Those changes go far beyond QB, though. Brian Flores’ defense, for example, has looked scary good early on at training camp, even making it difficult to judge McCarthy’s development or the readiness of Minnesota’s offense, in general. Except when they choose to run, apparently.

That’s right, the NFL is not ready for what the 2025 Vikings are about to throw run at them over the next 17 games. Behind their heavily reconstructed offensive line, newly added Jordan Mason gives Minnesota a one-two punch with Aaron Jones that we haven’t seen in years.

Come to think of it, the 2025 Vikings could look a lot more like what we saw from the purple early on in Mike Zimmer’s tenure, when they won games via defense and a dominant running game, as opposed to what we’ve seen in O’Connell’s first three seasons as head coach.

Thankfully, no matter what the product looks like on the field, we can be sure that complaints from players behind the scenes will never happen under Kevin O’Connell like they are STILL with Zimmer.

Former MN Vikings QB Kyle Sloter recalls another classic Mike Zimmer tale

This time, it’s former depth quarterback Kyle Sloter who claims that back sometime between when he was signed in September 2017 and when he was released at the end of training camp in 2019 (August 31), the Minnesota Vikings were telling him he needed to play worse during the preseason.

Why? According to Sloter, Zimmer & Co felt like he was making their starting quarterback at the time — who we can only assume was Kirk Cousins, given his mention of guaranteed money — look bad, which was creating unneeded consternation within the organization.

Former #Vikings QB Kyle Sloter claims that he was told by Minnesota that he needed to “do worse” to stay:

“I was told when I was with the Vikings at one point that I needed to do less. That I needed to go out there and do worse in the preseason.”pic.twitter.com/QSeNIbUHGB

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) August 7, 2025

“I was told when I was with the Vikings at one point that I needed to do less. That I needed to go out there and be worse in the preseason because [my play] was creating an atmosphere that was not what they wanted.

They don’t want competition between a backup quarterback and a starter. They don’t want any controversy, they don’t want those things, especially when you have a lot of guaranteed money on a guy who is going to play no matter what.”

“I have had people tell me that, in order to to make it as a backup in the league year after year after year, you have to play like a backup and it just was never me. It was never me to not go out there and compete.

It was never me to go out there and not feel like, ‘hey, if I’m not the starter my mindset is I’m going to be the starter someday. I’m going to be better than the starter’. And that’s not to say that [I wasn’t supportive of teammates] and understood my position and my role…”

Kyle Sloter

How good was preseason Kyle Sloter with Minnesota Vikings?

It’s true, Kyle Sloter was a preseason MVP during most of his NFL career, especially while in Minnesota. Between 8 preseason games from 2018 to 2019, Sloter threw for 809 total yards, 8 touchdowns and just 1 interception (74.8% completion rate). Kirk Cousins became the Vikings’ QB before the 2018 season.

Sloter Season.@KyleSloter's TD pass to @brandon_zylstra gives the @Vikings the lead!

📺: #SEAvsMIN on FOX
Watch on mobile: https://t.co/uLZtwjkGlI pic.twitter.com/GfDiW7r7h5

— NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2019

Related: Kyle Sloter Claims Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer Hated Each Other

But let’s remember, this is also the same guy who broke his foot kicking in a door, which cost him all sorts of development. And this isn’t the first time he has opened up about experiences in Minnesota.

In general, Sloter was just as much of his own worst enemy, during his short NFL career, as Mike Zimmer or any other person he believes held him back during his football playing career.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has spoken well of Sloter’s performance in games, but has said he must do better in practice. Zimmer likes that Mannion has some regular-season experience, having played in 10 games the past four years with the Rams, including one start. Sloter has never appeared in a regular-season game.

Former MN Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer – via the Pioneer Press (8/20/2019)

Sloter story doesn’t surprise me

Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me even slightly if Kyle Sloter’s story is true. The Minnesota Vikings had just signed Kirk Cousins and there was no path to playing time. Sloter had plenty of his own issues, but this highlights another problem of the Mike Zimmer era.

Even if Kyle had no path to starting, a high-level organization would want to prop him up and make him look as good as possible, being quarterbacks are so valuable in the NFL.

Related: Justin Jefferson’s House Up For Sale at Bargain Price…

Instead, if Sloter’s story is true, Zim wanted to cut him down at the knees instead. As we would come to find out throughout the Mike Zimmer era, he had a tendency to do that sort of thing, whether it be Sloter, Cousins or Kellen Mond.

Of those three head coaches, Mike Zimmer was the most successful at turning one of the worst defenses in the NFL, into a juggernaut. Zimmer also led the Vikings to the NFC Championship game during the 2017-18 NFL season.

Rick Spielman signs Quarterback Kirk Cousins

Coming off a blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game after the 2017-18 season, the Vikings believed they were a quarterback away from contending for a Super Bowl.

In March 2018, Spielman made one of the biggest splashes in Vikings history signing former Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins to an unprecedented three-year $84 million fully guaranteed contract. The first in NFL history, at the time.

