If there’s one general rule about OTAs, it’s that nothing matters as much as you think it does. Sure, there will be social media videos and stories about how Player X is in the best shape of his life. But the OTA breakout stories we’ll read are more likely to unearth the next Jordan Taylor than the next Adam Thielen.
Still, as diehard fans, we are glued to these practices. We want to know how J.J. McCarthy looks and why Kevin O’Connell talked to him for so long after an interception. We want to know who the next breakout star will be and tell our friends so he instantly becomes “My guy.” We share and overanalyze every team-edited highlight for our fantasy football draft and, most importantly, we realize that football is closer than we think.
So why do we do all of this if it doesn’t matter? Because the one thing we can tell from OTAs is the vibes.
Vibes are often childish, something you hear about on TikTok. While some may ramble about McCarthy’s “aura” in highlight videos, OTAs are our first chance to gauge what the temperature will be like for a team. While nothing screams “Super Bowl Champions” in May, we can get the first dark glimmers of imminent disaster as it’s played out in Vikings history.
Consider the 2018 Vikings. Coming off an appearance in the NFC Championship Game, the Vikings went “all in” the following offseason by hiring John DiFilippo as offensive coordinator and giving Kirk Cousins the first fully guaranteed contract in Vikings history. What we didn’t see coming is that Mike Zimmer would act like the kid groaning about his PlayStation 5 when he really wanted the $2,000 gaming PC on Christmas morning.
Zimmer harried DiFilippo until he fired him the following December, and he clashed with Cousins until the Vikings dismissed him following the 2021 season. In between, there were several moments when the vibes were off, including Stefon Diggs’ absence during OTAs in 2019, the COVID-fueled restrictions and the rookie class of 2020, and fun with vaccines during the 2021 season.
The 2022 season was the first time you felt like things were different. Even if the rallying cry was “[Forget] Mike Zimmer,” it brought the Vikings together under Kevin O’Connell. The Vikings won 13 games and took home an NFC title, but the bad vibes returned the following training camp.
Contract negotiations for T.J. Hockenson, Justin Jefferson, and Cousins lingered into training camp. Hockenson suffered the world’s worst ear infection that trickled down all the way to his back. Jefferson’s desire to bet on himself and decline a contract extension put a strange feeling over the 2023 season. Sure enough, Jefferson and Cousins got hurt, and the Vikings rode the quarterback carousel before stopping at a 7-10 record.
The next few months created uncertainty as Cousins departed for the Atlanta Falcons, and the Vikings brought in J.J. McCarthy. Many thought the Vikings were destined for a rebuild year, and the 6.5 over/under on their win total gave O’Connell an easy message to send.
“Nobody believes in you.”
Minnesota became galvanized even when McCarthy was lost for the season. They rallied around Sam Darnold and rode the momentum to a 14-win season. Even though the Vikings ended the year with two disappointing losses, it felt like they were in the hunt.
The Vikings completed their initiative to get O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s contract extensions done before training camp. They also rewarded Andrew Van Ginkel for a breakout season. While Minnesota still has some work to do, such as a new contract for Josh Metellus, it didn’t affect the near-perfect attendance as the team gets back to work.
It’s a business-like approach, but nobody feels like they’re going to get fired. With a Super Bowl within reach, everyone is excited for the upcoming season. It’s about as perfect a situation as possible, especially when you look around the NFC North.
The Chicago Bears continue to Bear even after bringing in Ben Johnson to lead Caleb Williams. While some growing pains are to be expected with a new coaching staff, Johnson has had to stop practice several times. After explaining that his quarterback needs to work on his body language, Johnson admitted that he needs to work on his own. Williams may also deeply desire to have O’Connell coach him, but that seems to be put to rest for now.
The Green Bay Packers have had their own drama beginning when Josh Jacobs screamed for a No. 1 receiver. While the entire receiver room responded “Are you sure about that?” the front office agreed, selecting their first first-round receiver since the George W. Bush administration and adding another in the third round for good measure. Being led by the NFL’s crash-out king, Matt LaFleur, doesn’t help. Some, like Jayden Reed, are looking for reassurance of their role heading into next season.
Then, there’s the two-time defending division champions, the Detroit Lions. Any Lions fan will tell you they expect Dan Campbell to keep chugging along like a 45-hour guitar solo in a “Master of Puppets” cover. Still, losing both coordinators isn’t an ideal start to the season. Things got worse as Frank Ragnow announced his retirement on Monday, and Alex Anzalone continues to sit out as he seeks a new contract.
All of these can be solved with a lot of money and maybe some deep conversations inside a coaching office. But the rest of the division already appears to be on the Vikings. Like many things in OTAs, there’s no guarantee that advantage will hit the field in September. But it’s a good start that Minnesota hasn’t had in a long time.