5 Moves the Vikings Need to Make This Offseason

The Minnesota Vikings raised their fans' hopes after a 13-4 showing during the 2022 NFL regular season, only to be bounced by the New York Giants in the Wild Card Round. The Vikings have now gone three straight campaigns without a playoff victory, leaving the fanbase wondering what kind of changes are one the way.

It'll be interesting to see what Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah does this offseason. Minnesota only has four draft picks and is projected to be about $21 million over the salary cap (Spotrac), likely limiting what Adofo-Mensah can do.

Keeping that in mind, here are five moves that the Vikings need to make this NFL offseason.

Vikings Offseason Rumors

1. Restructure Adam Thielen's Contract

Veteran wideout Adam Thielen has been nothing but loyal to the Vikings, but he's not worth a cap hit over $19.6 million in 2023. For starters, the 32-year-old hasn't even made the Pro Bowl since 2018, showing that his best days are behind him. His receiving numbers have declined in each of the last three seasons where he's played at least 13 games, finishing with just 716 over 17 outings in 2022. Thielen is too much of a fan favorite to be cut outright, though, so restructuring his contract to keep him as a Viking and saving money in the process makes a ton of sense.

2. Draft Cam Smith 24th Overall

The Vikings' defense needs a lot of work — especially at the cornerback position. Without a ton of cap space to use in free agency, it makes sense for them to use the 24th selection at the 2023 NFL Draft to take South Carolina CB Cam Smith. The former Gamecock projects to be a shutdown cornerback in the NFL, highlighted by the fact that he only gave up a 36.5 passer rating when targeted during the 2021 campaign. He can also play in the slot and on the outside, opening the door to a number of ways that the Vikings can use him.

3. Draft Future QB

Aside from Kirk Cousins, the Vikings don't have any quarterbacks signed for the 2023 season. Considering how Cousins will be a free agent at the end of the upcoming campaign, it's time that Minnesota starts thinking about its future QB situation — even if he's eventually extended. Even if the Vikings don't opt for a quarterback in Round 1 and wait until the middle rounds, they could still bring in a solid prospect like Stanford's Tanner McKee or even BYU's Jaren Hall.

4. Improved WR Room

Justin Jefferson is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, but the Vikings' WR room isn't exciting beyond him. As mentioned before, Thielen is on the decline while K.J. Osburn is the only other notable name and he's left a lot to be desired. Whether it's a few veteran names through free agency (DJ Chark, Parris Campbell, Odell Beckham Jr., etc.) or potentially taking someone like Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba 24th overall, more talented bodies are needed if the Vikings want to continue their aerial success.

5. Trade for Trey Lance

Drafting QBs hasn't worked out well for the Vikings lately, which is why a trade might be a better option. If that's the case, look no further than the San Francisco 49ers' Trey Lance. After a season-ending ankle injury just two games into the 2022 campaign, Lance fell down the 49ers' depth chart after veteran Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie Brock Purdy found success in his absence. Lance could still develop into a starting QB one day, but that likely won't happen in the Bay Area if the 49ers are truly Purdy-believers going forward. If Lance's value is as low as some experts believe, it's a no-brainer for the Vikings to take a swing at a potential deal for a former third-overall pick.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.