The Vikings Have Unfinished Business

rise of josh
Nov 14, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus (44) warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports.

Most of the Minnesota Vikings’ big-ticket items flew off the to-do list in the last four months, notably including head coach Kevin O’Connell’s long-term contract extension, the retention of defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the nomination of J.J. McCarthy as QB1, and the acquisition of multiple free-agent offensive and defensive linemen.

The Vikings Have Unfinished Business

Those items were crucial to the club’s operation in 2025, a season when sportsbooks believe the purple team will win about eight or nine games.

However, a handful of Vikings still have unfinished business this offseason. These are those personalities listed alphabetically.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (GM)

The Unfinished Business:
a Contract Extension

When mid-January rolled around, after the Vikings’ frustrating playoff loss at the Los Angeles Rams, the franchise’s ownership group immediately extended O’Connell’s contract, and credible reporting claimed Adofo-Mensah’s would follow.

Ranking the Vikings' Needs Prior to Free Agency
Feb 28, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo‐Mensah during the NFL combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.

So, onlookers interpreted an Adofo-Mensah deal to arrive in days or weeks — not months. It hasn’t happened.

While the Vikings’ brass has unmistakably stated its intent to connect Adofo-Mensah to Minnesota for the long haul, a deal actually has to be finalized at some point. Adofo-Mensah’s current contract runs through the 2026 NFL Draft, and it would just make operations smoother if he joined O’Connell in the long-term boat.

Mekhi Blackmon (CB)

The Unfinished Business:
Earning a CB2 Job

Overshadowed by linebacker Ivan Pace Jr.’s breakout rookie season in 2023, Blackmon performed admirably, too.

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Mekhi Blackmon (5) and the Minnesota Vikings celebrate an interception in the third quarter of a Week 15 NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Cincinnati Bengals, Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bengals won 27-24 in overtime. © Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK.

He attended training camp in 2024 with splashy plans of earning a CB2 job next to Byron Murphy Jr., but in a terrible fate twist, Blackmon tore his ACL, ending his second season in the pros and prompting Adofo-Mensah to sign veteran corner Stephon Gilmore.

Blackmon is on his way back, though, and when he gets to summer dealings, newcomer free agent Isaiah Rodgers might be ahead of him on the depth chart. Blackmon’s unfinished business is ensuring Rodgers is the CB3 or CB4 — not CB2.

Josh Metellus (S)

The Unfinished Business:
a Contract Extension

Metellus has no guaranteed money left on his deal, and it expires after the 2025 campaign. He’s a prime candidate for an extension, and in fact, after Minnesota re-upped with outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel a couple of weeks ago, Metellus is the logical next in line for a deal.

Dec 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus (44) during the game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.

The veteran safety gets moved all over Brian Flores’ defense, a quintessential Swiss Army knife commodity who deserves a payday.

This one isn’t too mysterious; a Metellus extension should be finalized sometime this summer.

PurplePTSD‘s Janik Eckardt wrote about Metellus last month, “Metellus has long outplayed the contract extension he signed in the 2023 offseason. That deal was a Kwesi Adofo-Mensah special. He extended the defender’s contract before he had ever made a huge impact on defense.”

“The special-teams ace stepped into a much bigger role when Flores arrived in 2023, and that’s when Adofo-Mensah saw the value and got a deal done ahead of the season. Now, after taking advantage of that for two seasons, it’s time to pay the player what he’s worth, or at least to tack on some guaranteed money (like Van Ginkel’s but with an additional year or two) at the end of his current deal.”

Over the years, Metellus has morphed into a fan favorite.

Eckardt added, “Metellus was a 2020 sixth-rounder out of Michigan. He showed enough promise early in his career to earn the trust of his coaching staff, playing in 15 games as a rookie and 16 in year two. Most of his snaps came on special teams, where he became one of the best third-phase players in the league.”

Rondale Moore (WR)

The Unfinished Business:
Earning a Roster Spot

Minnesota signed Moore in March, an addition to compete for a WR3 or WR4 job against Jalen Nailor and whichever WR4 the Vikings intended at the time. The club later drafted Maryland wide receiver Tai Felton.

But Moore is recovering from an injury that cancelled his entire 2024 season, and suddenly, with Felton on the depth chart, his roster spot could be in jeopardy.

Oct 30, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore (4) runs with the ball against the Minnesota Vikings in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.

The Arizona Cardinals selected Moore in Round 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft, and he was supposed to utilize his speed like a madman with Kyler Murray and Co. That never really happened.

He must prove this summer at training camp and in the preseason that he deserves a WR3, WR4, or WR5 job.

ESPN’s Kevin Seifert noted on Moore in March, “The Vikings’ depth at the position could be uniquely relevant as Addison faces possible NFL discipline for a misdemeanor drunken driving citation he received last summer. Powell was also the Vikings’ punt returner. Moore doesn’t have extensive experience in that area, but he did return 21 punts for the Arizona Cardinals, averaging 8.1 yard per return.”

Ryan Wright (P)

The Unfinished Business:
Keeping His Job

A man named Oscar Chapman, originally from Australia, joined the purple team from undrafted free agency two weeks ago. In theory, Chapman could script a head-turning summer and swipe Wright’s job.

Dec 17, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings punter Ryan Wright (14) reacts after throwing an incomplete pass on fourth down during the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Wright arrived on the scene as a rookie in 2022 with a bang, but his follow-up efforts in 2023 and 2024 never matched his first-year pizzazz.

The large punter must fight to keep the job he’s held for three seasons. Australian punters and kickers don’t play around. They’re often the real deal.


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