Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings offseason team activities are now over. That means we officially have five weeks until the start of training camp, the preseason games, and before you know it, the MN Vikings will be playing games that matter again.
Some experts have absolutely no faith in what the Vikings are doing, and neither do the sportsbooks, who pin them on just 6.5 wins. Others are more optimistic and want to buy all of the Sam Darnold hype that those inside TCO Performance Center are trying to sell.
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NFL Insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated (MMQB) isn’t willing to make any bold predictions on what the 2024 Minnesota Vikings are capable of, but he did mention them in his latest article as a team whose future he feels good about.
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings
Of course, Breer named the obvious teams before them. The 49ers have been good since Shanahan got there and there’s no reason to believe that will end anytime soon. Kansas City has Patrick Mahomes and Cincinnati has Joe Burrow. Yawn.
He also tags the Ravens too, who have the elder Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson; then the Packers (everyone’s favorite little squad, recently), and the Philadelphia Eagles, whose future depends on Jalen Hurts and his ability to produce more than just a tush push.
The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, the two Super Bowl teams, stick out as easy picks. I still love where the Cincinnati Bengals are, so long as Joe Burrow’s injury luck turns. The Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles have all earned the benefit of the doubt over the years.
Albert Breer – MMQB (Sports Illustrated)
Related: Vikings Push More Sam Darnold Hype Through ESPN Insider
Minnesota Vikings future looking bright?
Some of the final teams listed by the longtime NFL insider as having bright futures are the Jim Harbaugh led Chargers and CJ Stroud’s Stefon Diggs’ Houston Texans, But there, at the very bottom, are the MN Vikings, who Breer names as his “curveball” pick, writing that he really likes how they are positioned going forward.
Jim Harbaugh’s track record and Justin Herbert’s talent would earn the Los Angeles Chargers a spot on the list. The Houston Texans are there for me, too, given the acumen of C.J. Stroud, DeMeco Ryans and Nick Caserio. And if you want one curveball, I really like how the Minnesota Vikings are positioned moving forward.
Albert Breer – MMQB (Sports Illustrated)
I am very much intrigued by what Breer would say if asked to expound on why he lists the Minnesota Vikings as a footnote in the teams whose futures he is hyped up about. I mean, you can guess at what he would say about the purple.
He probably likes the combination of head coach Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores, and what they might be able to do with a GM like Kwesi Adofo-Mensah who is malleable and already proven a quick learner on the job.
Throw in cornerstones on offense like Justin Jefferson, Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill and it isn’t that hard to reach a dangerous amount of optimism. But more than anything else, Breer probably isn’t a Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy hater.
Related: Longtime NFL Writer Dumps LARGE Tub of Cold Water on Optimistic MN Vikings Fans
Because if you believe in either or both of those two, and their futures, then it’s difficult not to believe in what the Minnesota Vikings will be 2-3 years down the road. If you do not believe in those QBs, then optimism is probably difficult to find.
What’s also notable about this list of teams… none of them are the Chicago Bears or Detroit Lions, two teams that are in the NFC North and, much like the Packers, are on a lot of radars for “future favorites”. You know, I always knew I liked Albert Breer.
Mentioned in this article:Albert Breer NFC North
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