The Minnesota Vikings had a good first season under head coach Kevin O’Connell. They ran away with the NFC North title, going 13-4 and hosting a playoff home in Super Wild Card Weekend. However, they fell short in that game, losing to the New York Giants 31-24.
Heading into the offseason, it isn’t the offense that needs to be revamped in Minnesota. Their defense needs an overhaul as they ranked 28th in points allowed and 31st in yardage. They had zero success slowing down the pass or run as the defense struggled in every facet of the game.
Unable to stop anyone on a weekly basis, the Vikings’ offense was under a lot of pressure to perform every week. More often than not, they showed up. Kirk Cousins stepped up big in crunch time as well, taking his play to another level in the fourth quarter and overtime.
While the offense is seemingly in good hands, some changes could be made on that side of the ball as well. Justin Jefferson is a star at the wide receiver position but the depth behind him could be changed this offseason.
The Vikings will have a tough decision to make when it comes to veteran Adam Thielen. He is being paid like a top-flight wide receiver but has not produced at that level in multiple years. The last time that he had a 1,000-yard season was in 2018. With zero guaranteed dollars on his contract for the 2023 season, Minnesota could move on from him relatively easily.
While that would create a bit of a void for the team, there are some solid options in free agency for the Vikings to consider. One potential option is a player they are familiar with in Allen Lazard of the Green Bay Packers.
Lazard has spent his entire career in Green Bay thus far but sounds ready like he is ready to move on. Coming off of a career season in 2022, Lazard would have an opportunity to continue that as a second option behind Jefferson.
With the amount of attention that Jefferson commands, Lazard could have another big season. He has a little more explosiveness to offer than Thielen at this point and could thrive as a complementary piece after being thrown into the fire as the Packers’ quasi-No. 1 option this season.
