The biggest test of the still-new partnership between Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley and Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has arrived.
What will they do with a team with a Super Bowl caliber defense and an offense that could barely function in the MAC?
The window remains open until 4 p.m. ET Tuesday. The Vikings were in this situation three years ago, when Kirk Cousins tore an Achilles tendon two days before the deadline.
This time, the Vikings didn’t have many options; they ended up with Josh Dobbs. This time, there are two former Vikings on other teams who are familiar with Minnesota’s offense: Colts quarterback Daniel Jones and Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins.
If the calls haven’t already been made, they should be. Immediately. What will it take to save a season that is falling apart before everyone’s eyes, despite the 6-2 record?
It wouldn’t be easy to plug and play a new quarterback, but there is history with Jones and Cousins. It would be easier to get them up to speed than if they hired someone to learn everything from scratch.
If, in the end, the Colts want too much for Jones and the Raiders want too much for Cousins (neither is untouchable; the question is the amount of compensation), the only other potentially available starter would be Geno Smith.
Some have proposed a play for Justin Herbert. At this point, however, it is impossible to know whether his implosion concerns his surroundings or Herbert.
Then there’s Jimmy Garoppolo, who remains a free agent – and who has been largely forgotten.
Whatever the Vikings do, staying the course with Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz is a middle finger to the fan base. And Max Brosmer, clearly, isn’t good enough to make a difference.
The fans know it. The boos were frequent, loud and justified Monday night.
So what will Teasley and O’Connell do?
And, perhaps more importantly, when will the narrative change about O’Connell being a quarterback whisperer? He didn’t want 2024 first-rounder JJ McCarthy, who had fallen to third on the depth chart before being offered for a fifth-round pick. O’Connell preferred Murray, who was disappointing. Wentz landed at No. 2 on the depth chart, and when the lights came on, Wentz grimaced.
This is a pivotal moment for Teasley, O’Connell and the entire franchise. They can continue to act like everything is fine, that 6-2 is a good record, whatever.
Anyone who pays attention knows the truth. The Vikings, after starting 6-0, are sinking like a smooth stone into a septic tank. Failure to act amounts to dysfunction.
And yes, dysfunctional teams do dysfunctional things. Some in the league have suggested in recent years that the Vikings have discrete dysfunctions.
Rightly or wrongly, this is definitely the worst 6-2 team we’ve ever seen – and the only question at this point is whether they’ll figure out how to win another game.
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