Minnesota Vikings News & Rumors

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Discusses Knee Injury; Latest On Team’s Development Plan

The Vikings’ hopes to see quarterback J.J. McCarthy under center at some point this season have been dashed, as the No. 10 overall pick of this year’s draft sustained a torn meniscus that required a full repair and that will force him to miss the entirety of his rookie campaign. Nonetheless, the club obviously is still doing everything it can to ensure that McCarthy has a long and productive career in Minnesota.

As Dianna Russini of The Athletic (subscription required) reports, the Vikings have implemented “a comprehensive player development plan” to aid in McCarthy’s growth from a mental standpoint. That includes at least an hour of one-on-one time with head coach Kevin O’Connell each week and regular work with assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski.

Of course, McCarthy will remain a constant presence in the quarterbacks room and will receive the weekly game plan. The team will also use virtual reality programs to help him learn how to see the field and process game situations, and per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, the Vikings will give McCarthy access to a camera they have attached to the top of starting QB Sam Darnold’s helmet during practice. Once McCarthy is medically cleared – we previously heard that could happen this season, although the Vikings are likely to keep him on the sidelines regardless – he will be “entrenched in the process of a starting quarterback.”

As Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune writes, McCarthy suffered both a medial and radial tear in his meniscus, although he did not realize he was injured until after he appeared in the Vikes’ preseason opener on August 10. McCarthy told reporters, including Goessling and Seifert, that his knee buckled while walking down the stairs at his home the day after the game, and by the following day, the pain was such that he realized he needed to alert the team.

“I just wanted to play it safe and play the long game and understand I could be a tough guy and tough it out and try to grit out that first start that I was going to get [the following week],” McCarthy said. “But at the end of the day, what’s best for this organization and this team is me making smart decisions, especially early on in my career. And that was one of them, to just figure this out before a landmine goes off in my knee.”

McCarthy candidly added that the severity of his injury was a “kick in the balls,” though he believes the mental reps and the other work the team has planned for him will be a boon to his development. 

The Michigan product said that work will “solidify what it’s like to go through the week and with the benefit of not having pressure to perform on Sunday. So, by the time I do play, whenever that is, next year, following year, whenever it is, I’ll be ready, and it won’t be like this is my first game.”

In the meantime, Darnold will have a full season to establish himself as a quality starter parlay his one-year, $10MM deal with Minnesota into a bigger payday elsewhere. He had a successful Vikings debut in Week 1, completing 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception en route to a 28-6 win over the Giants.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/14/24

Saturday’s minor transactions and gameday practice squad callups:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Patrick was among the Broncos’ final roster cuts after a Saints trade was discussed. The 30-year-old missed the 2022 and ’23 campaigns due to ACL and Achilles tears, respectively. Patrick did not need to wait long to find a new opportunity, though, quickly landing a practice squad deal with the Lions. He is now positioned make his season debut tomorrow as a complementary option in Detroit’s passing attack.

Olszewski is dealing with a groin injury and he was known to be facing a long-term absence. Today’s move thus comes as no surprise, but it ensures at least a four-week absence. The former All-Pro scored a punt return touchdown with Pittsburgh early last season and added another during his 10-game Giants stretch to close out the year. The team will need to rely on other options in the return game for the time being.

Vikings, Harrison Phillips Agree To Extension

SEPTEMBER 12: In terms of base value, the Vikings are giving Phillips a three-year, $15MM accord. The deal includes $10.3MM guaranteed at signing, according to OverTheCap. Receiving a $5MM signing bonus, Phillips will see his base salary climb from $1.4MM to $7MM from 2024-25, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling. Of that ’25 base, $4.7MM is guaranteed.

SEPTEMBER 10: Harrison Phillips had a strong start to the campaign on Sunday, and he has landed a new Vikings deal in time for Week 2. Team and player have reached agreement on a two-year extension, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The deal is now official, per a team announcement.

The pact has a maximum value of $19MM, Pelissero adds. Phillips – who has remained a full-time starter along the defensive line for Minnesota since 2022 – will collect more than $13MM in guaranteed money. This deal means Phillips will remain in place through 2026.

