{"id":906448,"date":"2026-05-31T19:39:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T19:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/906448\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T19:39:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T19:39:26","slug":"5-vikings-theories-that-aged-poorly-as-of-late","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/906448\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Vikings Theories That Aged Poorly as of Late"},"content":{"rendered":"

Heading into every offseason, Minnesota Vikings<\/a> fans and various media members manufacture some theories that come true \u2014 and some that don\u2019t quite pan out. The following chronicles the takes that seemed likely at the time but later felt flat.<\/p>\n

For example, during the 2025 offseason, many believe that Minnesota would sign Aaron Rodgers<\/a>. That didn\u2019t happen. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a>. Here\u2019s the 2026 edition of poorly-aged Vikings theories.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Vikings Rumor Mill Missed on Several Big Names\"Dan<\/p>\n

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning speaks with defensive back Dillon Thieneman during an open practice session before the Orange Bowl. Thieneman entered the season as one of college football\u2019s most recognizable defensive backs after transferring from Purdue and immediately drew attention within Oregon\u2019s revamped secondary. Dec. 27, 2025. Mandatory Credit: Ben Lonergan-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n

1. Oregon Safety Dillon Thieneman Was the Obvious Round 1 Draft Choice<\/p>\n

For about four to six weeks, every NFL mock draft<\/a> \u2014 like every single one \u2014 linked Thieneman to the Vikings. It was almost a variation of The Mandela Effect.<\/p>\n

Despite no Vikings insiders validating the connection, the theory continued all the way up to draft night on April 23rd. With Thieneman indeed on the board, surely Minnesota would select Thieneman and call it good, right? They just had to fulfill the prophecy, correct? Absolutely not. The Vikings picked defensive tackle Caleb Banks, making the long run of Thiemenan-to-Minnesota theories look silly.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Thieneman, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears<\/a>, evidently did not run with the first team at OTAs this week. Bear Goggles On\u2018s Anthony Miller observed<\/a>, \u201cIt\u2019s very early on in the process to prepare for 2026, and there has to be some kind of method to the madness, but it\u2019s interesting to say the least that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThieneman is not with the starters. Johnson\u2019s decision might come as the team tries to avoid rushing him into the lineup and to let him learn before being thrown into the starting lineup.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. The Vikings Would Draft a Notable RB, WR, and C<\/p>\n

Some thought Minnesota would draft a running back like Jonah Coleman<\/a> or Emmett Johnson before the draft\u2019s late rounds. The Vikings also hosted a litany of prominent mid-round wide receivers before the draft. And at center, Blake Brandel<\/a> was the only decent option, a guy who started his career as a tackle and later switched to guard.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski then selected no players at these positions until Round 6.<\/p>\n

Instead, the Vikings will roll with Aaron Jones<\/a> and Jordan Mason<\/a> at running back, Jauan Jennings<\/a> at WR3, and the aforementioned Brandel at center. Fans will hope that Round 6 runner Demond Claiborne is a draft steal.<\/p>\n

3. J.J. McCarthy<\/a> Would Be Tradebait Because of Kyler Murray<\/a>\u2019s Arrival<\/p>\n

Soon after the Vikings signed Murray in March, the world decided that McCarthy may not be able to coexist with Murray. Some claimed he\u2019d request a trade; some said he was gone via trade during the draft.<\/p>\n

None of that happened, and McCarthy is currently locked in a quarterback competition with Murray \u2014 just like the Vikings advertised in March.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

If McCarthy is traded, it will probably be because he soured on the franchise and wanted a fresh start. That has not happened yet. NFL insider Jason La Canfora wrote this week<\/a>, \u201cMinnesota would likely not fetch much for McCarthy under these circumstances, and it might require an injury elsewhere to create more demand.\u00a0If O\u2019Connell couldn\u2019t get much from him and opted to sell low on him, that would resonate around the league.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it also stands to reason that obvious friction between a new QB you need to win with now, and one who has to quickly come to grips with watching games and not playing them so soon after being drafted that high, is far from ideal.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Aaron Jones and T.J. Hockenson<\/a> Would Be Cut<\/p>\n

When the offseason arrived, many assumed that Minnesota would cut Jones and Hockenson because of their hefty 2026 price tags. It would then have March and April to use free agency and the draft as a blank canvas for new playmakers.<\/p>\n

\"AaronMinnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones carries the football against the Green Bay Packers<\/a> during an NFC North showdown at Lambeau Field. Jones delivered several productive performances in his first season with Minnesota after spending years as a key offensive contributor for Green Bay<\/a>. Sept. 29, 2024. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n

Yet, the Vikings proposed paycuts for both, and the pair accepted. Jones and Hockenson took lesser salaries in 2026 and are now slated to be unrestricted free agents in 2027.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

The takes about Jones and Hockenson release indeed made sense, but they didn\u2019t play out.<\/p>\n

5. Jonathan Greenard<\/a> Would Be a Longtime Viking<\/p>\n

Danielle Hunter<\/a> left the Vikings during the 2024 offseason, choosing his hometown team, the Houston Texans<\/a>, for his career\u2019s second chapter. Minnesota turned around and signed the Texans\u2019 main pass rusher \u2014 Greenard \u2014 to replace him.<\/p>\n

It lasted two years.<\/p>\n

Six weeks after signing Greenard, former Vikings boss Kwesi Adofo-Mensah<\/a> finagled an expensive trade for Dallas Turner<\/a> during the draft. That was apparently a pick to make Greenard\u2019s stay short in Minnesota because the Vikings traded Greenard during the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

\"Jonathan<\/p>\n

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard poses during NFC practice ahead of the Pro Bowl Games in Orlando. Greenard quickly became one of the Vikings\u2019 most important defensive playmakers after joining the franchise, helping lead Brian Flores\u2019 defense with steady pressure and impact production. Feb. 1, 2025. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n

Most playoff-contending football teams don\u2019t trade their best EDGE defender, but Minnesota did precisely that. In fact, when the Greenard trade rumors<\/a> took hold in March, it just didn\u2019t seem real that the Vikings would trade him.<\/p>\n

But they did.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Heading into every offseason, Minnesota Vikings fans and various media members manufacture some theories that come true \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":864532,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2073],"tags":[6912,1586,30136,3971,391,10652,6047,19134,19,7,41,345,253,1519,10117,33925,8041,3974,4827,9737,233,259,2529,6,57,9250,234],"class_list":["post-906448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-minnesota-vikings","tag-aaron-jones","tag-aaron-rodgers","tag-anthony-miller","tag-blake-brandel","tag-chicago-bears","tag-dallas-turner","tag-danielle-hunter","tag-dillon-thieneman","tag-draft","tag-football","tag-green-bay","tag-green-bay-packers","tag-houston-texans","tag-j-j-mccarthy","tag-jauan-jennings","tag-jonah-coleman","tag-jonathan-greenard","tag-jordan-mason","tag-kyler-murray","tag-mandatory-credit","tag-minnesota","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-minnesotavikings","tag-nfl","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-t-j-hockenson","tag-vikings"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116670887720237169","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=906448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906448\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/864532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=906448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=906448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=906448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}