The Minnesota Vikings have sent an email to season ticket holders, regarding their tickets for the upcoming 2020 season. They have given two options:

They can either, (1) hold on to their 2020 tickets OR (2) opt out without a penalty.

Email from #Vikings to season ticket holders: pic.twitter.com/jfRDWePvgQ

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) July 21, 2020

If you Opt in:

There are a number of possibilities for ticket holders who choose to hold onto their 2020 tickets. All 66,000+ fans could be allowed in US Bank Stadium but that seems very unlikely, at this point.

One of the more likely outcomes would be a limited stadium attendance. In this situation, season ticket holders may not be allowed at every game. The Minnesota Vikings stated seat selection priority would be given to Stadium Builder’s License (SBL) owners. If fans aren’t allowed at games, they will get their money refunded.

The third possibility is that no fans at all are allowed in attendance. This would be similar to what other professional sports leagues are doing. In that case, the Minnesota Vikings would credit all season ticket holder’s accounts.

Fans who do attend games can expect a different game day experience that will include a face-covering requirement, stadium seating reconfigurations, staggered entrance times and other mandated protocols. If you prefer to keep your 2020 season tickets, with the understanding of changing policies and procedures this season and the recognition that not all fans with 2020 season tickets will be able to attend, no action is needed from you at this time.

Minnesota Vikings email to season ticket holders

What if you want to opt out?

If season ticket holders choose to opt out for the 2020 season, they can do so without penalty. It will have no affect on SBL agreements or the ability to purchase 2021 season tickets. If an opt out is chosen, accounts will be credited for the 2021 season ticket package. The season ticket holders can request a full refund instead, too.

A Different Game Day Experience

Also, included in the email, was an update on what fans should expect if they are allowed into the stadium:

• wear face masks
• sit in a social distanced manner
• enter the stadium at staggered times, along with other protocols.

If face masks are required, grab yourself a Vikings one. I’m sure the team will be selling them, along with many other companies all over the internet. Packers masks will not be allowed (just kidding, kind of).

New Jersey Not Allowing Fans For 2020 Season

With Vikings Training Camp right around the corner, other states have began making rulings on sporting event attendance. Just yesterday, New Jersey announced there will be no fans in football stadiums for the 2020 season.

Yes, there is an NFL team in New Jersey. In fact, there are two! Both the Jets and the Giants play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Joint Statement from the Giants and Jets pic.twitter.com/e8MGmXpimv

— New York Giants (@Giants) July 20, 2020

For Minnesota Vikings season ticket holders, this could mean bad news. If Giants and Jets fans are not allowed in New York, it seems unlikely for other cities too… New York has also been hit harder than other states, though.

Regardless of whether or not fans are allowed in U.S. Bank Stadium, I just want football.

Sam Sklar | Minnesota Sports Fan

Last season, the Vikings made the playoffs after missing out on the post season during Kirk Cousins‘ first year under center. In year two, the Vikings were solid at home, losing just twice in eight games. Both losses came to NFC North opponents, Chicago and Green Bay. They went just 4-4 on the road, but then upset the 13-3 New Orleans Saints on a Kyle Rudolph touchdown catch, to stun the Superdome crowd.

After falling to the eventual NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional round, Vikings fans braced themselves for the inevitable changes, as they head into year three of the Cousins era.

So, what can Vikings fans expect as we head into an unprecedented 2020 season?

Shortly after Cousins signed his new deal, which will keep him in Minnesota for at least three more seasons, the highly controversial and highly productive Stefon Diggs, tweeted out one of his patented cryptic tweets:

it’s time for a new beginning.

— DIGGS (@stefondiggs) March 16, 2020

Not much time passed before the Vikings gave the former Maryland Terrapin star the ‘new beginning’ he asked for, by sending him to Buffalo for a first round pick and a few more assets.

Can ya Digg it?

Stefon Diggs & a seventh rounder are headed to Buffalo in exchange for a plethora of picks. ? pic.twitter.com/iokkdF412y

— theScore (@theScore) March 17, 2020

Offseason signings

The Diggs trade was just the tip of the iceberg for a wild offseason in Minnesota. Gone are the likes of Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Mackensie Alexander, Linval Joseph, and Everson Griffen, all of whom were key contributors on the defense that lead the Vikings to the NFC Championship in 2018.

That’s a lot of talent and production to replace. Enter Rick Spielman. He started with a splash by signing DT Michael Pierce to a three-year, $27 million dollar deal. A few days later, the Vikings went out and signed a former small-college star in Tajae Sharpe, in hopes that he can make an impact.

Building through the draft

Given the cap issues for the purple and gold, they did a good job signing young and promising talent, but they still needed to nail the draft.

Using Buffalo’s first-rounder, the Vikings were the fifth team to take a receiver in the draft. However, many believe Justin Jefferson to be better than that. Coming from the defending National Champions, LSU, Jefferson has the makings of a great Diggs replacement. A former three-star recruit, Jefferson caught 0 balls as a freshman, 54 as a junior and had an unbelievable final year as a Tiger, catching 111 balls for 1540 yards and 18 touchdowns, including four in the first half in the College Football Semi-Finals against Oklahoma.

The Vikings then supplemented some loss of secondary talent by drafting Jeff Gladney out of TCU, who some consider the best pure corner in the draft. Pro Football Focus graded Gladney as the best cover corner in the class.

With an unprecedented 15 picks, the Vikings were bound to get some impact players in the later rounds. Boise State OT Ezra Cleveland , who the Vikings took in the second round and Mississippi State CB Cam Dantzler, whom they got in the third round, should make an immediate impact for the purple and gold.

Rick Spielman got some potential starters on day three of the draft, including two picks that I loved; Baylor DT James Lynch, the reigning Big-12 Defensive Player of the Year and Michigan State DE Kenny Willekes, who won the Bulsworth Trophy, which is awarded to the best Walk-On in College Football. Both will make an impact on defense in year one.

I think the Vikings did what they needed to do; attack the offensive side early (Jefferson and Cleveland) and snag high ceiling defenders (Gladney, Dantzler, Lynch, Troy Dye and Willekes).

What to expect

This season, there has been a lot of talk as to whether Mike Zimmer and Spielman are headed into a make-or-break season, but I don’t think that’s the case. Offensively, the Vikings should have one of the best in the NFL, even after the loss of Diggs. Jefferson will have an outstanding rookie year, opposite Adam Thielen. Defensively, the team may struggle early, due to having so many young players, but that will improve as the season progresses.

The schedule shapes up decently, too. The Vikings will open up at home for the fourth straight season, this time against hated rival, Green Bay. One of the toughest stretches for the Vikings will be later on in the season, where they travel to Tampa Bay to take on Tom Brady and the Bucs and will host Chicago at home, before heading down to the Bayou for a Christmas Day game against New Orleans on a Friday.

Ready for 2020.#Skol pic.twitter.com/ag6pjE5meN

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) May 7, 2020

There is a lot of uncertainty with the NFL season, but should the NFL play a typical schedule (I think they will), the Vikings should once again be one of the best teams in the NFC.

Hunter Plante | Minnesota Sports Fan