The 28-year-old played out his rookie contract with the Bills. Over that span, he logged 11 starts and served as a run-stopping presence. Phillips recorded only 1.5 sacks in 45 Buffalo contests, but he still managed to secure a three-year pact from the Vikings in free agency. That deal was worth $19.5MM, so his play since joining the team has done enough to command a notable raise in the Vikings’ view. Phillips is set to collect $6.5MM in 2024 while carrying an $8.33MM cap hit. His base salary already locked in just before the start of the regular season, but today’s news will increase his up front earnings while potentially lowering his cap charge for the year.

Phillips logged a career-high snap share of 60% during his debut Vikings season. That produced a consistent performance against the run along with minimal pass rush production. The former third-rounder saw him playing time jump once more to 74% in 2023, the first year after Dalvin Tomlinson departed in free agency. Phillips easily posted a career high in tackles (92) while also setting a new personal best with three sacks. Not long after beginning the final year of his deal, he has now received a new commitment.

Minnesota does not have another big-money deal in place along the defensive interior. The likes of Jerry TilleryJonathan Bullard and Levi Drake Rodriguez are in line as complementary players to handle rotational roles alongside Phillips, who should be expected to remain a starter for the foreseeable future. The latter recorded a sack on Sunday, and further development against the pass could prove this new investment to be worthwhile.

Additions along the D-line are a potential goal for Minnesota during the 2025 offseason. The team is currently projected to be among the league leaders in cap space, so a lucrative move from outside the organization could be in play. Regardless of whether of not that takes place, however, Phillips will remain a key member of the unit for years to come.

Week 7 In Play For T.J. Hockenson’s Return

The Vikings are hoping to have Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson back before the midseason point. While not too much in the way of a timetable has emerged regarding the high-priced pass catcher ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler points to Week 7 as a potential activation point.

Hockenson started the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list after tearing his ACL and MCL in December 2023. The 2022 trade acquisition is eligible to be activated from the PUP list after four weeks, but his ongoing rehab may keep him sidelined for a few extra weeks. Considering Minnesota’s bye comes in Week 6, it makes for a natural onramp ahead of a potential debut.

Despite missing the last two games of the 2023 season, Hockenson recorded career-high marks in receptions (95) and receiving yards (960) in his first full season with the Vikings. The former top-10 pick arrived in Minnesota from Detroit in a 2022 deadline deal and smoothly assimilated into Kevin O’Connell‘s offense. Hockenson impressed the Vikings’ front office enough to earn a four-year, $63.5MM extension ahead of last season, making him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL before the Chiefs gave Travis Kelce a raise this offseason.

Hockenson’s absence has left the Vikings thin at tight end. Josh Oliver, a former third-round pick who mainly profiles as a blocker, has taken over as the starter. Behind Oliver are veteran Johnny Mundt, who has just 48 catches across an eight-year career, and 2022 seventh-round pick Nick Muse, who has just one career reception.

That lack of tight end depth did not hamper the Vikings in their Week 1 win over the Giants. A stellar defensive showing and efficient games from quarterback Sam Darnold and running back Aaron Jones carried Minnesota to a 28-6 victory.

Darnold, however, signed with the Vikings due in large part to their offensive weaponry. The former Jets and Panthers starter worked with All-Pro Justin Jefferson, former Pro Bowler Aaron Jones and 2023 first-rounder Jordan Addison. Hockenson will round out a stellar Vikings skill-position corps, giving the free agent QB addition a better chance to succeed in what now profiles — after J.J. McCarthy‘s season-ending injury — as an interesting audition year.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/10/24

Today’s practice squad transactions from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

  • Signed: G Cade Mays
  • Released: T Marcellus Johnson

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

  • Signed: T Anim Dankwah

NFC Restructures: Hockenson, Giants, Saints

The Vikings were in an uncomfortable position entering the season with less than $1MM in salary cap space. Such a low allowance would restrict the team in making any deadline or practice squad additions, so it was necessary for the team to rework somebody’s contract in order to free up a bit of cap space.

That player happened to be tight end T.J. Hockenson, per Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune. While the exact details are unavailable at the moment, the Vikings converted a good amount of Hockenson’s $9.9MM base salary in 2024 into a signing bonus. The move cleared up around $7.92MM of cap space. They avoided utilizing a void year at the end of his contract to stash future cap since he already had one in his previous deal.

