28 Is 29

Last Thursday, the Minnesota Vikings brought Adrian Peterson to spectacular TCO Performance Center to talk to the team’s rookies. The Vikings also had an additional surprise reason for bringing in the greatest running back in franchise history. Hall of Fame defensive tackle John Randle interrupted an “interview” with the wonderful news that Adrian Peterson will be inducted into the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor. #28 will be the 29th name to ring US Bank Stadium. 

Adrian Peterson is the greatest running back in Vikings franchise history. He’s in the discussion of the greatest running backs in NFL history. It wasn’t so much “if” he’d be inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor. It was really a matter of “when.” The team decided that the “when” would be now. He’ll get his spiffy purple jacket a year before he gets his spiffy gold jacket. In the next voting cycle, Peterson will be in his first year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He should be considered a lock for a bust. Before that happens, he’ll be honored by the Vikings. 

Just as Randy Moss did nine years earlier, Adrian Peterson “ripped up’ the NFL as a rookie. His 1341 yard, 13 TD first season was highlighted by an NFL record 296 rushing yards against the San Diego Chargers. His 224-yard game against the Chicago Bears three weeks earlier might’ve been even more spectacular. Peterson was an easy choice for the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was just getting started. 

Adrian Peterson Career Highlights:

2007 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

2012 NFL MVP

3x Rushing Champ

4x 1st Team All-Pro

3x 2nd Team All-Pro

7 seasons of at least 1250 yards rushing

Adrian Peterson’s remarkable 15-year career will always be remembered for his ridiculous 2012 season. His 2011 season was ended by a Week 16 knee injury against the Washington Redskins. Despite the late-season injury, he was somehow ready for the start of the 2012 season. With fewer than 20 carries in each of the first two games, the Vikings eased him into the season. In Week 7, Peterson started a 10-game rushing performance rarely seen in league history. His 2097 years was a frustrating nine yards short of break Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record. Peterson’s fantastic season on a reconstructed knee secured the league’s MVP trophy. It remains the last time the award hasn’t gone to a quarterback. With today’s NFL, that’s a streak that should continue for a while.

When Adrian Peterson was selected with the seventh pick of the 2007 NFL Draft, the league was well on its way to becoming one that’s pass-centric and quarterback-dominated. His immediate impact might’ve stalled that trend. He certainly did for the Vikings. Peterson was a beast of a back. He had to be the focus of the offense. He had an incredible football career. Now, he will be immortalized in the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor. 

At halftime of a game this season, Adrian Peterson will received that spiffy purple jacket and officially join the following franchise greats. 

Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor

Jared Allen

Matt Blair

Bill Brown

Joey Browner

Bobby Bryant

Jerry Burns

Cris Carter

Chris Doleman

Dennis Green

Carl Eller

Jim Finks

Chuck Foreman

Bud Grant

Steve Jordan

Paul Krause

Jim Marshall

Randall McDaniel

Randy Moss

Alan Page

John Randle

Korey Stringer

Scott Studwell

Ahmad Rashad

Fran Tarkenton

Mick Tingelhoff

Kevin Williams

Ron Yary 

Fred Zamberletti

Vikings Receivers

What a difference a single player addition makes. At the start of this offseason, the Minnesota Vikings receiver group was topped by the best receiver duo in the league. The position group was Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and a bunch of unproven players. Jalen Nailor had been the team’s WR3 for the past couple seasons. Whenever he was on the field, he was a nice compliment to Jefferson and Addison. Nailor departed for a nice free agent contract from the Las Vegas Raiders. That’s how the Vikings got to two great receivers and a bunch of questions. Receiver became one of the team’s most significant positions of need as soon as Nailor signed that contract with the Raiders. It was such a position of need that it wouldn’t have been a surprise if receiver was the pick as early as the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. USC’s Makai Lemon was available and the Vikings selected defensive lineman Caleb Banks. Not only was receiver not the pick in the first round, the position wasn’t the pick in any of the rounds. As the draft fell, the Vikings didn’t see a rookie receiver matching the need that they had. Perhaps they already had a solution for this particular position need. A couple days after the draft, former San Francisco 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings visited spectacular TCO Performance Center for a little meet-and-greet with the Vikings decision-makers. He left without a contract. He had to think about it. On May 7, Jennings and the Vikings agreed on a one-year deal. 

