Minnesota Vikings 2026 Schedule

The “who” and “where” of the Minnesota Vikings 2026 schedule has been known since the end of the 2025 season. With the NFL’s release yesterday of the full 2026 Schedule, the “when” of the Vikings schedule is finally known. 

Minnesota Vikings 2026 Schedule

Week 1:  vs Green Bay Packers

Week 2:  @ Chicago Bears

Week 3:  @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Week 4:  vs Miami Dolphins 

Week 5:  @ New Orleans Saints 

Week 6:  Bye

Week 7:  vs Indianapolis Colts 

Week 8:  @ Detroit Lions

Week 9:  vs Buffalo Bills (MNF)

Week 10: @ Green Bay Packers 

Week 11: @ San Francisco 49ers - Mexico City (SNF)

Week 12: vs Atlanta Falcons

Week 13: vs Carolina Panthers

Week 14: @ New England Patriots (TNF)

Week 15: vs Detroit Lions (SNF)

Week 16: vs Washington Commanders

Week 17: @ New York Jets

Week 18: vs Chicago Bears

Schedule issues:

1. Spending consecutive weeks in the UK last year, with travel from Dublin to London in the middle, should’ve made the Vikings exempt from the international game idiocy for several years. I don’t care that Mexico City is in the same time zone as Minnesota. Five international games in five years is bullshit. 

2. For the fourth consecutive year the Vikings have to travel to one of the coasts for a Thursday night game. Three days is never enough rest between games. For four consecutive years, the Vikings have been forced to hand one of those days to travel. Again, bullshit. 

Some schedule highlights:

1. The Vikings kick off and wrap up the schedule with home games against division foes. 

2. Over the final eight weeks, the Vikings play only two division foes. 

3. Four Prime Time games is a nice start. Seeing as the Vikings will be ripping up the league this season, they’ll likely have a late-season game, or two, bumped to a Prime Time slot. 

4. Other than traveling (again) to the coast for a Thursday night game and an international game (again), it isn’t a bad schedule. It’s definitely a better schedule than the bullshit of last season. 

Second Round Signing Tracker

The 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement removed the drama from contract negotiations with the players selected in the draft. Most of the details of a rookie contract are dictated by where the player was selected. In recent years, the only drama with these “easy” negotiations have come from the players in the second round. That’s because players, or their agents, have been trying to get some of the contract guarantees that go to the first round picks. 

2026 NFL Draft - Second Round Signing Tracker

1.   San Francisco 49ers: De’Zhaun Stribling, WR, San Francisco 49ers - Signed

2.   Arizona Cardinals: Chase Bisontis, G, Texas A&M - Signed

3.   Buffalo Bills: T.J. Parker, Edge, Clemson - Signed

4.   Houston Texans: Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State - Signed

5.   New York Giants: Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee - Signed

6.   Las Vegas Raiders: Treydan Stukes, DB, Arizona - Signed

7.   Cleveland Browns: Denzel Boston, WR, Washington - Signed

8.   Kansas City Chiefs: R Mason Thomas, Edge, Oklahoma

9.   Cincinnati Bengals: Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M

10. New Orleans Saints: Christen Miller, DT, Georgia - Signed

11. Miami Dolphins: Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech

12. Detroit Lions: Derrick Moore, Edge, Michigan - Signed

13. Baltimore Ravens: Zion Young, Edge, Missouri

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Josiah Trotter, Missouri

15. Pittsburgh Steelers: Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama

16. Atlanta Falcons: Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson

17. Carolina Panthers: Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech

18. New York Jets: D’Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana - Signed

19. Minnesota Vikings: Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati

20. Green Bay Packers: Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina 

21. Indianapolis Colts: C.J. Allen, LB, Georgia - Signed

22. Philadelphia Eagles: Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt

23. New England Patriots: Gabe Jacas, Edge, Illinois

24. Jacksonville Jaguars: Nate Boerkircher, TE, Texas A&M

25. Chicago Bears: Logan Jones, C, Iowa

26. Cleveland Browns: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo

27. Houston Texans: Marlin Klein, TE, Michigan

28. Tennessee Titans: Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas

29. Los Angeles Rams: Max Klare, TE, Ohio State

30. Buffalo Bills: Donald Igbinosun, CB, Ohio State - Signed

31. Los Angeles Chargers: Jake Slaughter, C, Florida - Signed

32. Seattle Seahawks: Bud Clark, S, TCU - Signed

With 14 of 32 players signed, the second round is pacing the first round. That’s a significant improvement over recent years. I those years, perhaps a couple second round picks were signed at this point in the offseason. 

All that really matters is that Jake Golday signs soon. 

And Then There Were Nine

Last week brought reports that the Minnesota Vikings had requested interviews with six external candidates for their vacant general manager position.

The Six:

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

Interviews with the candidates reportedly started on Monday. It was great to see things starting to roll. Then came reports yesterday that the Vikings decided six external candidates wasn’t enough. NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported that the Vikings had requested interviews with three more external candidates.

Ray Agnew - Detroit Lions Assistant General Manager 

Reed Burkhardt - Denver Broncos Assistant General Manager

Kyle Smith - Miami Dolphins Assistant General Manager 

Honestly, I was a little surprised that Ray Agnew and Reed Burkhardt weren’t among the original six interview requests. There’s always a need to draw connections between in both general manager and coach searches. Both of the new candidates had significant connections with the Vikings. Agnew was with the Los Angeles Rams when Kevin O’Connell was the Rams offensive coordinator. Burkhardt spent 13 years rising through the scouting ranks with the Vikings. When George Paton left the Vikings to become the Denver Broncos general manager, he took Burkhardt with him. 

The Vikings are definitely looking for a type as all nine of the external candidates are currently assistant general mangers and all nine have risen through the scouting ranks. There’s not an analytics-centric individual among them. 

Now there are nine external candidates to fill the Vikings general manager vacancy. Long-time salary cap wizard and current interim general manager Rob Brzezinski is the lone internal candidate. Unless the Vikings decision-makers suddenly decide that nine external candidates isn’t enough, there are now 10 total contenders for the job. 

For what it’s worth, Chad Alexander has been my favorite for the job from the start. With the new additions to the process, if I were to pick a top three, it might look like this.

Chad Alexander

Terrance Gray

Reed Burkhardt

While I definitely don’t want the Vikings to rush through the process. It’s too important. I can’t wait for the conclusion. A GM search in May isn’t fun. I just want to move on to actual football stuff. That’s fun. 

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.