Here are a few other restructures from around the NFC:

  • The Giants also looked to restructure a veteran’s contract on the eve of the season, choosing to rework the deal of linebacker Bobby Okereke, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The team converted $6.78MM of Okereke’s 2024 salary into a signing bonus. The move cleared up $4.51MM of cap space for New York this season.
  • Lastly, we recently mentioned that New Orleans worked to restructure the contract of tight end Juwan Johnson to clear up $3.5MM of cap space. Katherine Terrell of ESPN provided a few more details on the reworked deal, informing that the team converted $4.38MM of Johnson’s 2024 base salary into a signing bonus and added one additional void year to the end of his contract in order to achieve their desired result. In effect, his cap impact with the Saints was reduced from $7.01MM to $3.51MM.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/7/24

Here are all the NFL’s minor transactions for Saturday, including the gameday callups leading into the first Sunday of the 2024 season:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

With regular kicker Matt Gay listed as questionable for the season opener after hernia surgery, the Colts will call up Shrader from the practice squad as an emergency option. The 25-year-old has not made a regular season appearance in his career, but that could very well change tomorrow.

Vikings Working To Extend S Camryn Bynum

After an offseason that saw an impressive amount of turnover, the Vikings are starting to turn their attention to the threats to leave in the next offseason. One such threat is that of starting safety Camryn Bynum who is about to begin the final year of his rookie contract in Minnesota. Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Minnesota is working to extend the fourth-year safety.

A productive player through his first three years as a Golden Bear, Bynum’s final season at Cal was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic limiting the school’s season to only four games. Still, Bynum’s production up to that point warranted a flyer in the fourth round of the draft. After only a year, Bynum established himself as a full-time starter, setting himself up for the position he finds himself in now.

Through three years in the NFL, Bynum’s production has been consistent with his collegiate career, continuing a trend of having at least one interception every year since he graduated from high school. His versatility earned him three starts in 14 appearances as a rookie, and he delivered an interception, three passes defensed, and a sack as a result.

Once a full-time starter, Bynum established himself as a tackler, as well. In 2022 he finished the year with 81 total tackles, two interceptions, six passes defensed, and two fumble recoveries. Last year saw him lead the team with 137 total tackles, record career highs in passes defensed (9) and forced fumbles (3), and reel in another two interceptions and a half sack. His efforts in 2023 saw him grade out as the league’s 21st-best safety in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

This offseason saw Antoine Winfield Jr. set a new mark for safeties in the NFL, earning a deal with an annual average value of $21.03MM, but Bynum is nowhere near as ballyhooed as Winfield or the other top earners at the position like Derwin James ($19.13MM per year) or Minkah Fitzpatrick ($18.4MM). Recent deals for Xavier McKinney ($16.75MM), Kyle Dugger ($14.5MM), Julian Love ($11MM), and Jabrill Peppers ($8MM) set a much more reasonable precedent for what to expect in a new deal for Bynum.

Extensions for the top-end safeties in the game have mostly been for four years, while the 12 safeties outside the top eight highest-paid players at the position all have three-year contracts. Assuming Bynum is held out of that top eight, a three-year deal averaging between $10MM-$12MM doesn’t sound out of the realm of possibility. Should Bynum warrant a bit more value, he could potentially earn as much as $15MM per year on a four-year contract, though the former seems more likely than the latter.

Regardless, Bynum seems like an excellent candidate to avoid playing on a career-year with a potential mid-year extension. The California-product has seamless worked into the starting lineup in Minnesota and has continued to establish a bigger role for himself in each year. The question remains: just how much will the Vikings reward him for those efforts?

2024 Offseason In Review Series

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/2/24

Here are Labor Day’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: CB Dee Delaney

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: WR David Durden

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: TE Trey Knox

New Orleans Saints

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: TE Kevin Rader

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Commanders

Stromberg sustained a knee injury that will require surgery. The 2023 third-round pick, one of five 2023 draftees that did not make Washington’s 53-man roster last week, will only need an arthroscopic procedure, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. Stromberg is aiming to catch on somewhere else around the midseason point. He only played 26 rookie-year snaps on offense. The Arkansas product would technically have a chance to land back with the Commanders, depending on the terms of the settlement, but the team moving on so early may well point to the Adam Peters regime deeming the Ron Rivera– and Martin Mayhew-overseen move a mistake.

Davis figures to land elsewhere and play this season. The 28-year-old linebacker sustained a foot sprain and will be out for a few weeks, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. Davis played in 16 games, split evenly between the Saints and Panthers, last season.