At the start of free agency, Jauan Jennings was my dream receiver signing for the Vikings. I assumed that Jalen Nailor was gone and he needed to be replaced. There was a time when Jennings reportedly had WR2 contract expectations. If the Vikings couldn’t afford Nailor’s WR3 contract expectations, they certainly couldn’t afford Jennings. That was pre-draft. The trade of outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles during the draft gave the Vikings some cap room they didn’t have before. Jennings was close to affordable. The surprise of the Vikings-Jennings agreement was the contract. The deal is for an $8 million base with the potential for $13 million. That’s so much lower than the reports had Jennings seeking. That’s a bargain. After the Greenard trade, I thought that the Vikings could approach the reported contract expectations of Jennings. I never expected the actual contract to come so much under it. 

Jauan Jennings is clearly betting on himself in the Vikings offense and hoping for a better payday in 2027. As for 2026, with one addition, the Vikings dynamic receiving duo of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison has become a terrific trio. Justin Jefferson-Jordan Addison-Jauan Jennings has some Vikings fans thinking about the “Three Deep” trio of Cris Carter-Randy Moss-Jake Reed. That’s a ridiculously high bar. There’s two Hall of Famers. Settle down. Without having taken the field, the current trio is probably the best since that ridiculous trio. 

The Vikings receiver room isn’t just the three at the top of the depth chart. The Vikings roster currently has a dozen receivers.

Justin Jefferson

Jordan Addison

Jauan Jennings

Tai Felton

Myles Price

Jeshaun Jones

Joaquin Davis

Dontae Fleming

Dillon Bell

Shaleak Knotts

Marcus Sanders Jr.

Luke Wysong

With the top of the group being set, the wildcard of the group is Tai Felton. He was selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he established a strong special teams presence. On offense, he had a handful of catches. Quick, fast, elusive, His positional strengths mostly come with what he can do after the catch. He must study the receivers ahead of him. Some of the most important receiver traits are those that come before the catch. Felton has to get better at those. Right now, he might be best seen as a receiver that needs opportunities created for him. Quick screens, jet sweeps, plays that get the ball in his hands quickly. The remaining eight receivers entered the league as undrafted free agents. Myles Price is on the roster for his kick and punt returns. As a rookie, he emerged as a legitimate return threat. Anything he adds as a receiver is a bonus. Jeshaun Jones has hung around the roster for a couple years. At 6’4”, Joaquin Davis has size at the position the Vikings didn’t have until Jauan Jennings was signed. Dontae Fleming is entering his second year with the Vikings. Dillon Bell, Shaleak Knotts, Marcus Sanders Jr., and Luke Wysong are undrafted rookies. 

It’s pretty easy to project four of the receivers on the Vikings 2026 roster. 

Justin Jefferson

Jordan Addison

Jauan Jennings

Tai Felton

For his return ability, Myles Price is an easy fifth receiver. That might be it. If anyone emerges as a sixth receiver, that receiver is probably Jeshaun Jones or Dillon Bell. Who knows? All the receivers on the Vikings have a shot. At the start of free agency, the Vikings had some receiver concerns. After the signing of Jauan Jennings, receiver might be the strongest position on the roster. 

First Round Signing Tracker

The 2026 NFL Draft was over two weeks ago. That means that teams are more than two into the task of signing the players they drafted. Here’s a look at the signing status of the first round picks.

2026 NFL Draft - First Round

1.   Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana 

2.   New York Jets: David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech - Signed

3.   Arizona Cardinals: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame - Signed

4.   Tennessee Titans: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State - Signed

5.   New York Giants: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State

6.   Kansas City Chiefs: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

7.   Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State - Signed

8.   New Orleans Saints: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State - Signed

9.   Cleveland Browns: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah - Signed

10. New York Giants: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami 

11. Dallas Cowboys: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State - Signed

12. Miami Dolphins: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

13. Los Angeles Rams: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama

14. Baltimore Ravens: Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State - Signed

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami - Signed

16. New York Jets: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon - Signed

17. Detroit Lions: Blake Miller, OT, Clemson

18. Minnesota Vikings: Caleb Banks, DT, Florida - Signed

19. Carolina Panthers: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia - Signed

20. Philadelphia Eagles: Makai Lemon, WR, USC - Signed

21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State

22. Los Angeles Chargers: Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami

23. Dallas Cowboys: Malachi Lawrence, Edge, UCF

24. Cleveland Browns: KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M

25. Chicago Bears: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

26. Houston Texans: Keylan Rutledge, G, Georgia Tech

27. Miami Dolphins: Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State

28. New England Patriots: Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah

29. Kansas City Chiefs: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson

30. New York Jets: Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana

31. Tennessee Titans: Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn

32. Seattle Seahawks: Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame 

13 of the 32 players selected in the first round are signed. The curious thing about the signings so far is the four groups of three players. Of the 13 players signed, only 11th pick Sonny Styles isn’t next to another signed player. 

