Vikings report for camp realizing the hard work required to better a 14-win season

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota Vikings were just hours into their offseason, eliminated from the playoffs with a lopsided loss, when Jonathan Greenard was moved to challenge himself and his teammates to embrace the hard work of trying to better a 14-4 record and avoid another one-and-done.

“More is required,” the veteran edge rusher posted on social media.

Three months later, Greenard’s spontaneous slogan turned into a T-shirt. The motivational swag was waiting for every player at his locker upon arrival for the start of strength and conditioning sessions in the spring.

“You can only control your individual effort, and as long as you do that, you’re going to pull somebody else and they’re going to see that and it’s going to be infectious for the whole team, the whole building,” Greenard said earlier in the offseason, explaining the purpose of spreading the word beyond a simple tweet.

The mantra has resonated throughout a well-regarded organization that will again field a well-built roster in 2025 but still faces questions about its viability as a championship contender.

The Vikings, of course, are one of the few NFL teams that have existed for the entire Super Bowl era but never won one.

“Because clearly that scale hasn’t been tipped for us,” right tackle Brian O’Neill said, “and we need to find a way to make that happen.”

As players reported to training camp this week, coach Kevin O’Connell turned up the volume on the messaging. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell each signed contract extensions during the offseason, keeping their job statuses in sync as they embark on their fourth year together while also raising the bar for expectations. The Vikings have not won a playoff game since they arrived, a drought going back to the 2019 season.

“We feel proud of some of the things we’ve accomplished, but at the same time I think it’s time for all of us to continue to look inward first,” O’Connell said Tuesday at a joint news conference with Adofo-Mensah to formally kick off the season. “It’s time for us to acknowledge what we’re actually trying to build here, and what that’s going to take is – in my opinion – an invisible presence of understanding that we’re capable but we’ve got to put in a lot of work to feel totally worthy in those moments to get to where we want to get to.”

The Vikings started only two players on the physically unable to perform list: tight end Gavin Bartholomew (back), their sixth-round draft pick, and linebacker Chaz Chambliss (foot), an undrafted rookie.

That means left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who’s recovering from reconstructive knee surgery after tearing his ACL last year, and new right guard Will Fries, whose 2024 season with the Indianapolis Colts ended early because of a broken leg, are right on track. O’Connell said both players would likely be limited to individual drills at the beginning of training camp to complete the ramping-up process, but the likelihood of having both key blockers ready for Week 1 is a vital boost for quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Wide receiver Jordan Addison last week pleaded guilty to a lesser charge that resolved his 2024 drunken driving citation, clearing the way for potential discipline from the league. Adofo-Mensah said the Vikings have not been given an indication about the timing of such a decision.

“Obviously, when that originally happened, we knew that it was a possibility, but really you’re talking about team building in general: You might not have players on the field for various reasons, and you’ve always got to be ready with depth,” Adofo-Mensah said.