The calendar flips to July in one day, the month when Minnesota Vikings training camp begins. So, we are here with some summer predictions for the 2026 club, getting theories out in the open before the summer turns white hot.
We will, of course, lock in formal predictions right before Week 1, as well, but consider these official, too.
10 Summer Calls for the Vikings in 2026
1. Will Fries Rebounds
Fries signed a five-year, $87,720,000 deal in Minnesota during 2025 free agency and produced a 61.8 Pro Football Focus grade upon arriving. At that price, his PFF mark should be 81.8, not 61.8,
The veteran guard won’t quite hit 81.8 this season, but he’ll climb into the 70s, rebuilding his reputation along the way. Fans decided he was terrible after last season, but that is not true. He just wasn’t worth the huge contract.
2. The Offensive Line Stays Healthier, Finishes as Top 12 Group
Everyone besides Fries missed games in 2025 due to injury. In 2026, the offensive line won’t be totally immune to injury, but they won’t utterly ravage the group to the point where the main starting lineup never sees the field.
The OL finished 18th per PFF last year despite the missed games; it will bounce back in 2026 with good health and a Top 12 overall ranking.
3. Fans Realize the Cardinals Should Not Have Cut Kyler Murray
Murray will remain mostly healthy, the Vikings will reach the postseason, and he’ll deliver between 29 and 32 touchdowns. You won’t wonder, “Is Kyler Murray even good?” throughout the regular season; the eye test will deliver a verdict as early as Weeks 1 and 2.
Like the Vikings’ ordeal with Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks, the world will poke fun at the Arizona Cardinals for dropping Murray and paying him to play for the Vikings.
4. Demond Claiborne Feels like Ty Chandler
Minnesota is wickedly overdue to empower a young running back, but that will only appear in flashes with Claiborne. He has straight-line speed, yet it’s unclear whether he can break tackles at an RB1 clip or possesses a bellcow halfback’s vision.
Claiborne will bust off a sweet game or two, leaving a cliffhanger for the 2027 offseason, where fans wonder if he’ll transform into more than an RB1 or RB2.
5. The Vikings Trade No Draft Picks during the Season
Minnesota hired Nolan Teasley about four weeks ago, and he’s not about to offload draft picks during his first season on the job. The 2027 draft is expected to showcase more talent than most. Teasley will make his main impact in the draft — the Vikings need that — so trading picks for veterans before the November 3rd deadline will not appeal to him.
He could, however, trade a player like safety Theo Jackson for a 6th- or 7th-round pick, thereby stockpiling his war chest.
6. Starting CBs Miss at Least 6 Games Combined
A fun fact: Minnesota’s main starting cornerbacks, Byron Murphy Jr and Isaiah Rodgers, missed zero games last year. That’s pretty rare.
Unfortunately, that will change in 2026, with James Pierre and rookie Charles Demmings seeing relief action. Neither will disappoint.
7. Domonique Orange’s Consistency Leads All Rookie Headlines
Caleb Banks, the Vikings’ 1st-Rounder, will take a while to acclimate to the league, and new linebacker Jake Golday is considered “raw.”
Those things won’t beset Orange, who will win the starting nose tackle job immediately and stuff opposing running backs as early as September. By December, Orange will feel like a draft steal because of his rookie game-readiness.
8. J.J. McCarthy Starts 2 or 3 Games
Murray usually misses at least three games per year, and that won’t change in 2026. McCarthy will trot in for relief, show marked improvement from last year, and — you guessed it — the Vikings will have yet another quarterback debate on their hands. Fans will divide into camps over who to play in December — Murray or McCarthy?
9. Dallas Turner Logs Double-Digit Sacks
Turner played 300 snaps as a rookie and tallied 3 sacks. Then, he saw action on 702 plays in his second year, with 8 sacks to his name.
In 2026, he’ll play about 800 snaps and record 11 sacks. The guy will basically improve annually because that’s how it works. Turner-themed debates will largely vanish; it will just become established that he’s pretty damn good.
10. The Vikings Finish 11-6
Minnesota has the roster to win the NFC North and finally win a playoff game for the first time since 2019. The hurdle? The NFC North teams — they’re formidable from cover to cover. There is no longer a team or two to beat up on.
That prevents the Vikings from winning the division — Detroit will prevail — but Kevin O’Connell and friends will finish 11-6 and play football on Wildcard Weekend.