And Then There Were Six

When Minnesota Vikings ownership announced the start of the search for a new general manager, they said the process would proceed without public announcement of candidates and interviews. It would be done in secret. Nothing is secret in the National Football League. On Wednesday, it was reported that the Vikings had requested an interview with Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Terrance Gray. The Vikings might not be releasing any of the search particulars but someone is. A day later, it was reported that the Vikings had requested interviews with five more assistant general managers across the league. Here are the six external candidates to be the Vikings next general manager.

Terrance Gray - Buffalo Bills Assistant General Manager

Dave Ziegler - Tennessee Titans Assistant General Manager

RJ Gillen - San Francisco 49ers Assistant General Manager

Chad Alexander - Los Angeles Chargers Assistant General Manager

John McKay - Los Angeles Rams General Manager

Nolan Teasley - Seattle Seahawks Assistant General Manager

As the Vikings interim general manager, Rob Brzezinski guided the team through this offseason after the January 30th firing of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Brzezinski has been a franchise fixture since 1999. He’s a candidate for the full-time job. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I prefer that he returns to his longtime role as salary cap wizard. The general manager is annually in jeopardy of losing their job. Brzezinski is too important to the Vikings front office to be in that sort of situation. Maybe they expand his involvement to all parts of the football operation. Perhaps the new general manager works in some sort of tandem with Brzezinski. Who knows? I just believe that the Vikings should hire an external candidate. With that in mind, I like the six candidates that have become the focus of the team’s search. 

I like that all six rose through the scouting ranks of their respective teams. I get the value of analytics in player evaluation but I’m about done with analytic-focused individuals being the top-shot caller for teams. A player isn’t defined by a spreadsheet. Anyway, my initial list of about a dozen candidates included three of the six. 

Chad Alexander

Terrance Gray

John McKay

Chad Alexander has been one of my favorites to be the Vikings next general manager from the start. Of the six candidates, he’s been scouting football the longest. He’s been doing it so long that it’s a bit shocking that he hasn’t been hired to run a team. As with all of the candidates, he’s interviewed with several teams in recent years. He’s ready for the job. It was easy to circle Terrance Gray as a candidate simply for the 11 years he spent as a scout with the Vikings. Brandon Beane plucked him away in 2017 and Gray has simply risen through the organization. John McKay is probably the top choice of many Vikings fans. The Los Angeles Rams have a strong front office. Just like the coaches under Sean McVay, a young Rams decision-maker is the next hot candidate for the next opening. McKay also has working experience with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. 

When making that early wishlist, I was looking at the Seattle Seahawks front office. I was initially focusing on Vice President of Player Personnel Trent Kirchner. Chad Alexander, Terrance Gray, and Kirchner had been my top trio for most of the offseason. I’m not sure why I focused on Trinchner over Nelson Teasley. Since the release of “the six,” my top trio is now Alexander, Gray, and Teasley. If I had to rank the six candidates, it might look like this:

1. Chad Alexander

2. Nelson Teasley

3. Terrance Gray

4. John McKay

5. RJ Gillen

6. Dave Ziegler

Honestly, I wouldn’t be disappointed with any of the six. It’s not like I know or have even talked to any of them. How could I possibly have an informed opinion? Somehow, I do. 

Vikings Add A Receiver

When on the field, Jalen Nailor had provided the Minnesota Vikings with a solid third receiver option for the past couple seasons. His departure for the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency left a significant need in the roster. The Vikings carried that need through the remainder of free agency and the draft. Many, including this guy, were surprised the Vikings didn’t select a receiver in the draft. It appears they might’ve had a solution all along. Last week, former San Francisco 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings visited the spectacular TCO Performance Center for a little meet-and-greet. He left without a deal. The past week has been a week of waiting and hoping. Last night, the Vikings reportedly signed Jennings to a one-year deal. 

Early in the offseason, there were murmurs that Jauan Jennings was seeking WR2-type money. Yesterday, there were reports that the 49ers had presented a $17 million offer on the table during last season. If those were his financial targets, it seems money was the reason he was still unsigned in May. Jennings had a steady climb over his five years in San Francisco. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Tennessee. He spent his rookie season on the 49ers practice squad as he adjusted to the NFL. In 2021, Jennings made the roster, started a game, and posted five touchdowns. He made the best of his opportunity. For five years, he played in the receiver shadows of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. He took advantage of every opportunity and emerged as one of the league’s best blocking receivers. Jennings showed that he was much more than just a blocker on the game’s biggest stage. In Super Bowl LVIII, he caught a touchdown and threw for a touchdown as the 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime. He showed that he was much more than an effective blocker. He was a playmaker too. With over 1500 yards and 15 touchdowns, Jennings was one of the more productive receivers in the league over the last two seasons. Perhaps, his contract demands weren’t so lofty. 

