Things are getting down to the wire in the NFL Draft. We are two weeks out from the first day of the next era in Minnesota Vikings football, as they hold two draft picks in the first round of the upcoming draft. And we couldn’t be happier that it’s almost here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A couple weeks ago the Vikings made a trade with the Houston Texans to acquire the 23rd pick in the draft in 2024 draft to go along with their pick (11th overall), and all the subsequent speculation centers on them trading up in the first round to grab a QB of the future. That speculation carries some weight as the Vikings lost their QB of the present in free agency, so they definitely have to make moves to secure on going forward.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kwesi has been cookin,’ as all the kids like to say. After a banner week in free agency that saw the addition of several defensive performers, a new quarterback in Sam Darnold and the swiping of a fan-favorite running back from that rival team to the east, See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vikings GM Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah secured a trade of draft picks with the Houston Texans that appears to signal the Vikings’ desires to move up in the 2024 NFL Draft and grab their QB of the future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Oberle and Mark Craig talk all the Free Agency moves the Vikings made in day 1 of the legal tampering. The new NFL League year started this week with the “legal tampering” period on Monday and the Vikings made a huge splash—but it was kind of a belly flop.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NFL Combine ended last weekend and suddenly there is a little more NFL news to talk about. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell both spoke at the Combine and each made minor ripples in the vast waters of the offseason. (But we media types will create tsunamic speculation waves out of them.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NFL salary cap went up this week to $255.4 million for 2024 season, up record $30.6 million from 2023. What does it mean? How does it affect the free agency market? How does it affect the Vikings situation which has to figure out what to do with pricy free agents to be, including Kirk Cousins, DE Danielle Hunter and the best player on their team in wide receiver Justin Jefferson? The bottom line is that increased money helps the Purple, but by how much?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kwesi has to upgrade his track record in both areas this offseason for the Vikings to improve and the fan base to get off his back. And that improvement starts next weekend when he heads to Indianapolis for the Combine, followed by free agency and the new league year, which being on March 13. So, the fellas at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) will take a look back at Kwesi’s record in free agency. Perhaps it will give us a guide to his way forward. The Vikings have some cap space. How is Kwesi going to use it? Tune in and check out our thoughts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions—rinse, repeat. Taylor Swift was in the house to see it. Airplanes are fast. The San Francisco 49ers did just about everything they needed to do to win the game (save for not muffing an important punt), but they came up one score short (they will be back in the conversation next season, if they don’t try to sign Kirk Cousins, that is). The season is over; let the offseason begin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speaking of the Vikings, anything can happen during the offseason, as well, and we here at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) will get you prepared for it. The Vikings have a number of free agents on their roster, so expect a lot of change this offseason. We will break that down. Tune in and let the speculation begin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, we here at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) are on hand to investigate that. As always, it starts with the quarterback, Kirk Cousins, and after seeing Brock Purdy bring the Niners back from oblivion, chances are slimmer than ever that Kirk is heading to San Fran for a coach-and-QB reunion. So, let’s talk about it. Tune in to the VT Breakdown podcast and check it out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Vikings and their fans watched week two of the NFL Playoffs from the sidelines, as their NFC North counterparts,See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Free agency is long off, and the NFL Draft even longer, but the discussion begins now. And the fellas at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory and purplePTSD and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) are here to hammer it all out. Tune into the podcast and check it out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thus begins the offseason of questions—tough questions to be answered in Year 3 of the Kwesi-KOC regime. Will the team draft a QB in the first round? Will they resign Kirk Cousins and Hunter? How much will they pay Jefferson? Will Brian Flores return? How many CBs will the team need to draft? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Vikings hosted the Green Bay Packers for a New Year’s Eve party at U.S. Bank Stadium and the fireworks were all green and yellow. The Packers whipped up on the Vikings 33-10 and basically eliminated the Purple from the playoffs (they still have a 3 percent chance to make them). The Vikings trotted out first-year quarterback Jaren Hall to face the Packers in a (near) elimination game and the rookie proved not to be ready for prime-time play.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Vikings lost another one-score game (30-24 versus the visiting Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium). They lost it once again at the goal line in the final minute. And they lost it one more time due to shaky quarterback play and multiple turnovers. The loss was a disappointing one in a season of them. But somehow the hapless Minnesota Vikings remain alive (but on life support) for their post-season prospects.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In what might be the worst loss of the season, the Vikings lost to the Cincinnati Bengals on the road in overtime. After building a 17-3 lead in the third quarter, the Vikings stalwart defense (which hadn’t given up a touchdown since the last series of the Denver Broncos game) gave up three consecutive scores in the fourth quarter and ultimately the game-winning field goal in OT for a dispiriting, debilitating and very disappointing 27-24 loss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coming off the bye, the Vikings heads to Las Vegas where fortunes are gained (but more often lost in the casinos) and there are so many questions pestering the Purple personnel department: Who will start at QB? How much will JJ play and contribute? How much money should they give Kirk Cousins this offseason. Will any amount of money be enough for Brian Flores to return? Why can’t we have nice things?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During their bye week, the Vikings nearly said bye-bye to their playoff chances. They held onto their 6th seed position in the NFC playoff picture, but the red-hot Green Bay Packers tied them at 6-6 and crept into the seventh spot. The Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also 6-6, so the Vikings playoff chances dropped to 41 percent and their margin for error plummeted to about zilch with five regular season games to go. It’s crunch time in Minnesota.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Considering the full gamut of odd, bad, strange, embarrassing and downright maddening losses to the Chicago Bears, the Vikings sunk to a new low. It’s always weird when these two teams play in Chicago, or even worse, if it is Halloween Night. But on Monday Night Football at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings succumbed to the glare of full moon fever and were taken down by Chicago 12-10—in a game in which the Bears were the first team this season to win without scoring a touchdown.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.