On Christmas, Peter King reported that the Vikings will get a new stadium in Minnesota; he said it’s no longer a matter of “if” but “when.”
Still, the “where” remains unknown.
The Vikings long have preferred a rural site, at an abandoned World War II ammunition plant in Arden Hills. Last year, a celebratory press conference announcing a deal to build the stadium there had a premature feel, and for good reason.
The powers-that-be have nudged the Vikings toward keeping the stadium in an urban setting, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the owner Zygi Wilf has indicated privately to political leaders that the team is warming up to the possibility of a new stadium in Minneapolis.
Though Wilf apparently has little interest in a new venue at the site of the Metrodome, Senator David Senjem said that Wilf showed politicians maps detailing the manner in which a new stadium would fit in two other Minneapolis locations, including a site closer to Target Field, where the Twins currently play.
The Vikings’ Metrodome lease has expired, but the annual legislative session opens January 24. It’ll be important to move quickly, especially since the Vikings currently are fair game to be wooed by other cities.