Jauan Jennings’ one-year deal with the Vikings is for $8 million. Incentives can boost it to $13 million. That’s a remarkable bargain for a player with his skills and production. It appears he’s betting on those skills in the Vikings offense to get more lucrative offers next offseason. There was a time this offseason when Jennings was my dream receiver for the Vikings. With his contract expectations and the team’s salary cap restraints, it felt like an impossible dream. Now, the Vikings have the best receiver trio in the league. 

Justin Jefferson

Jordan Addison

Jauan Jennings

That’s a lot of “Js.” It’s also a lot of receiving talent. With his blocking skills, Jennings also gives the Vikings the ability to go with a “heavy” personnel while still having a legitimate, downfield receiving threat. The free agency departure of Jalen Nailor was a significant loss. Adding Jauan Jennings flips that loss to a net gain. 

Throwback Thursday: Two Geniuses And A Ballboy

I’m currently reading Art Donovan’s appropriately named biography, Fatso. Donovan’s a fun story-teller. His description of the 1958 NFL Championship Game got me thinking about the coaches of the late-50s New York Giants. That turned into bringing back this “old” post. 

As with the lack of respect shown to any high school substitute teacher, the New York Giants assistant coach had no hope of bringing the team's offensive meeting room to order. But when the bespectacled offensive coach entered the room and simply cleared his throat, all fell silent.
     Pat Summerall leaned over to Don Heinrich and asked, "Who the hell is that?"
     "That's Lombardi," Heinrich replied, "and you'll know soon enough."

It's amazing now that there was a time when Vince Lombardi was an unknown offensive coach. That was the case in his 1958 introduction to Summerall. Lombardi would be called an offensive coordinator today. Even more amazing is that the Giants unknown defensive coach then was Tom Landry. Lombardi and Landry are football coaching icons. Thinking of them as unknown assistant coaches is like thinking of Bill Walsh as Paul Brown's slappy in Cincinnati and Bill Belichick as Ted Marchibroda's gofer in Baltimore. It just doesn't feel right.

1956-63 is considered the "golden years" of New York Giants football. They won it all in 1956. They played for it all in five of the six seasons from 1958-63. Only missing the title game in 1960. Jim Lee Howell was the head coach from 1954-60. He'd be the first to admit that Lombardi and Landry were the ones that actually coached the players. It's impossible to imagine a head coach today giving the freedoms to his assistants that Howell easily gave his brilliant assistant coaches. He never felt threatened by them and constantly acknowledged their skills and where the credit belongs. In fact, the head coach claimed that he was only there to make sure that the footballs were properly inflated. Howell was hired as head coach in 1954. He had the difficult task of replacing his own coach, the legendary Steve Owen. Tom Landry was already there as a player/coach but was made a full-time coach. Howell's first external hire was grabbing Vince Lombardi from Red Blaik's Army team. Howell's first order of business for his coaches was to catch the Cleveland Browns. Paul Brown's Browns were the NFL's dominant team as soon as they joined the NFL, following the folding of the All-America Football Conference, in 1950. The new kids on the block were the best kids on the block. The Browns played in every NFL title game from 1950-55. They won championships in 1950, '54, and '55. The schemes developed by Lombardi and Landry were done with the Browns in mind. Being in the same Eastern Conference, the Browns success was at the expense of the Giants success. The rivalry between the two teams became the  NFL's best in the 1950's. It only took two years for the two Giants assistants to get past the Browns. They were helped by the retirement of Browns quarterback Otto Graham following the 1955 title game. Still, everything came together for the Giants in 1956. Frank Gifford was the perfect back for Lombardi's power sweep/option attack. Gifford was the NFL's MVP that season. Landry's defense, led by rookie middle linebacker Sam Huff, was brilliant. Landry's scheme and Huff's play was making a football-curious nation aware of this new "middle linebacker" position. For the first time in an NFL stadium there were chants of "defense,defense, defense...." The Giants were on top of the football world. The unknown assistant coaches were becoming known. Lombardi's last game with the Giants was the 1958 NFL Championship game against the Baltimore Colts, the "Greatest Game Ever Played." The Green Bay Packers grabbed him. That went so well that the Super Bowl trophy is named after the former Giants assistant coach. Landry's last game with the Giants was the 1959 NFL Championship game, also against the Colts. The expansion Dallas Cowboys grabbed him. He became a fixture in Dallas for an amazing 29 years. His Cowboys won five Conference and two Super Bowl titles. The two unknown coaching assistants that shared the same sideline in New York in the '50s were on opposite sidelines for two classic League Championship games a decade later. Lombardi won both. Howell retired following the 1960 season. Allie Sherman, who took over the offense from Lombardi, took over for Howell. The team that Howell, Lombardi, and Landry built played in three straight NFL Championship games from 1961-63. The Giants lost the first two to Lombardi's Packers.