Kirk Cousins' new contract contains the most fully guaranteed money in the NFL ($84 million)

The next-closest current deal contains $60.5 million guaranteed (Matthew Stafford)@Vikings pic.twitter.com/8zZ9UZpGPO

— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) March 15, 2018

Although this was unprecedented at the time, behind the scenes, this is likely when the Spielman and Zimmer relationship started to breakdown. It has been reported that Zimmer never wanted to sign Cousins to that amount of money, and that he wanted to spend that money on the defensive side of the ball. Regardless of what Zimmer wanted, Spielman went ahead and signed Cousins.

Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer “hated each other”

Kyle Sloter, a former Vikings QB, had a couple of stints in Minnesota from 2017-2022. Although he never took a snap in a regular season or postseason game for any team, he did recently appear on the Onebar & Lupagus Show and revealed some insider drama regarding the Spielman and Zimmer relationship.

Related: NFL Draft Analyst Believes J.J. McCarthy Can (and Will) Start for Vikings in Week 1

According to Sloter, Spielman really liked him while Zimmer didn’t during his initial stint with Minnesota from 2017-2019. While the 2021-22 season was spiraling downwards, Spielman and Zimmer seemed to both know that the writing was on the wall for their tenures in Minnesota, and as one last “F*** you to Zimmer”, Spielman brought Sloter back in December 28, 2021. Sloter was later released a few days later on January 3, 2022.

“Spielman really liked me. Zimmer and Spielman hated each other, so Zimmer hated me. They both knew they were getting fired, so when they needed a QB, it was a last F you to Zimmer.”

Kyle Sloter via The Onebar & Lupagus Show

Kyle Sloter on the relationship between Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman:

“Spielman really liked me. Zimmer and Spielman hated each other, so Zimmer hated me. They both knew they were getting fired, so when they needed a QB, it was a last F you to Zimmer.”

(@Matt_Falk) pic.twitter.com/SSWrH0LerL

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) May 9, 2024

Out with the old, in with the new Minnesota Vikings

Overall, we’ll never really know if this is fully true or not. However, coming from a former Vikings player, their definitely could be some truth to this dysfunctional relationship between Spielman and Zimmer. Sloter isn’t the only former player to hint at this.

True or not, the Vikings relieved Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman of their duties following the 2021-22 season. A few weeks later, the Minnesota Vikings hired current General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Head Coach Kevin O’Connell.

Related: JJ McCarthy Takes Part in First Vikings Practice, Followed by Impressive Media Session

The Vikings still have yet to win that elusive first Super Bowl, however, having a head coach and general manager that collaborate effectively with one another is vital for the success of the organization. Good thing for the Vikings is that Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell seem to have the opposite type of relationship as Spielman and Zimmer.

Let’s hope that continues on for a very long time.

With Kirk Cousins set to don the Purple, Case Keenum, Sam Bradford, and Teddy Bridgewater’s Viking tenures are officially over. As those three depart for different franchises, Minnesota wasted no time in addressing their need for QB depth:

Broncos and Vikings are finalizing a trade for backup QB Trevor Siemian, as @rapsheet said.

Broncos will send Siemian and a 2018 late-round pick to the Vikings for a pick in 2019 draft, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 14, 2018

2018 Cap Hit: $2 million

The 26 year-old Siemian has spent his entire career with the Broncos organization. After not throwing a pass his rookie season, the 2015 7th round pick has compiled 30 passing TDs (24 INTs) over the last two years (24 starts).

Trevor Siemian Career Stats:

In regards to QBR, his 2017 number of 29.8 is a shit show. However, his 48.4 from two years ago outshines both Case Keenum’s 2016 (39.4) and 2017 (37.1) totals. In all fairness to the former Viking, his two seasons with the Rams didn’t feature the talented WR combination of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanual Sanders. You’d imagine Keenum’s new (Siemian’s old) teammates are a hell of a lot more effective than that Jeff Fisher coached dumpster fire.

Anywho, the Northwestern Alum will join Kyle Sloter as the Vikings’ reserve gunslingers. With a bona fide starter in place, how will the rest of the QB depth chart shake out? This trade means Trevor Siemian is the bona fide backup right? What about the deep QB draft class? I’ll defer to the much more educated @JReidDraftScout on the topics of QB depth charts and NFL mock drafts:

1. Kirk Cousins
2a. Trevor Siemian
2b. Kyle Sloter

That will most likely be the Vikings depth chart in 2018. Trading for Siemian pretty much rules out MIN from drafting a QB this year.

— J.R. (@JReidDraftScout) March 14, 2018

Regardless of how the situation pans out, unlike Keenum’s stint in Minnesota, let’s hope Trevor Siemian’s bench-warming role remains constant. If you’re wondering why that is, which one of the 84,000,0000 (fully guaranteed) reasons do you want first?

via GIPHY

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com