 50.

• A modification of alignment requirements on the kickoff for members of the receiving team in the setup zone, aligning the kickoff rule with the original intent of special teams coaches who developed it in 2024. The NFL thinks it could address an increase in the concussion rate on kickoffs.

• Approved an expansion of its mental health coverage to require each team to employ a full-time clinician or offer full-time coverage. Eight of the 32 teams already are in compliance. It is subject to approval by the NFL Players Association since it's part of the collective bargaining agreement. The policy will also provide more support for players on injured reserve.

• A rule that permit players on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list to begin a 21-day practice period after the team's second game of the regular season.

ESPN

PHOENIX – Vikings owner Mark Wilf said the team is currently 100% focused on the upcoming NFL draft and will not commence its general manager hiring process until after its conclusion April 25.

That aligns with Wilf’s initial comments on a search timeline following Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s firing on Jan. 30, when Wilf named Rob Brzezinski as acting general manager.

Wilf was clear, though, that the process will pick up quickly once that milepost in the league calendar has passed.

“We’re gonna be deliberate about it, but we know we need to get moving for the next college season and all that and get ready,” Wilf told Twin Cities media March 30 at the NFL’s annual league meeting. “Once the draft’s concluded, we’ll get going with interviews, and moving towards a relatively expeditious process to get it going.”

With the draft less than a month away, Wilf said he is in the early stages of planning what the hiring process will look like.

The process will be ownership-driven but not without input from football staff and other key members of the executive staff, such as Chief Operating Officer Andrew Miller.

A third-party representative is expected to help with organization and contacting potential candidates for maximum thoroughness, which Wilf said is something the organization has done before. He clarified the role did not necessarily mean a member of a search firm or a consultant.

The Vikings will continue to have the general manager report directly to ownership, opting not to switch up hierarchy among the staff, but Wilf said the GM is expected to have strong collaboration with coach Kevin O’Connell and the football operations team.

As for other qualities Wilf is looking for in the next Vikings GM, he said that’s part of what this early stage of planning is for establishing.

Wilf declined to say directly whether Brzezinski will be considered as a candidate for the full-time job, stating the conversation is “not yet there.”

Brzezinski has been with the Vikings since before the Wilf family — namely Mark and his brother, Zygi Wilf — took over ownership in 2005, a fact that Wilf noted in his response to whether Brzezinski would be a candidate.

Brzezinski, who also held a session with local media Monday, did not give a direct answer on whether he would like to be considered for the job, either.

“There’s been a couple of times through this process where I’ve kind of sat back and I’ve been like, ‘Wow, this is an awesome responsibility we have right now,’ ” Brzezinski said. He added that his “we” included Senior Manager of Football Administration Emily Badis and football administration consultant Matt Thomas.

“Honestly, just really focused on that,” Brzezinski said. “We wanna get this right. And I believe we’re gonna get it right. Looking into the future at all, it’s not what I’m focused on right now.”

The intense focus on the draft from both parties is understandable. The Vikings have their most picks (nine) since 2022, which was their first season with Adofo-Mensah as GM

Brzezinski, both on Monday and previously, has expressed pride in the team’s patience and deliberate methodology this free agency. The Vikings signed four new players, including quarterback Kyler Murray, as well as re-signed or reworked contracts for a handful of key veterans.

“I think we’re in certainly a much better position than we were just even a few weeks ago, not just from the cap standpoint, but positioned well to draft best available and make us not desperate at any one position to have a strong base to build on,” Wilf said. “Fortunately we have nine picks this year. That’s a good position to be in, and we wanna make sure we hit those.”

Then, the Vikings can take their swing on their next general manager.

Strib

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7159300...-meetings/

A good read here, check out the full story to get context to a few tidbits I pulled below:

"When O’Connell onboards quarterbacks, he often uses film sessions to inspire faith. It allows O’Connell to appreciate the high-level talent. It also gives him a chance to assess, via their reactions and expressions, what a player likes and doesn’t like. Among all of the aspects of his job as the franchise’s primary figurehead, these moments are his favorite.

Working with Murray, beginning with organized team activities, is likely to be energizing. It’ll spur creativity. The Vikings will toy more than they have in the past with shotgun sets, offset shotgun formations and the pistol. Marrying this passing structure with a complementary run game is a major offseason focus. That is not to say, though, that the Vikings will be shifting drastically away from their under-center bread and butter.

"Kyler is dynamic in the keeper game and movement game with his natural athleticism,” O’Connell said. “I see a lot of ways that we’ll be able to continue the evolution of our offense in Year 5.”

Wilf said he recognized motivation in Murray’s voice when they initially spoke.

“The first thing on his mind was, ‘I want to win championships,’” Wilf said. “That’s what we’re about, too. He’s going to be a great addition.”

p.s. my two cents is that KOC is very intrigued with a motivated Kyler Murray heading up his offense. If we can get any semblance of health this year from the offensive line, the run game will be more effective. BFlo working his usual magic on the other side of the ball and you've got a potentially really solid football team. I think Viking's fans are going to fall hard for Murray's dynamism. I'll have to see it all unfold first, but I don't have any blinders on either. Can't deny my interest isn't piqued. And one last thing, lol: does this sound like a guy (KOC) thinking this is a 'competition'?

Kevin Seifert
@SeifertESPN
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3m
Kevin O'Connell said that J.J. McCarthy is back in Minnesota after spending the early part of the offseason training in California, and has been in the building most days working out in the weight room.

VikingzFanPage
@vikingzfanpage
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6m
Kevin O’Connell says he expects to have Jonathan Greenard on the #Vikings roster in 2026. Greenard has been linked to trade talks as of recent.

“Yeah, I expect him to be part of our team.”

NFL to start bringing on replacement refs citing large differences in bargaining...

The real refs struggle...

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/4834...ssociation