There's no denying the football brilliance and historical significance of Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry. For nearly 35 years, one or both were cornerstones of the NFL. History has not been as kind to Jim Lee Howell. I've been guilty of too easily dismissing his importance to those great New York Giants teams. One of the most impressive aspects of Howell was that he simply didn't care if he got credit for the wins. He'd rather take the blame for a loss than take credit for a win. Fortunately, those Giants teams had far more wins than losses. Howell did far more than pump up the footballs. He should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame simply for managing the egos and demands of his assistant coaches. The ability of head coaches to manage and delegate authority is more appreciated today. Head coaches in the first half of the NFL's existence did much more scheming and teaching. With only a few coaches on a staff, they had to. Jim Lee Howell was one of the first coaches, if not the first head coach, to limit his duties to delegating and game managing. It was Howell that decided to send Pat Summerall out to kick about a 50-yard field goal against Cleveland in something of a blizzard in 1958. A field goal that Summerall made to force a playoff against the same Browns team a week later. A field goal that would eventually put them in the 1958 NFL Championship game. A field goal attempt that was strongly opposed by Lombardi and Landry.

The Search Is On

Last week, Minnesota Vikings ownership kicked off the team’s search for a new general manager with the following statement.

"With the conclusion of the 2026 NFL Draft, our search for the next general manager of the Minnesota Vikings is underway. This will be a thorough and deliberate process led by ownership, with support from a small internal advisory committee of senior leaders. We have also engaged respected firm TurnkeyZRG to assist in conducting a wide-ranging search that includes experienced football executives, emerging candidates and individuals with diverse professional backgrounds. Our focus is to identify a decisive leader with a clear vision for team building, strong communication skills and the ability to build alignment across an organization. Out of respect for all involved, we do not intend to publicly announce candidates and will provide further comment when the search is complete."

The Vikings general manager search has started and will proceed in secrecy. Very few things proceed in secrecy these days. That’s especially true of the NFL. The Vikings having no intention of publicly announcing candidates and interview requests doesn’t mean that someone else will have similar restraint. Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reported this morning that the Vikings have requested an interview with Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Terrance Gray. He’s a familiar name as he spent his formative scouting years with the Vikings. Prior to joining the Bills in 2017, Gray spent 11 years as an area scout for the Vikings. When Brandon Beane was hired as the Bills general manager in 2017, he hired Gray to be his director of college scouting. From there, Gray was promoted to assistant director of player personnel in 2021, director of player personnel in 2022, and assistant general manager in 2025. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer described him as being on the doorstep of a general manager opportunity for a couple years. It would be a nice story if Gray get’s that opportunity with the team for which he started scouting 20 years ago. 

Gray got his scouting start with the Vikings but his NFL start came with the Kansas City Chiefs. From 2003 to 2005, he worked with the team’s player development. In 2006, he joined a real team.

Vikings interim general manager Rob Brzezinski as an internal candidate to get the full-time job. From all appearances, he did an excellent job coordinating the offseason and especially the draft. I’d prefer that he return to his job as salary cap wizard with perhaps a promotion and/or expansion of duties. Brzezinski is too valuable to the Vikings franchise to be on the annual chopping block. A general manager is always a bad draft away from being a former general manager. I’d rather see Brzezinski working with a new general manager than being that general manager. Doing so with someone he already knows could be a good start to a great franchise future. 

For what it’s worth, Terrance Gray is on my short-list of favorite candidates for the Vikings general manager job. The others:

Chad Alexander - Los Angeles Chargers Assistant General Manager

James Liifert - Houston Texans Assistant General Manager

May is an unusual time for major NFL team decisions like picking a new general manager but that’s the situation for the Vikings. Thanks to Tom Pelissero and his insider information, we know the first external candidate for the job. That candidate is Terrance Gray. With my limited information, he’s a damn fine start. The search for the Vikings next general manager is on.